science and life after death?

Question

this is a man that has meant a lot to me , a man who taught me very much about spirit and the after life
and i would love to hear your thoughts about him whether you are religious or atheist
because i keep hearing how science and religion cannot go hand in hand , and i always argue that they can
perhaps you will understand my point of view more if you read about this man... he was my tutor and one of the most respected people in my life
http://www.survivalafterdeath.org/researchers/roy.htm
is there anyone in your life who has made a great impact in your beliefs ?

good point Om and actually this man began his study as a huge skeptic .. but could not change his findings and has since become a great name in the field of psychical research

Mullah you make a great point .. i perhaps should have said spirituality

Answer 1

Pangel, I would agree that science and religion cannot go hand-in-hand. In fact, they are more like polar opposites. However, I feel this is often misinterpreted to mean that science and spirituality must conflict. This will take some time for me to explain but I will try.

Religion is very much about establishing a belief system and trying to interpret the world around the core beliefs. This is the exact opposite of what goes on in modern science. Science demands objectivity and (if it is true science) fears no answer. What this means is that science must never subscribe to a position that it is willing to hold in opposition to overwhelming counter evidence. In short, it must believe nothing. This is the exact opposite of religion where belief is crucial.

Spirituality, on the other hand, is the deep consideration of one's relationship with the universe (both seen and unseen). Science *does* have its limitations. Picture one circle lying just inside another circle. The inner circle represents those things with which sciencej concerns itself - those things which are mearsureable, observable and testable. Science can establish detail and solid opinions within that circle. But it can never travel beyond its edge.

In order for sceince and religion to go hand in hand, religion would have to be willing to confine itself to that outer region. It would have to be willing to allow the ciricle representing science to grow unhindered until the outer region was just a sliver. No relifion that I know of is willing to accept that role.

I view spirituality as a tool to merge both of these regions (the inner and the outer). It allows you to know what is knowable while being open to and exploring possibilities in the unknowable

Answer 2

Science and religion cannot go hand in hand. Religion insists on believing on unproven things and won't have them tested. Whereas science is quite happy to reevaluate, question and discover all the time.
The person who made a great impact on my beliefs was the priest at my Sunday school (and the nuns there too)...they put me right off. I couldn't see the logic of what they were saying or any reasonable or even nice behaviour. I saw right through the lies and was ill treated for that...ahh the beauty of religion. If you don't believe we'll beat it into you!

Answer 3

First off I am a Muslim and I don't have to or need to read the article because I know that science and religion go hand in hand. Science is a knowledge that we learned as we went through life. Look at the miracle of birth. Your kids, my kids all started from one teeny tiny cell and when they came out they were full fledged babies. Look at the flowers bloom in Spring. Science is all around us; Science is a part of our lives.
Is there anyone out there who has made a great impact in my beliefs? Honestly no; that's something I have to do on my own.

Answer 4

There is no single person who has had a particularly important role in my present epistemology. It is perfectly true that science and religion are antithetical: religion requires a belief in supernatural phenomena, while science necessarily supposes that there is no such thing. Necessarily, because it it the business of science to make predictions, and if the outcome of a situation depends on a supernatural event, it is obvious that no prediction about it can be made: you can only make predictions based on rules.

Answer 5

Several people have had a profound affect on my life, some spiritual and others secular.

God created all that is, so the belief that science and religion can't go hand in hand is hogwash.

Many scientist are moving toward intellegent design and away from "the universe just happen one day."

Answer 6

My dad's beliefs differ GREATLY from mine, but I still hold onto something he told me when I was much younger:

"Don't believe anything provable without proof; don't believe anything un-provable if it doesn't make sense."

I'm sure those aren't his exact words, but that is the message he gave me. If something is provable one way or another, I won't believe it unless it has been proven. If something is un-provable (like supernatural matters) I don't believe it unless it fit logically, in my opinion, with what CAN be proven.

He considers himself a Christian, but his beliefs most closely match a deist. He believes in a Creator (not necessarily the god described in the bible, but a Creator of some kind), but that It has not interfered in the physical world since that time.

I am an eclectic Pagan, with a wide array of beliefs that seem to span all over the supernatural map, metaphorically speaking, but I still hold true to my dad's words. Everything I believe in that can't be proven, never conflicts with what I know can be proven.

Answer 7

I find it quite odd that such a well respected science (astronomy)professor would get involved with pseudoscience, you'll be telling us he's into astrology next (then I will have heard everything). But I mean no disprespect in that, everyone is entitled to their own beliefs (its just that usually people who live by the scientific method take a more rational/skeptical approach to paranormal phenomena).

Just my opinion, sorry if this offends you, I do not intend it to :p

Answer 8

Why do you follow the thoughts and findings of a sinful man of the world when you have the teachings of a perfect Man Who is God, from heaven, who died and came back from the dead and has taught us all we need to know about God and life after death ?

He does actually know, and has experienced these things, unlike your guide, on all counts.

The Man I speak of is, of course, Jesus Christ, Who has had the greatest impact upon the world and Who affects and determines the life after death of every living soul, ever.

Let one of Christ's Apostles speak, for it is so appropriate - They are of the world therefore speak they of the world and the world heareth them.
We are of God, he that knoweth God heareth us , he that is not of God heareth not us, 1 John 4/5-6.

Answer 9

existence after dying? that doesn't exist. there is not something for technology to describe. that's like asking if technology has defined UNICORNS yet?! guess it won't be able to describe unicorns! Checkmate scientists and your stupid shown tactics of doubling existence expectancy and giving us a number of those technological breakthroughs. we would desire to continually hear to God, our contradictory invisible buddy, and bypass returned to the darkish a while.

Answer 10

I believe science and the Bible must agree. They do go hand in hand. As far as beliefs, the Bible.