Has Christianity's challenge of Science ruined any credibility the religion may have once had.?

Question

If believers had not challenged scientific evidence would they have more credibility today and look less foolish?

Answer 1

Religion questions science now because it long ago lost its credibility and is trying to regain some of its earlier power. When people can find out from science why something happens, the religious can no longer say "See the power of 'God!'" That scares the bejesus out of religious folks, because without the power to scare people with mythology, they lose the power to control them. I don't think the religious "leaders" really believe any of that bible stuff any more than your average agnostic, but it makes it easy to control the gullible.

Answer 2

That story is not meant to be taken literally. It was written thousands of years ago, and it's just that, a STORY. Anyone who points out the fact that modern logic contradicts an ancient fairytale and assumes it disproves an entire spiritual belief system is an idiot. You're right, the story of Noah could not actually have happened as it was told in the Bible. What do you want, a cookie? Don't think I didn't catch the sarcasm here, I'm not a dumbass. I am not a Christian. I am not a part of ANY religion. Therefore I am also unbiased. I bothered to answer because I become extremely annoyed when people point out the obvious and try to pass it off as an intelligent observation.

Answer 3

I think that the acceptance of scientific rationalism as the only valid measure of truth was what did it. This way of determining what is 'true" is misapplied to religion.

Religious truths are not like the proofs of scientific rationalism. They are more like the intuitive insights of poetry or art.

And they speak to things that science does not.

They ought to be kept separate, not only in our public life, but in our personal lives, understanding that they answer different questions.

Science is the best guide for understanding HOW. Religion attempts to answer the question "why?"

So, yes, I think that any religion that attempts to prove itself "true" through scientific rationalism will look the worse for having done so.

The measure of a religion's "truth" has nothing to do with science or the scientific method. It has to do with the changes it makes in people; if it gives comfort in times of loss and trial; if it leads its' followers to practice practical, applied, impartial compassion.

It is truly not incompatible to believe in a creation story *AS a story*, taking poetic insight from it...and fully supporting science as the way to understand how the universe works.

But the poetic insights of religion have no place in science, and the proofs of scientific rationalism have no place in religion.

Trying to conflate the two only results in bad science and bad religion.

Answer 4

Actually, if people would sit down and look thru the scriptures, they would find that it agrees with many scientific principles. In Isaiah 40: 22 it calls the earth a circle, whereas men thought the world was flat until the 14th century. The Mosaic law code given to the israelites was full of sanitary and dietary conditions that helped keep them from getting sick and not spread disease. It talks about the water cycle.

Religions that promote tradition and philosophy have stumbled people and made them think that the Bible teaches those facts when in truth, it does not, but shows how our earth came about and what kind of future we have ahead of us.

Answer 5

"Christianity" is a broad term. The majority of the most influential scientists of the 20th century were Christians, and the largest Christian denominations in the world have endorsed modern scientific study, including (but not limited to) evolution.
If anything has damaged the credibility of Christianity, it is the inability of the common man to judge a group by the majority.

A small list of Christians:

Isaac Newton, Neils Bohr, Charles Darwin, Louis Pasteur, Galileo Galilei, Johannes Kepler, Nicolaus Copernicus, Michael Faraday, James Clerk Maxwell, Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schrodinger, Andreas Vesalius, Tycho Brahe, Max Planck, Enrico Fermi, Arthur Eddington, William Harvey, Carl Gauss, John von Neumann, Gregor Mendel, John Dalton, Alexander Fleming

To the poster below, Charles Darwin was a Christian when he formulated his theory of natural selection. He abandoned belief in a personal Deity later in life. And here is a link to the 100 most influential scientists of the 20th century - feel free to count the Christians: http://www.adherents.com/people/100_scientists.html

Answer 6

I think going up against science proves even more that the Bible is true and correct.

I use to be an atheist and think like all the others, we came from soup into cell into fish into apt into man. I followed and believed that cause "that is what I was taught". When I sat back and actually thought for myself, I did my own research and homework on the topics.

Looked into most of the religions, read through most of the books (bibles), even got into my native indian beliefs to see how they fit or differed.

Well I can say 100% today, I believe. The Bible is accurate and speaks the truth and the word of God. I hear and see so many saying they can contradict it, they have proof its fake, etc....but all I ever see it some personal rantings with no proof to back them up. Nothing more than "hear say" passed on from one blind person to the next, just like once did.

And science wouldn't be where it is today, let alone here at all....without the Bible....think about that fact that so many miss.

Answer 7

It should always be noted that only a minority of Christians have (recently) challenged science. However, they certainly have given the whole religion a bad name.

Answer 8

Christ taught us to question, explore and discover:
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you. -Matthew 7:7.
Why does anyone doubt the past and present successes of scientists that are Christians? They have given the world so much. No where in the Bible is science in any way impugned. You should maybe reset some of your assumptions.
To be so wrong is foolishness.

Answer 9

Whenever science enters the fray on the religious side, it seems to me that science actually feels threatened. Otherwise they'd just ignore the religionists.

I don't think they like being questioned, and I think Christians have asked questions that science can't answer and are becoming uncomfortable.

Answer 10

.....religion had credibility?

it is a venerable fact that yes the majority of scientists that produced noteworthy creations or inventions WERE christians. but recemrny the science that matters is done by scientists who dont necessarily partake to any certain religion. atheists and agnostics.

so sorry poster above, christianity (which is a specific term not a broad term, the broad term is either judeo christian or abrahamic religion) isnt the source of most modern infuential scientists.

get your facts strait...you were probobally copy/pasting anyways.

and no im sorry, Darwin wasnt a christian. but its nice to see you christians are still perpetuating outdated information as fact.