God VS Science?

Question

I have done alot of thought and study about this and I want to know what others think of my conclusions. I believe that all of the universe is governed by mathimatical principle with the exception of 1 thing, Free will. That says to me that God does exist. Otherwise our thoughts would be a product of mathematical formula based solely on chemical reactions of the brain. If that were true, then we should not be responsible for anything we do and our actions are just chemical reactions in the brain.

I do have my problems with alot of religions. I don't believe preaching fear or forcing faith on others is ever justified, but I do agree with them on the single principle that something or someone started everything with some intelligent plan in mind.

I am swaying tword religon but I am not sure if any church fits me. I have never been to one that doesn't eventually preach Hellfire and brimstone. I don't think god would want us to come to him in fear.

Addendum question: Why are alot of people so vitriolic when answering about religion?

Answer 1

You assume that all naturalistic processes are deterministic. You're not in bad company on that. Einsteins "God does not play dice with the universe" supports mathematical determinism. On the other hand, the Copenhagen Interpretation of Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle suggests that the universe is not deterministic at the quantum level. This means that at the chemical level, the neurotransmitter / receptor level, the critical threshold for neuronal activation is not strictly formulaic. This would suggest that free will does not require God.

Answer 2

If I understand your question correctly, you are wondering which you should choose?

In my opinion, science and religion have nothing to do with each other. I don't see why people can't believe in a god and still accept that there is much we can discover about the universe through science. The two do not have to cancel each other out.

Have you looked into Buddhism at all? Unitarian Universalism? No fire and brimstone there. And the good news is, there's plenty of room for both the spiritual and the scientific. Just a thought :)

Some of the answers you got are rather heated aren't they? Some people are just angry at the world I guess.
(((JM))) :)

Answer 3

interesting at least. I have been wondering for a long time, where does creativity come from? Could that be how God works in this world, by giving us seemingly spontaneous thoughts? but i think not, as it would imply he gives certain people advantages.

The flaw i see in your argument is the idea that free will is a meaningful principle outside of humanity, comparing it to mathematics. If Earth blew up tomorrow, would humanity have mattered in the universal perspective? No. So in an atheist universe, free will is a by-product of our brain-chemistry when we were able to reduce stress levels in nature. Animals have free will, don't they? So ask, what is the big difference between theirs and ours (physically not spiritually?) i would say not much in the broad scope. So you have not convinced me, am i wrong about anything?

Answer 4

Free will, like God is only believed because people stop looking. You shouldn't believe in something for the simple reason of "we dont' know enough".

Basically, if we understood how the mind works and how decisions are made, we could write AI.

What you are is an accumulation of knowledge and experiences (which are gained through living). You base decisions on this knowledge and experience - this is why you can figure out how your friends will react to something. Predictability of actions based on certain stimuli should discourage theories of free will. Think about WHY you do the things you do, you base these decisions on how you feel and what you enjoy doing.

Answer 5

There is no God vs. Science. That's a false dichotomy. You can still believe in God and be a scientist. The whole thing between the student and the teacher is BS. @ Mars, Kalee Jean, Myra W: That begs the question, "How do you know that's true?"

Answer 6

First off, it is spelled mathEmatical.
Second, the existence of God and science and not mutually exclusive. Most physicists are devoutly religious, and much of our knowledge of science comes from church sponsored projects. Simply because our universe is somewhat explainable by mathematics does not rule out God at all. Instead it makes us wonder how something as vast and complex as the universe, and all contained within it, can be explained with only a handful of equations. Things could not have fallen into such an order accidentally.

Answer 7

I don't buy it. The free will controversy has been troublesome for centuries. My take on it: It is possible in principle to calculate one's decision in a particular circumstance iff one has all the data that the person had accumulated in his entire lifetime. (The uncertainty of quantum mechanics does not apply because things are macroscopic.) But this is obviously impossible, so a free will model is appropriate and fits the observed phenomena. One is free to posit the involvement of a deity in any part of existence, but it is provably useless to do so.

Answer 8

Well that is a start anyway. I like your theory it makes good since but I'm sure atheist won't agree that's a given. Now if you take the idea that there must be a God and except the fact that God has his own personality and makes rules and punishes only has a loving parent would do then you are on your way to finding God yourself

Answer 9

How do you know that free will exists?

And "God" and free will, are, for the most part, mutually exclusive, assuming that your god is omniscient.

1. An omniscient being knows everything, including the future.
2. If something is known, it is fixed. You can’t know something and then be wrong, it wouldn’t then be knowledge.
3. Any omniscient being would fix future events.
4. Free will requires a changeable future.

.: an omniscient being and free will are mutually exclusive.

Answer 10

Sorry, but I have to disagree. Apes and chimpanzees show the same characteristics. They are often no more predictable than we are, so that just tells me that with a larger brain comes more variation in action and ability to choose instead of react. Chimps actually have wars and can be known to eat their enemies, though not all of them do these things. They appear to choose their own behavior, though many conform to whatever the group norms are. It's pretty cool stuff, but it does nothing to prove a higher being exists in any way, shape, or form. However, believe want you want to believe. Whatever lets you sleep at night.