Can you give some examples in how religion has helped science?

Question

Here's two examples that I know of:

Mendel, a monastic priest, discovered genetic inheritance. He's also known as the "father of modern genetics."

Late medieval age monks copied many of Aristotle's and other Greek philosopher's work which were later distributed amongst the commoners which led to a secular humanist movement. The secular humanism movement was one of the precursors that started the Renaissance.

I'm definetly not an apologist, just curious.

Answer 1

Science is the study of tangibles and religion a reflection on intangibles. One compliments the other. You need both to understand life.

The "Scientific Method" was invented by Muslims, not "secular humanists." Scientific Method is a technical term for a process that involves the following: observance, hypothesis, prediction, and testing. And that's the proper scientific methodology. All else can be called 'knowledge" but it's not exactly "science." Western authors have given credit to Roger Bacon for coming up with this methodology, but it is now a forgone conclusion that this method was already well known among Muslim scientists.

Briffault has acknowledged this in his book, "Making of Humanity":

"It was under their successors at the Oxford School that Roger Bacon learned Arabic and Arabic science. Neither Roger Bacon nor his later namesake has any title to be credited with having introduced the experimental method. Roger Bacon was no more than one of the apostles of Muslim science and method to Christian Europe. The experimental method of Arabs was by Bacon's time widespread and eagerly cultivated throughout Europe." (Briffault, pg. 200)

"For although there is not a single aspect of European growth in which the decisive influence of Islamic culture is not traceable, nowhere is it so clear and momentous as in the genesis of that power which constitutes the permanent distinctive force of the modern world and the supreme source of its victory -natural science and the scientific spirit."(pg. 191)

"Similarly, Sir Oliver Lodge, writing in his book "Pioneers of Science", pays the following tribute:

"The only effective link between the old and the new science is afforded by the Arabs. The dark ages come as an utter gap in the scientific history of Europe, and for more than a thousand years there was not a scientific man of note except in Arabia.(pg. 9)

"It is clear from the large number of Qur'anic verses... and from the writings of numerous eastern as well as western scholars, that modern science owes its very existence to Islam. The new spirit of enquiry and the new methods of experiment, observation, and measurement, on which modern science is based, are all contributions of those who followed the teaching of Islam."


EDIT
FOR CATHOLIC CRUSADER:

The first university, al-Azhar, was built by Muslim, which still exists today. And the gown worn by graduates in every American school or college was a Muslim tradition. In the Middle East, a gown was given to graduating students, and it was usually black. The judges' black gown also came from Muslims.

Answer 2

It's a good question, but no one's given an example of it; not even you. Both your examples (like the others) are of religious people contributing to the advancement of science. Saying that their religion helped science is like saying that their not being Chinese helped science.

Still, I suppose it's possible that some religious scientists were driven by a desire to know the mind of God (or something of the sort). But I'm not convinced that they wouldn't have replaced that with an alternative driving force had they been atheists.

Answer 3

If Jesus never existed, we would have the same amount of proof in the form of a body as we do now. What's noteworthy is that although 500 people (I'll just take your word on that number) supposedly witnessed the resurrection, there are no stories, oral traditions or written, aside from the Bible which says it happened. Along those lines, the earth quaked and the dead rose from their graves, walking the streets, visiting relatives, according to the Bible, yet nothing but the Bible mentions it. It seems that if people rose from their graves that would be quite the talk of the town. Yet, nothing on the matter whatsoever. No family stories about great granddad catching a nooner 10 years after he died, no mention of the zombie apocalypse in history, nor, more importantly, how the Romans ans Jews survived the zombies. In this case, the absence of evidence which should be there is compelling.

Answer 4

This might not be what you had in mind, but Sir Isaac Newton was written about here:

"He was elected Lucasian Professor of Mathematics in 1669. In that day, any fellow of Cambridge or Oxford had to be an ordained Anglican priest. However, the terms of the Lucasian professorship required that the holder not be active in the church (presumably so as to have more time for science). Newton argued that this should exempt him from the ordination requirement, and Charles II, whose permission was needed, accepted this argument. Thus a conflict between Newton's religious views and Anglican orthodoxy was averted. "

So a legal loophole allowed Sir Isaac Newton to escape the religious duties of an Anglican priest and go on to make more endeavors in science.

It answers your question, but I really don't think you had this in mind! lol

Answer 5

Science in it's infancy was the quest to find god. In that sense, without religion we wouldn't have science as we know it today. However once the ball got rolling, the practitioners of science found out that the way the world really works casts a heapin' helpin' of doubt onto the idea that a god exists.

Answer 6

It is absurd to even suggest that religion "helps" science. The church cowed poor Galileo and put him under house arrest for the rest of his life for daring to suggest that the earth moves around the sun, not the other way around. What astounds me is that this is the year 2007 and some people actually claim to believe that the earth is only 6,000 years old. That takes more than genetic stupidity, that takes religion. $7 million dollars spent on a museum for "creationists." A nation of holy sanctimonious morons is what we can thank religion for, apologist speculations such as yours notwithstanding.

Answer 7

All of the answers I see listed in your example and above are of religious folks who practiced the scientific method and contributed to the body of knowledge, not religion helping science as seemed to be your question. I'd be curious to know examples, if any, of religious thought helping scientific inquiry.

Answer 8

umm...I think you provided the only two examples - and that's stretching it. . Besides, those were people, it wasn't because of a religious belief that the discoveries came about. It was the person asking questions - just like scientists everywhere do.

Answer 9

Since science is always trying to disprove religion, they make new discoveries looking for something else entirely.

Answer 10

The churches were the first customers to buy lightning rods to protect their steeples. This popularized the belief that problems could be solved through science.