Why do atheists automatically assume that if you are religious, you reject science?

Question

Christians in particular (though this is true of many other religions as well) believe in a rational, cognitive God. This is a God who set down a number of rules by which humanity was to govern their behavior. Why does it surprise anyone that he would also set down rules to govern the rest of creation as well, in the form of scientific laws?

Science is nothing more than a systematic evaluation of our enviroment through use of the senses. Human senses have limitations. Therefore science, even though extremely useful, also has limitations. It cannot explain the spiritual or the ethereal. That is the function of religion. But is it not patently false to say that in accepting the one you must reject the other? Can people not be both scientific AND religious?

Answer 1

In general, the problem is that atheists understand neither science nor Christianity.

Atheists swallow preposterous claims of uncritical professors of science hook, line, and sinker. For example, they have no problem imagining that by chance, chemicals can assemble themselves into cells with libraries of information encoded in DNA and microscopic machinery for metabolism and locomotion, and with the capability of self-reproduction.

This is roughly the equivalent of imagining that a tornado can sweep through a junkyard and assemble from piles of scrap metal a fully-functioning 1965 Mustang with a full tank of gas and keys dangling from the ignition.

It is no wonder that a shoddy explanation like Darwinism has to be protected from refutation by schools calling upon the police power of the state to forbid the examination of the contrary evidence.

The atheists' naive and dogmatic faith in empty, unfalsifiable theories from quack scientists is only matched by their near total ignorance of the scriptures, doctrines, and history of Christianity. They slavishly recopy arguments from atheist websites that no freshman would dream of presenting in Theology 101.

Cheers,
Bruce

Answer 2

Here Here
couldnt agree more
but i personally think the true value of religion lies in the set of moral values provided as a guidline to live your life by
unfortunately some people have twisted those values to such a degree that most people no longer remember why religion is valuable in the first place
it should not be about which one is right / wrong / not possible
personally i think being spiritual is more beneficial than suscribing to a particular religious dogma
i also think atheists take comfort because for them it is easier to choose rather than to expand their minds
i have a scientific background but it costs me nothing to have beliefs and in fact there can be a symbiotic relationship between science and faith just as you have suggested

nice work Bruce you have so eloquently put your values of tolerance and understanding in black and white
perhaps your fire and brimstone would be better served in the confines of your own confession box
the sad thing is it is exactly this kind of narrow mindedness that has alienated so many people from even the possibility that god exists
the fact that you discard any opinion other than those you learn in theology classes will leave you in the dark ages
even the Pope is amenable to change

Answer 3

Pascal found the "god of the philosophers" a poor thing; we can only imagine what he would have said about the gods of the scientists. What we should say is that these speculations are pretty, and some may even turn out to be true, but they leave the argument about a First Cause just where it was. There either is a First Cause and it is God, or there is no need of a First Cause. Science can shed no light on that issue.

Does modern science, then, have anything at all of importance to say to philosophy or religion? It does, but paradoxically its main contribution is in supporting old ideas-religious ideas, indeed-that had been challenged on the basis of earlier science. In that earlier science matter and energy, which could "neither be created nor destroyed," evolved according to an iron determinism against the static backdrop of an infinite space and time. There was no hint of a Beginning and no possibility of genuine freedom. But the Big Bang has brought us back to a Beginning, and quantum theory has pushed determinism out of the saddle. The discoveries of Copernicus, Darwin, and modern astronomy had, it seemed to many, relegated man to marginality and insignificance. But the growing awareness of the so-called "anthropic coincidences"-numerous fortunate features of the laws of physics that made possible the emergence of life-has led even some scientists of agnostic tendency to embrace the idea that there might be a purpose after all, and man a part of it.

Answer 4

Well you can't really blame them, seeing what history reveals. The Catholic Church held to the 'fact' that the earth was flat, and anyone who said otherwise risked death (Why they killed them for saying so I still don't know!) So some scientists connect false scientific beliefs with the Bible.
The truth is, those priests and popes did not hold true to the Bible, because the Bible does say that the earth is round, and that it is hanging in outer space. (Job 26:7 and Isaiah 40:22) They should have known better!
The Bible is not a scientific textbook, but when it does mention science, it is accurate, and always ahead of its time (Further proof that the Author of the Bible knew exactly what He was talking about, being the Creator!)
There are so many other examples, the water cycle is mentioned, hygienic practices that modern medicine only recently has come to appreciate etc (Ecc. 1:7, Lev. Chapters 11-15, Numbers 5:2)
So it's basically a matter of misunderstanding, because in reality, the more we study proven science, the more we appreciate God's wisdom and draw closer to him.

Answer 5

In a great many ways, science and religion complement each other. There is a group in S. California called the Creation Science Institute. They use scientific methods to examine claims of many different religions as well as what science has to say about many things. They aren't the only ones out there doing so. There are several groups doing the same types of things.

Answer 6

Of course persons can be both religious and believe in empirical science. Unfortunately, Christians who are rational empiricists have done a poor job of challenging religious leaders in the various denominations that have embarked on a campaign of denigration of scientifically accepted theories such as evolution and the Big Bang.

Rational Christians should confront their own religious leaders about this position, not condemn non-Christians (whether atheist or simply of another faith tradition) for their frustration with the successful political lobbying by the Christian Right to turn our public schools into evangelical madrassas and deny us our fundamental medical self-determination rights.

Answer 7

I don't. Why do you assume that all atheists do? I see a lot of questions on this board from Christians that seem to think that the only people who accept evolution as fact are atheists.

BTW, the fact that human senses have limitations doesn't take you very far when it comes to proving the existence of God.

Answer 8

Well...I realize that isn't always the case in the real world. On a forum like this, it is so often the case that it is hard not to make the assumption.

Yes you can be both. But you need to realize that science has found that several major parts of the Bible (Adam and Eve, Noah, etc.) are not true. Now if you can get past that, then it is fine.

Answer 9

Different religious denominations have some anti-science stances like creationism over evolution. Some even deny that dinos ever existed because there is no mention of them in the bible. Strict interpretations of the bible do not leave much room for scientific thought.

Answer 10

yes. a person can be both. lets take creation. this is not a black and white topic like some think. if a god wanted a spices to happily exist within an ecosystem it would have to be part of the system for quite some time. perhaps evolution was a tool used by mighty beings just like the men used to write the bible.
(disclaimer: all hypothetical NOT CHRISTIAN)