Science and religion operate in different domains. Religion deals with what theologian Paul Tillich called “ultimate concerns”—abstract philosophical questions such as what the nature of life is and why we are here. Religion seeks meaning, purpose, and moral truth, not physical knowledge.
Science, on the other hand, seeks to understand the natural, observable world around us. Unlike religion or philosophy, the claims of science are falsifiable. That is to say, they are capable of being proven or disproven. Scientific progress is only made as its hypotheses are rigorously tested, analyzed, and refined.
While science asks us to accept nothing on faith, religion asks little else. No one can prove whether there is one God or many gods or whether God’s spirit is alive in a particular human being, but we can most certainly prove whether the earth is six thousand years old or six billion years old. In short, science is an essential tool to understanding the world in which we live. Science cannot, however, tell us how to live or answer our ultimate questions.
As dominant as science has become in our world, we might be tempted simply to discount anything that is impervious to its probing finger, including religion, but that would be a mistake. The truth is that the things we care about most deeply—starting with love—lie beyond the reach of science.
Consider again the question of origins. If, for example, scientists are able to take us back to a big bang, nagging questions remain. Why did it all happen in the first place? For what purpose? What does it all mean? How should we then live? Only the philosophers and theologians can help us here.
June 1, 2007
Science v. Religion
Melissa Rogers points us to a new book by Oliver Thomas called 10 Things Your Minister Wants to Tell You: (But Can't, Because He Needs the Job) that looks intriguing. From the excerpt online, this really nice explanation of the difference between science and religion:
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1 comment:
Well said. The science/religion argument over the physical foundation of the universe is truly a superficial sideshow that unfortunately diverts attention from the essential debate of human existence: what is the moral foundation of the universe.
For far too many folks, the moral center of the world that they know is themselves. That is a deceit.
Those who attach moral determination to themselves and not to something outside of and larger than themselves will never succeed in making the world any better than it is at any given moment.
Surely we should be discussing that for all we're worth.
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