Thursday, December 2, 2010
The Scientific Revolution
Do you believe that science and religions (their ideas, doctrines, teachings, history) can be reconciled? That is, does one have to make the choice to either believe in science and abandon their faith, or hold on to their faith and therefore question science? Or, can one find harmony with the two? Explain.
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Because I possess my own personal faith and attitude towards religion, I can not speak for anyone other than myself when I say that I do believe that science and faith can be reconciled. From what I have learned about the history of the Catholic Church, it appears as though the reason they initially feared the Scientific Revolution was because they would lose the power that they had long contained if people chose to believe all of the new scientific material presented during the time. Before scientifical concepts could be proven, the answer was God. "God did this and God chose that," was the only explanation the church could give. Since religion was what the lives of people revolved around, they listened to the church and accepted their reasoning, and thus giving the Church the the power of words. However, the power of science easily overthrew the power of words. Today, people of all kind understand this, even the religious. If God truly did create all things, than he created science. With that in mind, what science can prove we must give credence to. Nonetheless, when it comes to the unsolved miracles of the history of religion and the world, we can acknowledge our faith.
ReplyDeleteWell for me I personally think that you may question both but there is also the sense of what you believe. For example, science can be proven with things we can see. Yet, there is also the feeling that makes you question and that is the religious part. Everyone will question things in science and with religion, but you will always find harmony within both. I know for a fact I find harmony between both. I personally contradict many things in science and with my faith but as I start learning more ideas I find out the truth. My point is you can find harmony.
ReplyDeleteI think that you could find harmony. I mean I am a pretty religious person, but I don't disagree with everything when it comes to Science. It's hard to believe some of the "theories" of Science, but it is also hard to understand some of the things that we are taught in Church too. I'm sure that they could find harmony. Not necessarily agree with everything, but acknowledge the importance of one another I guess.
ReplyDeleteI think these two subjects can be reconciled. It's pretty much all about believing. People can believe the church or believe in science. For example, the church and science have different ideas on how the earth was created and how humans came to be. Science explains evolution, while the church explains how God created all things. Speaking for myself I would have to say that I believe in what the church has taught me, but I don't always disagree with science either. We don't need to make things complicated, all we need to do is believe in our faith if we have any, and if someone doesn't than have the ability to decide whether something science is true or false. Science gives proof and the religion is about belief. I feel like I can find harmony between the both.
ReplyDeleteI believe that one can not truly find harmony between religion and science. One might be in a religion and still find some things true about science, but they will either be turned more to religion or to science. We only learn about science because it is mandatory in schools for all the students to learn about it. If people had a choice, some probably wouldn't even bother to learn about science at all and their reasoning would be that all they need is God. There is also the fact that some of science is coming up with ideas on how things worked and were made without a God, which doesn't appeal to those religious people who do believe in a God. Science and religion have been battling about how things were and will be and I don't think that is going to stop anytime soon. Usually science teaches things that religion does not and vice versa, therefore a person can not find harmony between science and religion. =D
ReplyDeleteI think that its possible to find harmony between science and religion. I am very religious and I think that a part of having a faith is to understand that some may oppose what you believe but you have to find it within yourself to accept different views, and in this case, the theories of science. It's possible to find harmony in the two by still believing in your religion and then having the belief that the science theories may contradict the church's teaching, but the church's teachings contradict the theories as well. I think that these two matters should find harmony within a person's beliefs because they both have importances in them.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely have to say that I do believe science and faith could be reconciled. Many ideas from the Bible have been scientifically proven but there are a few events which have not. Many people might question the Bible which would test their faith. It's just a decision that a person might have to make: to side with science or faith. I believe in both and I have a lot of faith and I know that miracles do happen but I think it would be interesting to know exactly how an event was possible. Science is still discovering new concepts and even religions are discovering different ways to which they think how something happened. Discoveries are still being made but not everybody is going to agree with it and they will try to find reasons or facts to prove someone wrong. This is how life is though. We all have our disagreements on certain topics but I do feel that science and faith can be reconciled. I see it like this, the Bible is always going to be "The Bible" but science is constantly changing and new ideas are being brought forth. There are some areas where their might be a dispute but for the most part I think science is explaining a lot of events dealing with faith.
ReplyDeleteTeresita,
ReplyDeleteI thought you made a very good point that there is a lot of dispute between religion and science when it comes to the world being made with a God. Science says it happened by cells and through evolution but most religions say that it was God who created everything. Good point there.
Madi,
I totally agree with your last sentence!!!!! To me, I relate this to my relationships. We can have harmony with each other but we don't necessarily agree with each other all the time. Its the same thing with religion and faith. They can be at peace with each other and still have their disagreements or whatever you want to call them.
I believe it is possible to find harmony between the two. The way I see it, science helps to add to the understanding of religion. I don't get why the two have to be black and white. It can also be argued that science came about because of religion, or that religion is another form of science. Both try to figure out who we are, where we came from, and find ways to make the most of the life we have. Some argue that religion doesn't provide all the answers, and that faith alone is not enough. Religion however is like science, because science doesn't hold all the answers either. There are theories, but that's all they are, educated guesses at to what really happens. Another concept to think about is this: scientists come up with ways to explain everything around us, with things such as evolution and the formation of the earth. They have all these scientific names and reasons for why things happen, but couldn't all these methods they proclaim be the same workings and functions of a higher being?
ReplyDeleteSydney-- I like your last sentence when you stated that both contain important aspects. I find this to be very true, and it shows that we can't rely on religion or science alone.
ReplyDeleteSally-- I would have to agree with you when you said you'd like to know how miracles happened, even though you believe they are already real. Something that I've thought about before is that even though there are reasonable explanations for why miracles happened, where does it say that miracles have to be elaborate? It could be considered a miracle that a person who is normally very abusive decided to turn their life around and become peaceful. I believe that the reasons why scientists always try to disprove miracles is that they believe they are the basis of a person's faith, but that's not true. Miracles are everywhere, if you look for them with the right set of mind.
I think that Science and faith can live in perfect harmony. I would find a way to believe in both. I would find a way because not all of the things in the bible can be proved but some can be proved by science and so for me that's enough to have my faith in science BUT also in the Church.
ReplyDeleteIn reality we really don't think about science and faith being a conflict unless someone starts talking about a phenomena that occurred and people will try to give a reason while others will say that God put it there. A good example of this would be evolution. In other cases science can help prove some things from the Bible to be true such as killing a man with a stone. (thanks Mr. Bell for the example). In my opinion both can live in harmony but not a perfect harmony. There will always be some doubts from everybody and even yourself on a certain topic and you may have to rely on either the facts or your faith alone.
ReplyDeleteI believe that science and faith can be reconciled. Science can help to explain some events that occur in religion, such as the David and Goliath incident. I believe that science is rather like a faith itself. It's a search for answers. Humans are constantly searching. Those who believe in science just want to experience it for themselves. Believing in science and Christianity seems like it's just combining two religions, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteKevin - I totally agree with your opinion. The part about how the methods and laws of science could be the workings of a higher being was really well thought out. I never thought about it like that, but I have to say I really agree with you on that.
ReplyDeleteSally - I really like your ideas about miracles. I believe in them, too, and I'd like to see how they're performed, if science can give the answers to that. I also agree that religion and science are both still changing, so maybe we'll have to wait and see what comes up in the future to really decide.
I believe that science and religion can be reconciled. Their ideas in some part answer questions that people are wanting to know. Religion is about the abstract in life, such as what happens in the after life and soul. Science deals with facts and theories, for example gravity. The teachings of science in some cases can contradict themselves also. For example how the universe is created. Religion would state that all matter was started and created by god. Science would believe some thing such as the big bang theory caused matter to form. One does not in many instances have to pick between science and religion. In some ways science explains parts of religion as it is stated. Harmony can be found between the two because parts of both explain different concepts, and some concepts explain concepts in scriptures.
ReplyDeleteCarlos: I also thing that science and faith can live in harmony. I don't think that it would be perfect just because some of differences that are stated. Many people do believe in both because in some ways the explain each other. I agree with you that science can explain parts of religion and part of it that it can not explain people can just believe. Good Job.
ReplyDeleteKelli: I also agree that they can be reconciled. I think that example of David and Goliath is a very good one. I think that science can be part of a faith in some ways but it can not be its own faith. I don't think necessarily it would be two religions, I would say two ways of fact. Good Job.
As students, we are, in a way, forced to believe in both. When presented with the facts of how the earth was made and why nature conducts itself the way it does, some of it contradicts what we have been taught in our own faiths. As we have gone on in time, churches, or at least the Catholic church, have changed their minds about things. This might have been because they were presented with facts that were impossible to deny. This is what happens at school; we are presented with facts about science that are impossible to deny because they make sense and are true. Some of these are even more believable than what the church teaches. The will to hang onto one's religion depends on the individual themselves. Some of my peers have abandoned religion because science has changed their mind and made it impossible to believe what their church teaches. Although I may disagree with some of the theories of the church because the scientific explanation may make more sense, I remain a Catholic. Whether or not religion and science can be reconciled isn't a question that has to be answered on a large scale, the individual must answer this question alone.
ReplyDeleteThis is one post where my opinion isn't completely black and white. Is it really possible for religion and science to live in harmony? Hmm...hard to say. The fact is that a lot of people SAY they can and a lot of people who study or even teach science are religious people. I think to a point they can. But when it comes to controversial issues such as evolution, there is no way that religion and science are in harmony. There will always be arguments between the really religious and the scientific, and it doesn't seem to matter how many facts scientists use to prove their theories, the truly religious people will always stick to their views. So can they ever coexist in perfect harmony? I would say no.
ReplyDeleteIsabel
ReplyDelete- I really liked your last sentence. I can't speak for how everyone feels or believes, so it is a question that must be answered by the individual. A lot of times religion and science do seem to contradict each other and it is in those instances that the individual decides what they believe to be true. Good job :)
Teresita
- I kind of agree with your post. However, I think that it is very important that every student studies science, because we would be very ignorant believing that everything is the way it is because it's "God's will." For example, people used to have more religious rituals to cure the ill, and today we use medicine. Today, our life expectancy is longer that it was of those times. If it weren't for science, I know for a fact that I would be dead by now and so would my brother and my mom. So I believe if students would prefer not to study science, it would be out of laziness, not because they want to accept that everything is up to God.
Speaking solely for myself, science and religion can't be reconciled. For example, when it comes to the topic of how the universe was created, I agree with the theories of science as opposed to the teachings of religion. Not to offend anyone and their religious beliefs, I don't see how the universe could be created by a God or a higher being. It doesn't seem all that logical to me. This issue also shows how divided science and religion are. More than likely people will either choose the scientific side (Big Bang theory) or the religious side (God or a higher being created the universe). In theory, the two can probably exist perfectly harmoniously, but seeing as we don't live in a perfect world, I don't think they can. People will always stick to their own views and try to prove the other side wrong. Maybe one day people will be able to find a balance between the two, and they can exist in harmony.
ReplyDeleteIdeally harmony would be very easy for two groups of people to reach, once they have compromised of course. Yet, for these two, that would be very difficult. From a very young age we are taught one belief in school; that being that theories and evolutions should shape our conclusions. In church we are given a whole different set of beliefs; our decisions are more based of faith and emotion than concrete fact. So, which do we follow? That which is set in stone, or that which we felt in our heart to be true? Or is it possible to believe in both? Honestly, I hardly think that can be so. It is very difficult if not impossible to have one foot in one way of thinking and have the other in a different way of thinking. Science does not allow for anything that cannot be accounted for. Facts rule. Emotion is checked in at the entrance. For someone like me that is something very difficult to respect. You can feed me thousands of facts, yet my beliefs and values might never change. Religion teaches people to trust and believe what we cannot see. You just have to believe it and it is true. I do not believe that religion and science can coexist. Simply because they contradict each other. People may argue that we must believe in both when in school. Yet, I think that it is more a momentary suspense of beliefs in order to receive a good grade. Does not necessarily mean that I believe what I am being fed.
ReplyDeleteIsabel- I think you summed it up very well. The individual must determine this on there own. No two people are going to have that exact same opinion on this.
ReplyDeletePez( Stefani) - I like that you give harmony hope. Maybe you're right and one day they can both live peacefully. The beginning of life is a very controversial topic for these two, but I think it would be immature of anyone to be offended by you thinking differently. I for one respect that you voice your opinion.
Yes, I do believe that science and religion can be reconciled. Science and religion a lot of the time contradict each other. For example in religion such as Christianity were are taught to believe that God created the World and all of its inhabitants, in contrast science teaches us that we have evolved from animals due to Darwin's theory of evolution. As students we have to learn about science and certain theories but we are still able to keep our faith and beliefs. Before in history it seemed that the two could not be reconciled because science was limiting the Roman Catholic Churchs' power. Now because it isn't a fight for power I think it is easier for people to keep their beliefs but respect the ideas of others.
ReplyDeleteJessica- I like your post it was very realistic and it makes sense. I agree to an extent the two can be reconciled but still many time there will still be controversy.
ReplyDeleteKelli-- I agree with your post the two can be reconciled because science has the ability to explain some of the things that take place with religion.
I thing that you can doubt both religion and science. I guess both of them have proof but science can be experimented and religion, I don't think, can.
ReplyDeleteKatherine,
ReplyDeleteI think that what you have to say is very interesting.
Also its amazing what religion can do, i mean we believe what religious people tell us and they were not there to see what happened.
I think it depends on each individual. For me one can find harmony with the two in most cases. I believe God created everything therefore he created Science. Even if they might not exactly agree with one another they can still acknowledge the other. People will always argue their side some will say no and some will say yes. Its just a matter of how you view things.
ReplyDeleteMadi,
ReplyDeleteI would say I agree with you. It is possible to find harmony even if they might not exactly "agree" on everything. I find it hard to understand the things thought by the Church and to believe some of the Science theories.
Kelli,
I agree with you they can be reconciled. Sometimes they help explain each other. For me its not exactly combining two religions but combining my faith with the world's ideas.
Rosie-
ReplyDeleteI agree with you because it is not hard to find harmony.
Carlos-
You are right about how things may be wrong but its also the fact that you believe in it.
Zulema-- I agree with your post completely. I think that people have to understand the two sides of revolution of humans, the church side and the scientific side. Great job!
ReplyDeleteKatherine-- I liked your post. I find it interesting that you viewed it the way that you did and I understand that science is set in stone and science shouldn't be questioned very much. I agree with your post and I think your views were intelligent.
Rosie- That is so true since God created everything then he must have created science. It is a matter how you view things. We all have our very own opinions
ReplyDeleteHugo- Yeah you don't really hear these days about Science and God conflicting. Is there such a thing as perfect harmony?
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ReplyDeleteI personally believe that science and religion can coexist with one another, as long as both sides agree to make some compromises. Much of science, especially during the time period that we studied this last week, has to do more with HOW the world works. It doesn't try to prove that there isn't a "creator" of sorts, it just explains how the world we live in is set up. My personal beliefs are based much more on science than religion, yet I can't conclusively say that religion is ludicrous because it can be proven completely wrong. There are some aspects of certain religion, although most of them are stories made to illustrate a point, that can be proven to not have been able to have been scientifically possible, but most religions as a whole can still be followed by people who embrace scientific facts, too.
ReplyDeleteKevin - I agree with your original post completely. Neither science nor religion can hold all of the answers. There isn't a full, detailed description with either of them that completely answers all of the questions that humans have.
ReplyDeleteSydney - I agree with you on science and religion being in harmony, but I'm on the opposite side. Most of my beliefs are based on science, although I find interesting points of view from religions. I cannot say that religions are wrong because of science, just like religions cannot prove that science is wrong. That is why they can both coexist within one's beliefs, and even be used to assist the other.
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ReplyDeleteRosie - I agree with you that it ultimately comes down to the individual to decide or himself or herself their views on this topic. I don't necessarily agree with the whole God created science, mainly because science can't be created, it's been around for a long time, but that's just my opinion.
ReplyDeleteDiana - I agree that you can indeed question both religion and science. However, I don't think you can find harmony between both. More than likely, a person will end up choosing either a scientific side or a religious side to an issue. What you said, made me think that you yourself don't find harmony in both. You said you contradict many things in region and science. Now, is that really finding harmony in both?
Diana- Well, I did not agree with your post and I thought that you needed more details to support your opinion, but it was ok. Also it didn't make much sense to me, but I did agree that you can question both science and religion. It was good overall. =)
ReplyDeleteMadi- Do you guess or do you know? This is your opinion and you should put whatever you believe and not put "I guess" at the end. Also i did not agree with your post, I think that science and religion can not find harmony with one another. You are either more religious or more into science. Good job! =)
Madi:
ReplyDeleteI like how you stated that you have to acknowledge the importance of both religion and science. We need to recognize the importance of these in order to have a well-rounded knowledge of how nature works.
Rosie:
True, it is a matter of objective. I like how you also said that they acknowledge one another. But it does largely depend on the individual and no one can completely answer this question for a large group of people.
Rosie,
ReplyDeletecan you give examples of how they can agree with each other?
Katherine,
ReplyDeleteYou state an interesting point. Your faith is clearly very important to you and it is a strong influence in your life, and thus your education. However, I can't say I fully agree with your statement, "Science does not allow for anything that cannot be accounted for. Facts rule. Emotion is checked in at the entrance." The definition of science is, 'the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.' Science is all about proving the unprovable and constantly working to make new discoveries, which is where the 'systematic study' portion of the definition comes from. There is a large number of theories in the scientific community that can not necessarily be concluded as facts, which is what 'observation and experiment' refer to. Yet, these ideas are often still accepted. Also, I can't imagine an individual who didn't hope to discover something would bother becoming a scientist; therefore, its not exactly possible to determine what kind, or if any 'emotion is checked in at the door.' (I'm thinking you were speaking in terms of their belief).
Estafania,
Obviously we all have different opinions on the subject. Nonetheless, something caught my eye about your stating the fact that it probably can be reconciled, but it also may not. It made me think that there will ALWAYS be three groups: the religious, the scientific, and the two combine, and it will most likely ALWAYS be that way.
Teresita,
ReplyDeleteyou kind of scared me when you commented on my post because I don't want to get all crazy like Olivia or Katherine. But I like you're points even if we don't agree. (:
Olivia,
you said no one commented on your post, so I will. You did a good job as always and I can't wait to hear about this debate in class we will probably have about this business.
I would say you have to balance both out. Like yes, you do need to believe that God is the creator of all living things. But on the other hand you need to keep the knowledge of how things came about. It’s really hard to say, like if you are completely devoted to science and not toward your religious beliefs. I think questions would pile up because the answers would not all be there. Because with science, answers are vital to show others the proof you have. But without it, it’s really hard to say were and what was created. That’s when faith does come in and which were others believe that God did create things and was involved in the creation of man. So I just balance both out, that science is a large section and covers a lot. But I just keep in that back of my mind my religious views towards this subject.
ReplyDeleteRosie,
ReplyDeleteYou are right when it comes to the fact that it is the individual's decision to believe in what they believe. The idea of God creating science sounds a little bit confusing due to the fact that science is considered contridictory towards the idea of God creating science.
Estefania,
I believe that you made a very good point when you say that both science and religion could live in harmony together but since our world isn't perfect those ideas cannot be together. I respect the way that you have chosen your side without the regard of anybody's decision.
Kelli- I feel like you had a pretty good point. I mean some people do use science to find out religion which seemed pretty logical. Yay u!
ReplyDeleteDiana- I think you were so right in saying that both science and religion can be questioned.
Sam
ReplyDelete- I really like your post, cause both science and the religions views can coexist. That some theories don’t have to prove that there is a creator or not. But I like your post, you did a nice job.
Zuey
- I do agree with your post, cause we are taught that we were evolved my evolution from Darwin’s Theory. And I also like how you state that we should respect others ideas towards science and religion.
Personally, I would have to say that both science and religion can both work with each other. At first, this was my first response, but after giving it some time I started thinking about the question. I was always taught how God was the creator of everything and well period. But with science, it makes people start to think and start to question their faith. I'm one who is very religious, but I believe that when it comes to science, usually those scientist are not very religious. At the same though, I think that science can help prove the existence of God. For example, during the early years of earth, people would just believe what the Church said, but when science started forming, it gave people a reason to doubt God and the things he had done.
ReplyDeleteOlivia- I agree with Olivia, before science people just went along with what ever the Church said, but with science, it gave people to oppose what the Church had said.
ReplyDeleteAlex- I think I know where you are going Alex, and I agree. There are some things that science just can't answer, so this is where faith comes in.
Being a faithful Catholic, i would never leave my faith. I often think about scienceand religion, and which one i believe in more. I actually always side with my faith. I do believe in science, and that in order for somethhing to be true, you have to prove it with science. For example when in comes to talking about evolution, i dont know to either side with evolution, or Adam and Eve. I do say, that they can both co-exist in harmony, because you can be a religious scientist. It just depends how you look at things, and what your beliefs are.
ReplyDeleteAlex,
What ever i do, i always keep in back of mind what my faith tells me and teaches me.
Sam,
What i wonder is how far would those compromises go??? The church, has a very clear and only one way of thinking.