Is it okay to compare and contrast science and religion?

Use this forum to discuss the December 2020 Book of the month, "Wilderness Cry: A Scientific and Philosophical Approach to Understanding God and the Universe" by Hilary L Hunt M.D.
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talli_5
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Re: Is it okay to compare and contrast science and religion?

Post by talli_5 »

I don't think it's fair to compare the two. Religion and science are not mutually exclusive. If you believe in God you can just believe that God works in terms of physically possible things (Science), and that's why we don't see random miracles every day. You could say that God is a master scientist and set off a chain of events that led to our universe being created. It is quite easy to rationalize science with religion. And if you were to try and disprove religion, I believe the solution would be in researching history and psychology and not a natural science.
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The Reading Dutchman
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Post by The Reading Dutchman »

talli_5 wrote: 25 Mar 2021, 06:38 I don't think it's fair to compare the two. Religion and science are not mutually exclusive. If you believe in God you can just believe that God works in terms of physically possible things (Science), and that's why we don't see random miracles every day. You could say that God is a master scientist and set off a chain of events that led to our universe being created. It is quite easy to rationalize science with religion. And if you were to try and disprove religion, I believe the solution would be in researching history and psychology and not a natural science.
In this sense, science is basically a method set out to discover, test, and prove things that are already out there created by the master scientist. I've always found this line of reasoning interesting, because if you think about it, science is usually preoccupied with goals of controlling nature, becoming older and not dying, etc. In a sense, science is about playing God in our own lives.

Going back to the question that started the thread, I think it's also important to note how 'science' is used. Is it referred to as a method or is it referred to as a belief system? Some people often simply refer to science as the thing to trust, as an authority, in which case I think it is fair game to compare it to religion. As a method, however, it is epistemologically often seen as anti-authoritative and meant to challenge the status quo, even if that status quo is a so-called 'settled' science. Science as a method can often clash with religion, but as outlined above, doesn't have to per se.
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Njatha77
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Post by Njatha77 »

As long as you keep an open mind, I believe that there is much to be learned from both sides. Comparing them wouldn't work as religion and science have completely different points of view.
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Post by Suzer6440 xyz »

In my opinion , they are two entirely dufferent subjects. Religion is something we truly believe in. Science is not something we believe in- we learn about science, different theories, experiments etc.
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The Reading Dutchman
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Post by The Reading Dutchman »

Suzer6440 xyz wrote: 28 Mar 2021, 20:18 In my opinion , they are two entirely dufferent subjects. Religion is something we truly believe in. Science is not something we believe in- we learn about science, different theories, experiments etc.
This is a valid point, as the whole point of religion is often believing before reasoning, or 'fides quaerens intellectum'; 'Faith seeking understanding'.
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Post by PreciousExo »

I wouldn't say it is ok to compare and contrast but i will say it will be nice if science continues to bring the scripture to life.
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Post by hlhunt33 »

All religion is based on belief(faith). All science is based on fact. Faith is belief without fact. For instance, it was believed (faith) that the earth was flat and that the earth was center of the universe. However, factually (science) we know the earth is round and the sun is the center of our solar system. The word science comes from the Latin word scientia which means knowledge---knowledge is truth.
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Jen Kenkyo
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Post by Jen Kenkyo »

I think it is okay to compare science with religion, but there will be a lot of areas within religion that cannot be compared to science. The author gets to a point where he contradicts himself in trying to make a point about spirituality and logic, which indicates how comparing the two will lead to this at certain points. Science tries to give a logical explanation of everything and sometimes spirituality does not make sense, so it depends what is being compared to what.
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Post by meike schroeder »

If we believe of a God as perfect and omnipresent as the author explains, then I see no point in comparing or contrasting science and religion. They are just the same, God is in all and all is God, therefore science is God and religion is just the way we respect and understand all he is.
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Post by Jessi_reads »

To me, the author clearly describes his opinion and his "science" behind it. I really appreciated his attempt in the book and how he sees things. I am a scientist and still believe in God, even though I am not so convinced with the bible. However, I really enjoyed reading the book, although I can't entirely agree with his opinion about Jesus. I think it is okay to compare science and religion as long as it is clear what the facts were and what were personal opinions. You, as a reader, are then still able to decide for yourself what you want to believe.
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Post by Medhansh Bhardwaj »

It is okay to use science and religion separately for the betterment of human beings, but comparing both of these will only lead to endless debates and futile arguments. So, they shouldn't be compared.
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Post by Berry_ »

I think its okay to compare science and religion. However, I don't think disproving one with the other is logical since one is factual or theoretical while the other is based on a person's beliefs.
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Sandeep Moses
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Post by Sandeep Moses »

I don't think it would be a fair trade to compare science and religion. They are entirely different phenomena that can never be brought together.
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Post by Phooko Tebogo PC »

Moocow1213 wrote: 01 Dec 2020, 10:12 I think that science and religion have spectrums of their own, so when you think about comparing and contrasting science and religion you would have to consider which subject from each your comparing, for example the belief in God or the theory of evolution. But then again, science and religion has been compared and contrasted many times before, with this comparison happening in day to day life, we see it in debates, books and in philosphy class rooms. So overall I believe that it's ok to compare and contrast science and religion though it depends on what your comparing and contrasting.
I agree with you. I find it okay to Contrast and Compare Science with Religion, although it is a difficult conversation to conclude facts. As much as we all demand answers and a balance for a better understanding of things, we need to go deeper in research about it. A wise man once said, "in order to know where your heading, you first need to understanding where you come from", so both Science and Religion are two different disciples but their existence forces us look beyond what meets the eye.
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Post by Phooko Tebogo PC »

B Creech wrote: 01 Dec 2020, 13:30 I think it is okay to compare the two, that doesn't change the facts. Where I have a problem with books that compare science and creation is when the person doing the comparison is obviously doing it to disprove there is a God! It is one of those 'aha, I told you so' comparisons! I don't see that in this book, at least not so far, so I think it is fine to compare the two to solidify the truth!
I also agree, I don't find a problem to Compare the two. Course after all we need to understand further about our origin, doing so will definitely invite the two Disciplines forth closer to our thoughts
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