Is it okay to compare and contrast science and religion?
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Is it okay to compare and contrast science and religion?
But as far as we know, religious teachings are a set of beliefs that are based on various historical events, cultural values and even mythical stories. Some of these things cannot be either proved or neglected by either science or philosophy.
Considering that argument, is this okay to compare religions with science as the author has done via this book?
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That was my thought as well. Since religions are not all about theory and proving the things that are taught, there will be a clash when trying to compare it with science
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That comparison can be used either way, either to prove the biblical teachings or to deny them. It depends on the one who is doing that. In that context is it still okay to compare the two?Maddie Atkinson wrote: ↑01 Dec 2020, 07:09 I think it is absolutely okay to compare science and religion. Science has proved stories that happened in the Bible and discovered origins of these stories. I think that as a whole, it is a given that a lot of the stories, especially in the Old Testament, are not to be taken at face value, but rather metaphors for morals and beliefs. So being able to find the origins of these stories are, to me as a Christian, very important. People also use science to help support their beliefs. For example, to help explain how God created everything when science proved that the world was not created in seven days, I believe that God created the Big Bang, so in that sense he did create everything, just more generally. Also, it is so difficult to justify things said in the Bible when science is such a big part of society these days. So yeah, I think it is perfectly okay to contrast science and religion, especially if it helps people to make sense of the Bible and their own personal beliefs.
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Good point, well put. I think it is okay because it really depends on the persons point of view. If someone is looking for validation of their beliefs then they can look at the proof, and if someone just wants answers and the answer they get is denial, then science answers their question. What they then do with that information is up to them, but I still thinks it's okay in that context to compare the two, if that makes sense?Sushan wrote: ↑01 Dec 2020, 08:09That comparison can be used either way, either to prove the biblical teachings or to deny them. It depends on the one who is doing that. In that context is it still okay to compare the two?Maddie Atkinson wrote: ↑01 Dec 2020, 07:09 I think it is absolutely okay to compare science and religion. Science has proved stories that happened in the Bible and discovered origins of these stories. I think that as a whole, it is a given that a lot of the stories, especially in the Old Testament, are not to be taken at face value, but rather metaphors for morals and beliefs. So being able to find the origins of these stories are, to me as a Christian, very important. People also use science to help support their beliefs. For example, to help explain how God created everything when science proved that the world was not created in seven days, I believe that God created the Big Bang, so in that sense he did create everything, just more generally. Also, it is so difficult to justify things said in the Bible when science is such a big part of society these days. So yeah, I think it is perfectly okay to contrast science and religion, especially if it helps people to make sense of the Bible and their own personal beliefs.
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Quite correct. If one is doing that in the pure need of seeking for valid answers for his/her doubts, it is no matter from which side (religion or science) if his/her doubts are being properly answered somehow. In that context the comparison between science and religion will lead to a better understanding.Maddie Atkinson wrote: ↑01 Dec 2020, 09:23Good point, well put. I think it is okay because it really depends on the persons point of view. If someone is looking for validation of their beliefs then they can look at the proof, and if someone just wants answers and the answer they get is denial, then science answers their question. What they then do with that information is up to them, but I still thinks it's okay in that context to compare the two, if that makes sense?Sushan wrote: ↑01 Dec 2020, 08:09That comparison can be used either way, either to prove the biblical teachings or to deny them. It depends on the one who is doing that. In that context is it still okay to compare the two?Maddie Atkinson wrote: ↑01 Dec 2020, 07:09 I think it is absolutely okay to compare science and religion. Science has proved stories that happened in the Bible and discovered origins of these stories. I think that as a whole, it is a given that a lot of the stories, especially in the Old Testament, are not to be taken at face value, but rather metaphors for morals and beliefs. So being able to find the origins of these stories are, to me as a Christian, very important. People also use science to help support their beliefs. For example, to help explain how God created everything when science proved that the world was not created in seven days, I believe that God created the Big Bang, so in that sense he did create everything, just more generally. Also, it is so difficult to justify things said in the Bible when science is such a big part of society these days. So yeah, I think it is perfectly okay to contrast science and religion, especially if it helps people to make sense of the Bible and their own personal beliefs.
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Yes, you can't compare them considering each and every component since the spectrums of them do not match always. But if you are comparing a component that is similarly addressed in both religion and science, it will lead to a better understanding, yet one can't guarantee that it will not cause any clashMoocow1213 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.
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That is quite true. The author comes from a Catholic background and has faith in the God and the Trinity. So apparently she has searched for scientific facts to prove her faith and that might have been a bit biased, which in case of a scientific research is unacceptableNetMassimo wrote: ↑01 Dec 2020, 11:46 That's the problem I have with this book. The author mentions her faith in the God of the Bible and the Trinity interpretation, so it becomes impossible to conduct scientific research on any subject connected to them because she interprets bits of science according to such faith, basically the opposite of what you're supposed to do in a scientific research.
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Seemingly the author doesn't want to deny either side by the comparison. She has kept her legs on either side and conveys the facts for both sides. It is quite a fair approach rather than trying to absolutely disprove one side. And that will ultimately lead to find the essence of religious teachings with a scientific backingB 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!
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Science is not perfect, and it is evolving every day. Yes, religion and science can support each other, but at the same time they can clash against each other since there are areas, when comparing science vs religion, that don't really go alongKirsi_78 wrote: ↑01 Dec 2020, 15:34 I think comparing these two is quite alright. I am sure God can handle our questions and doubts etc. In my personal opinion, science can't be that far away from religion, but as it is only one of the human ways of looking at the world, it is imperfect. If we could share God's wisdom, our science would make more sense. I don't like confrontation around this theme, since I believe that from the human point of view religion and science can actually support each other.