Science and Religion?

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One of the greatest philosophical conflicts in our day and age, and perhaps one of the most unreasonable, is the conflict between religion and science. It seems to the underlying theme behind every argument.

But do they truly conflict? Are science and religion truly at odds with each other?

The following is from Jackson Spielvogel's account on the theology of William of Occam:

"Occam posited a [new] interpretation of nominalism. He asserted that all universals or general concepts were simply names and that only individual objects perceived by the senses were real. Although the mind was capable of perceiving individuals objects, it could not establish any truths about the nature of external, higher reality. Reason could not be used to substantiate spiritual truths. It could not, for example, prove the statement, "God exists." For William of Occam as a Christian believer, this did not mean that God did not exist, however. It simply indicated that truths about religion could only be known by an act of faith and were not demonstratable by reason."

What exactly does this mean?

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We know that the world around us is material. All of the objects, forces, and mental phenomenon that we experience on a day-to-day basis consist of material things. Material things are always observable through our senses, provided that we have the technology to aid us.

Science is the study of material things. It observes how materialistic forces in the universe interact with each other. It is based on mathematical quantity, something that all material things possess.

God is something non-material. He is not a being, a force, nor an object. He is an essence. According to Thomas Aquinas, God is "that in which it is the nature to be."
Since God is non-material, he is not observable through science.

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Let's assume for the sake of philosophy that God did in fact create the universe. No matter what, it would still remain true that the universe consists of material things. Since these material things would exist in mathematical quantities that are observable through the senses, it would still be possible to explain the world entirely through science.

A world created through divine powers would not be a world without science. To claim such a thing would be to claim that materialistic forces do not exist.
No. If God created the world, it would still be fully explained through science.

Therefore, fully explaining the world through science would not disprove God nor divine creation.

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Science is the study of material things. God is non-material. Even if God existed, science would not be able to observe Him simply because He is not based on any concept of quantity.

Let's again assume that God exists. No matter how sophisticated our technology might be, we would never be able to find scientific evidence for the existence of God simply because He is non-material. However, although we would not be able to accumulate evidence, it would still remain true that He exists.

God is not based on any concept of quantity. He is non-dimensional because He does not have length, width, height or duration. God is an essence that is infinite and eternal. Therefore, He is not a materialistic force that lies within the first four dimensions, the ones that are observable through senses and therefore through science.

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God is not observable through science. However, we arrived through a logical conclusion that God can still exist, regardless of this fact.
Science can fully explain the material universe, but it cannot explain the non-material universe. God exists to explain the truths of a higher reality. And higher reality can exist within a materialistic world.

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Now that we know they can coexist, what can we do with this information? And how might one learn the truths about God if he is unobservable through science?

Through faith. And as gullible as that may sound, you would have to realize that "faith" does not have the same definition now as it did at the time of early religion. Faith is not merely "belief."
Faith is a world view. It is a way of analyzing material truths achieved through our senses (and through science) in a way that leads us to a greater, underlying truth. Faith is something that brings all things together in a way that gives them meaning.
As artists, you could picture faith as a system of artistic intuition or philosophy. It would be like seeing an object that is seemingly plain, but using your artistic skills to perceive some greater symbolic meaning behind it.

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How does faith arise? How does faith derive truths about God?
Well, since God is the essence of creation, and since all things observable exist, it must be true that God is within all things. However, we can not physically observe Him. We can only observe God in the same way that an artist would observe the symbolism behind a still life of fruit.

But that does not mean that we as follower are going on nothing. Since God is a manner of conscious thought, messages can be sent through material mediums if He wishes such a thing to be done. It is for this reason that the Bible exists in the first place.

Why does God not show Himself then?

As explained in the Bible, God only shows Himself as much as is necessary to do His will. He does not tend to show Himself to people because it would not instill true faith; physical proof only instills half-hearted obedience based on displays of power.
God knows that people are easily suayed by displays of power. They would easily switch from doing God's will to doing another creature's will, possibly that of someone evil.
God wants all humans to be in His presence. However, since an evil individual cannot be in the presence of God without dying, it is necessary for God to take a different approach.
He relies on the system of faith, simply because faith is stronger. It allows people to stand up to a corrupt system even when a greater power stands against them. God does not show Himself to humanity because He relies on us to denounce evil willingly, not simply because He wants us to. Faith allows us to enter God's presense.

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We know, because the world is materialistic, that the universe can be fully explained through science. We also know that God can be understood through faithful intuition.
Because the two refer to seperate topics, and are logically able to exist within the same universe at the same time, it stands to reason that coexistence is perfectly reasonable and acceptible.

However, no matter what, one can not use science to analyze God, and faith cannot be used to analyze science. Material studies must remain material, and nonmaterial intuition must remain nonmaterial. No conclusions or truths can be withdrawn otherwise.

So long as material and non-material observations reside in their proper fields, science and religion can happily coexist with each other.



P.S. (Note that science can still be compared to Biblical passages to check for compatability. However, one would have to realize that the Bible isn't entirely literal, and that an ancient's view on the big bang and evolution might consist of a great deal of symbolism.)
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CaeruleoBlue's avatar
First of all, I'm not trying to be disrespectful to anyone.

The way I've always seen it, the biggest conflict between science and religion is that science allows for change. It allows for (And this is where I fear offending someone) learning. Some people like just knowing the answers, others like finding them, testing the current ones and figuring out which ones are crap. I fully understand someone wanting to know some things for certain, and figuring out the little things, but to me the thought that maybe nothing is certain, maybe anything is more possible than we think- that's exciting. Also I have a problem with authority and take nothing at face value, and I'm sure those contribute strongly to me not being religious, but that's slightly beside the point.

Well anyway, those are just my thoughts. Please don't try ripping me to shreds because of them.