GP - Can science co-exist with religion?

In many ways, it seems that science cannot co-exist with religion.

When it comes to the meaning of life, ways of understanding reality, the origin of the universe and the beginning of life, many see science and religion to be at odds.
1. Religions the world over have their own narrative on many existentialist questions that have hounded humanity for thousands of years. With the development and discoveries made in Science, many of these narratives have effectively been debunked as merely myths and superstitions, threatening the importance and relevance of religion in society.
2. The most famous conflict was between Galileo Galilei and the Roman Catholic Church largely over the movement of the solar system. Galileo taught the heliocentric system in which the planets revolve around the sun and this contradicted the Catholic Church’s interpretation at that time that it was geocentric in which the earth is the centre of the universe and all planets revolve around it. As a result, Galileo was tried by the Inquisition and condemned as a heretic and spent the rest of his life in house arrest.

The view that science and religion will conflict stems from the fact that they are very different disciplines and they are based on different foundations.
1. While both can be seen to seek truths, scientific truth is based on reason, empiricism and involves experiment, observations and tests. Science does not support claims and statements that are not supported by facts. However, religion is based on faith and persona! experience which cannot be verified by an objective process.
2. Religions cannot accept the null hypothesis. If there is no reliable evidence for something, then the accepted result in science is that the thing or process does not exist. Faith is not an acceptable answer in science. There is no reliable evidence for gods and spirituality in general, therefore, there is a defined tension between theism and science.

There also seems to be an irreconcilable tension between science and religion when it comes to ethical issues.
1. Religious beliefs may be in conflict with scientific progress over the sanctity of life and use of human lives for scientific advancement. Scientific development such as stem cell research may be hindered by religious beliefs.
2. In stem cell research, embryonic stem cells are used to develop human cells such as blood, heart, tissue, nerve cells and bones. Research in this area would lead to the development of treatments for various diseases like Alzeimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and Hungtinton disease. However, many religious groups have spoken up against the use of embryonic stem cell for research as this violates the sanctity of life which is God-given. Religious groups have protested against the destruction of human lives for science. Transgenic biotechnology is seen as tampering with nature and a violation of God’s law.

There are instances where science and religion can co-exist

In many instances, religion can be a source of inspiration for scientists.
1. There are many aspects of religion that are complementary to the study of science. In fact, the presence of people who subscribe to both science and religion show that the two can co-exist.
2. One example is Francis Collins, the founder of the Human Genome Project and a believer of the Christian faith. In a 1996 survey conducted, 40% of scientists said that they believe in God. In fact, modern physics initially sought to explain the clockwork of God’s creation. Geology grew out of the search for evidence of Noah’s Flood. As with the creationist vs evolution controversy, some scientists believed that the Bible should not be taken literally but should be interpreted allegorically.
Science and religion can complement each other. Science is good in answering the ‘how’ questions but is woefully inadequate in addressing the ‘why’ questions.
1. While science attempts to answer how the universe evolves into the form that we see, religion would deal with questions like why we have a universe at all. In today’s world, people still seek to understand the meaning of life and purpose of their existence on earth.
2. Jabir Ibn Hayyan, a Sufi, is often referred to as the father of early chemistry. He often sought to explain the mysteries of his holy scriptures through empirical evidences and had been successful in doing so.

The two can co-exist as science answers questions of fact and religion deals with questions of morality.
1. Current biomedical research and techniques are changing very fast and developments in transgenic and genetic engineering have raised much ethical concerns that society is trying to grapple with. There is a need to manage the development of such controversial scientific research. Religions can provide the basis for developing guidelines for the developments of science.
2. The Catholic Church has condemned human cloning and Sunni Muslims have considered human cloning to be forbidden by Islam. Many countries like the 15 US states, Canada, Australia and others have banned reproductive cloning.

GP – Can science co-exist with religion?