Science Vs Religion Essay

Improved Essays
The science versus religion controversy is one in which I believe will continue on until the end of time. Dr. Charlie Townes, a Christian man and renowned scientist, considers the parallels of the two demonstrate they are fated to eventually unite (Townes, 1966). Many view science and religion as two completely separate realms, which are fundamentally different and pursue truth in distinctively unlike ways. On the religious front, many hold firm to their faith and historical beliefs; whereas, science intends to demystify the religious aspect and search for concrete answers. The difference between the two are the absolute qualities. Religion teaches absolute truth, despite the ability to prove or be proven wrong. Science stresses the potential ability to, over time, explain everything. However, the inability to prove certain aspects causes strain on both interpretations. The great difference between the two are the impression of scientific laws diminishing the space for divine action. He articulates that some disregard any conflict between the two because they are …show more content…
(Townes, 1966). Faith is essential to both science and religion. Faith is the foundation for religious opinion; however, scientists do not even realize they are utilizing faith as their foundation as well. For a scientist to begin searching, they must believe, or have faith, in their mind that there is a universal order, assuring their self of obtaining an understanding of this order in an attempt to find answers. Additionally, Townes compares the method of discovery between the two; further explaining both use great revelations. “Religions discoveries often come by great revelations.” (Townes, 1966, p.5). He relays that scientists many times get much of their insight via “great ideas” or by accident, rather than from the scientific

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Science is always progressing and challenging previous ideas and religious people do not want to believe that it is happening. Not everyone has to believe in science but, adaptation to new ideas is crucial. “Today’s emerging adults in the United States have only ever known a…

    • 731 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    For centuries, religion has been a topic of great debate and interest, stemming from the validity of ideals to reasons why people believe in it in the first place. Despite all the efforts over time to thwart religion, it has managed to remain as a prominent structure. One question that seems to always be brought to the table is how religion continues to exist in light of the continual advances of science. The reason religion continues to exist today is not because the furthering of science leads to disproving religion, but rather because religion addresses questions that currently not even the advances of science can answer, giving people a sense of unity and congregation based upon two key emotions: hope and fear. However, as with science,…

    • 1019 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In modern times religion and science are increasingly becoming viewed as incompatible, or at least non-overlapping. Damien Keown states that “Scientific discoveries, and theories such as evolution, have challenged many traditional Christian teachings…” at the expense of making them appear “...dogmatic, irrational, and backward-looking” (119).…

    • 1050 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The issue of religion versus science has been a long ongoing debate that seem to have no…

    • 1012 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The integration of science and faith has been evolving since the development of science and rationalism. Many early scientist acknowledged the Christian faith as a framework for understanding science. Theology, however, was seen as superior to science and conflict between the two, as in the case of Galileo, would occasionally arise. The publication of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species heralded a new challenge to the traditional framework for integrating science and faith (Entwistle, 2010, p. 27). Science was now seen as separate from faith. Faith is being rejected and integration is no longer deemed necessary. Within the field of psychology, a similar disparity is occurring. Reactions within the Church and academic circles have varied, some…

    • 717 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Both the scientific community, and religious faithful forget the truthful fact, that neither side can ever be correct. Science is mostly based around theories that are constantly changing, while religion is based on teachings from the Holy Book. Science today features possibilities of genetic engineering and other ways to alter life that religious followers view as unethical. The lack of long term studies should lead to a healthy skepticism of the future of scientific discovery, as there could exist potential repercussions for altering life. Furthermore, the religious community should learn to embrace the possibilities that science holds, because it, like religion, preaches hope for a better tomorrow. Berry mentions Paul’s letter to the Romans on his definition of hope when he says, “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it” (24). The ability to compromise and make concessions with conflicting viewpoints should be easy, because we all live hoping for a better tomorrow. Neither religion nor science can be concrete in their assertions of how life was created and came to be, but both ideologies can come together in an effort to build hope for a better…

    • 1476 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Morals are morals and religion is religion and very often they do not go hand in hand. The history of the past 2,000 years is riddled with religious immorality and nonsense and people 's often desperate reaction to it” (Weedon). For years scientist have been trying to learn everything they can about how the world works. They trace their findings back generations and continue to look for ways to connect the universe. They want to know all that had occurred, but the problem most scientist have is crossing the line. They want to discover the creation and what happened in the beginning. Scientists feel…

    • 1291 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Science and religion are two different aspects of life. They both have their optimistic values and teachings, and I am stuck in the middle. There are so many extensive and adequate theories that lead me to question my own beliefs and theological virtues. Based on history and facts, it seems like the two have been in conflict ever since the very beginning. Religion is a matter of faith and science is all about rationality and finding proof, and at times one outweighs the other. Scientific truths are tentative, and what we believe is true today could be easily be proved false tomorrow by observations and experiments.…

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The author introduces a preface about issues and controversies in relation to science and religion, some aspects and characteristics about them, and also, he shows the goals for this chapter. Through his introduction, he manifests that the relation between religion and science are two great cultural forces that build and organize every aspect of human life. In addition, he affirms that this chapter will help us to think systematically, and intelligently about the relationship between these two great cultural forces, but also, we will not solve them because the issues involved in them are many and convoluted. In fact, Stratton says that the philosophical commitments inserted into science establish a lot of unnecessary controversies of religion and…

    • 563 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Science and theology are always thought by many people to be in stark contrast and constantly in conflict with each other. However, this is not necessarily the case according to Tom Gilson, the author of the article, “The Conflict Between Religion and Science”. In his article Gilson argues that science and faith are not in conflict, but rather work together in unison to make sense of the world. Gilson supports the idea that while science and faith might seem to have opposite ideas, in reality, they do not contradict each other. Gilson argues that while science is very important for our understanding of the world, theology is equally as important and the conflict between religion and science comes from ignorance rather than fact.…

    • 558 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Goodman, “The difference in focus between science and religion lies partly in the fact that our natural sciences seek causal understanding about the world we see and touch and the things in it that we can gauge and measure, and tease out from one another, not just conceptually but experientially, things that we can reliably relate to one another—ideally, by type, and mathematically.”9 Equally important, Christianity is a religion that opens the door for man to have a relationship with the ultimate authority,…

    • 317 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The conflict model regarding science and faith proposes that modern science and faith are incompatible as they are in the 21st century (Mikael Stenmark). Promulgators of the model, including Richard Dawkins, Francis Crick, Edward O. Wilson, and others, in various ways, would argue that science and religion are antithetical in terms of how they approach truth and how they achieve and determine their ultimate goals (Mikael Stenmark). Scientific materialism and religious literalism are the two extreme viewpoints on opposite sides of the spectrum for this model (Mikael Stenmark).…

    • 88 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Nowadays, people believe religion and science are in conflict with one another; a study created by Troy Van Voorhis, an MIT Chemistry professor, expressed how seventy percent of young adults between the ages 18-23 agreed on the perceived idea that there is an existing dispute between these branches. However, the reality is that only eleven percent of Americans belong to a religion which denies findings of modern science, and 52 percent of scientist believe that there is a superhuman being or spirit which has power over nature and/or human fortunes. Moreover, Voorhis declared how, although, he studies science for a living, it may not answer all questions. “We are left with a feeling that there must be something more… Christianity doesn’t limit…

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Science and religion are not enemies, still, there’s a correlation between atheism and scientific inclinations. While 95% of the USA population believes in God, only around 51% of the scientific community does, scoring as low as 7.5% in areas such as physics or 5.5% in biology (Lamb, 2010). This survey shows that religious people tend to be less inclined towards the sciences.…

    • 423 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Science and religion are two words that are assumed to oppose each other due to the factual, logical basis of science and the faith in the unknown presented in religion. Yet these two disciplines share many commonalities and interactions that lead to the development of a field of study. Alfred White Northhead, a Protestant theologian, exceptionally expressed that God and nature work as one, indicating any change in the science nature, should lead to an alteration with how society comprehends God. (Olsen, 2) Throughout this paper it will be clear that science and religion are a field due to the commonalities the disciplines share, the overlap of knowledge seen in both topics and importantly the dispersion of the work among academics. This…

    • 1469 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays