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Philosophy

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Feb 20, 2024

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1 Science and Religion: Conflictual or Compatible Forces? Michael Vaughn Department of Philosophy, Houston Community College PHIL 1304 Dr. Onwunali February 2, 2024

2 Science and Religion: Conflictual or Compatible Forces? Over the centuries, science and religion have been a debate among religious scholars, philosophers, and scientists to whether they are at conflict with each other because the religious dogma practiced by the people hold all the Truths to Mankind and the Universe—or do they? In the United States. 56% of religious followers agree that non-believers are mainly responsible for the on-going debate (Johnson, Thigpen & Funk; 2021 February 9) between these two opposed concepts. During ancient times, people were primarily poor, uneducated, and governed by a church who used intimidation to keep people from deviating from the church. Even in modern times, some religious factions refuse to take scientific opinions into consideration; however, the extremists may be exerting power and control over fearful followers who are submissive to the reigning doctrine within their cultures. Without an influx of science, there is no one to ask questions concerning the validity of their religion as being the absolute Truth of all things. One may question if science has a role in religion and believe the answer may be too complicated for this essay. Nonetheless, a quick analysis of the two concepts sees there is the possibility for a congruent answer to end this age-old debate. Over four thousand religions are practiced around the world by 85% of the global population (Fairchild, 2021 March 22) using a Sacred Text which states the proper way of thinking, acting, and behaving by its faithful followers. Accordingly, most religions have a strong belief system which lays out the foundation for their spiritual viewpoints concerning the Creation of Mankind and the Universe, such as the Christianity’s Holy Bible. Because religion and science are examples of polar opposites in philosophical ideals, there is a tendency for a controversy to arise when the dominating religious party stands firm in its opinions and negative judgments of those who have an opposing opinion (Case Western Regent University, 2016). For hundreds of years, the Catholic church had all the wealth and political power to rule over an

3 illiterate people with the authority to manage their daily existence (Fisher & Luyster; 1991), regardless of whether the people approved or not. However, changes would come to Europe during the late 1400s when people demanded freedom from the Catholic church’s rule and this gave rise to the Renaissance Era where philosophy, intellectual thinking, and scientific advancements had come to the forefront (Jarus & Szalay; 2022) exciting the masses in its wake. Consequently, the Catholic church got redemption for all the corruption and panic they caused Europe by contributing large amounts of money towards the study of astronomy and other sciences, with all the necessary tools a student might need (Chipkin, 2020) to accomplish this task. The Catholic church held the idea that scientific research could provide a rationale viewpoint for all the inner workings of God’s universe (Chipkin, 2020) for Man to comprehend. Indeed, science could play a role in religion opening the doors to many new perspectives on God’s universe to stimulate philosophic opinions. Likewise, science is about research, proving the results, and the actual facts associated with an assumption or theory in their respective disciplines. Although religion has rejected scientific explanations in the past, today’s modern society has seemingly become more assimilated and no longer look at differences with other groups or disciplines through the lens of our own perceptions. In earlier centuries, explanations needed to be provided to a distressed European people when a natural disaster or a pandemic occurred where the study of science was virtually non-existent, and the Church was a source of guidance for the gullible masses who indulged in the rhetoric. For example, when the Black Death struck Europe and was wiping out millions of people, the Church proclaimed Man’s sins and on what they perceived as the immorality of the Jewish religion (Zentrier, 2015) to explain the reason for the pandemic and all its horror. Moreover, the Islamic religion condemns any interaction with a man outside the

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4 family (Mohammadi & Hazeri, 2020), even in a medical emergency. The woman leaves herself open to public ridicule, domestic violence, or a stoning for failing to obey the Islamic doctrine (Mohammadi & Hazeri, 2020). Again, this lends credence to science playing a significant role in the world’s religious communities. Thus, science and religion may not be in conflict in the modern age, as they were in ancient societies where there was no real explanation for a plague, mentally challenged individuals, gravity, or an earthquake, for example. People looked to their church to give their interpretation of an event that was not fully understood by a simple man’s mind. Different cultures have different religions with several of them serving in a socio-political-economic position to provide support for its people. As previously mentioned, the Islamic religion keeps its people living in the past where women are kept disempowered and wearing a burqa or niqab to allow them to socialize outside the home (Mohammadi & Hazeri, 2020) in a world designed for the dark ages. Furthermore, science could play a role in religion, but the spiritual doctrine must be open to different viewpoints other than their own. References

5 Case Western Regent University. (2016, March 23). The conflict between science and religion lies in our brain, researchers say . Retrieved from Phys.org: https://phys.org/news/2016- 03-conflict-science-religion-lies-brains.html Chipkin, L. (2020, May 28). Did the Catholic church give birth to science? Retrieved from Aero: https://areomagazine.com/2020/05/28/did-the-catholic-church-give-birth-to-science/ Fairchild, M. (2021, March 22). How many religions are there in the world? Retrieved from Learn Religions: https://www.learnreligions.com/how-many-religions-are-there-in-the- world-5114658 Fisher, M. P., & Luyster, R. (1991). Living Religions (7th ed.). Prentice-Hall. Hall, N. F., & Hall, L. (1986, May/June). Is the war between science and religion over? Retrieved from American Humanist Association: https://americanhumanist.org/what-is- humanism/war-science-religion/ Jarus, O., & Szalay, S. (2022, January 11). The Renaissance: The 'rebirth' of science & culture . Retrieved from livescience.com: https://www.livescience.com/55230-renaissance.html Johnson, C., Thigpen, C. L., & Funk, C. (2021, February 9). On the intersection of science and religion . Retrieved from Pew: https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/trend/archive/winter-2021/on-the-intersection-of-science- and-religion Larson, E. J. (2023, April 19). Conflict between science and religion is always possible but never inevitable . Retrieved from Christianity Today: https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2023/mayjune/magisteria-nicholas-spencer-science- religion-entangled.html Mohammadi, N., & Hazeri, A. M. (2020). "Two different narratives of hijab in Iran: Burqa and niqab. Sexuality & Culture , 680-699. Retrieved from https://newuniversityinexileconsortium.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ Two_Different_Narratives_of_Hi.pdf Zentrier, M. H. (2015). The black death andi Its impact on the church and popular religion. [Honor's Thesis. University of Mississippi]. Retrieved from https://egrove.olemiss.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1682&context=hon_thesis

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