LiveScience for May 16, 2008 reported on the reconciliation of science and religion.
Scientists hate God. Or find God very disturbing. In fact, modern science has found no evidence of God and so it's stupid anymore to think God exists.The above statements are often presented as conventional wisdom, but are they true?
The issue of science vs. religion involves the two viewpoints or paradigms of science and religion. Each viewpoint is complete within itself, in that that paradigm can be considered the "only" paradigm. However, if the two paradigms are compared, it is obvious there are conflicts between them.
The Religious (Christian) Paradigm
According to the religious paradigm, God created the world in six days, or as some believe in six periods of time, as explained in the Bible and the LDS books of Moses and Abraham. Adam and Eve were created as the first human life on the new world. The various historical and spiritual events that are given in scripture actually occurred to the people inhabiting the earth. For centuries this paradigm was accepted by most Christians as the "real" world.
The Scientific Paradigm
As the European civilization progressed through the Renaissance, some people began to realize that the religious description of the cosmos didn't agree with their observations of the universe. For example, religious leaders believed the earth was the center of the universe. Even though the religious paradigm as taught in the scriptures didn't explicitly say the earth was the center, that was the common interpretation of the scriptures. However, in the 16th century Copernicus hypothesized that the sun was the center of the universe and that the earth orbited around the sun. Then, a century later Galileo confirmed through telescopic observations that Copernicus' hypothesis was correct.
The work of these early scientists let to the formation of the "scientific method" of study. As scientists study the earth from a physical viewpoint, they form hypotheses about the earth and then conduct experiments to determine if their hypotheses are correct. The use of experiments is critical to the scientific paradigm, because it is only through experimentation that scientists learn whether their hypotheses are true or not.
Using the Paradigms Separately
As I mentioned above, each paradigm can be considered separately, and consistent concepts and views can be developed within that paradigm. This is the approach taken by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly referred to as the Mormon or LDS church) and by many other Christians. The LDS Church uses the religious paradigm in its teachings. The purpose of the Church is to help us with our spiritual growth, to help us come unto Christ, to help us better serve each other, and to help us contribute to a more peaceful world, and the General Authorities of the LDS Church aren't overly concerned about the scientific paradigm. One of the General Authorities (I've forgotten his name) said something about leaving science to the scientists. When I attend Church meetings, I have no problem when teachers and speakers talk about religious events such as the flood and Noah taking animals into the ark. I realize the lessons are geared to the religious paradigm, and I'm happy to approach the spiritual aspect of my life from that viewpoint. In doing this, I wear my "religious hat" when I discuss spiritual things.
Similarly, when scientists do research they are focused on science and aren't very concerned about possible conflicts with religion. This allows them to approach science from a unified perspective and to share and discuss among their colleagues with no concern for the personal views of themselves or their colleagues. When I read reports about scientific research, I wear my "scientific hat" and look at the research from that viewpoint.
Conflicts Arise When the Two Paradigms are Mixed
Conflicts between science and religion arise when people attempt to combine the two paradigms into a new paradigm that contains both viewpoints. Even though at the present time we don't have enough information about either God or science to allow us to effectively combine the two views, many people try to force-fit the paradigms together. They discover the paradigms don't fit together, and they accept one paradigm and reject the other. Many scientists reject religion. Many religious people reject science. It is much better, I believe, to accept the fact that the time has not come for the two paradigms to merge together. It is much better, I believe, to accept each paradigm for what it is, our best explanation to date of the world from a particular but limited viewpoint.
I personally believe the time will come when the scientific and religious views will converge into a unified view of the universe and God's dealings with us, but that time probably won't occur until we are in the Millennium. In the meantime I'll continue to wear my two hats and use each paradigm as appropriate. And, I'll continue to observe science and religion to identify new parallels and report them in this blog, with the hope my comments will help others enjoy each paradigm for what it is without feeling guilty or obligated to "prove" that the other paradigm is false.
