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In reply to the discussion: Creationists Hit the Panic Button After Neil DeGrasse Tyson Demolishes Their Myth That the Universe [View all]Gothmog
(146,377 posts)81. Facts and Religion can co-exist
There are some good works on how religion and Judaism are consistent by some good rabbis and Jewish scientists. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-geoffrey-a-mitelman/why-can-judaism-embrace-s_b_880003.html
I recently had a conversation with a neuroscientist, who also happened to be a self-described atheist. He knew I was a rabbi and so, in the middle of the conversation, he very tentatively asked me, "So ... do you believe in evolution?" I think what he was really asking was, "Can you be a religious person who believes in science?" And my answer to that question is, "Of course."
While some people think of science and religion as being inherently in conflict, I think it's because they tend to define "religion" as "blind acceptance and complete certainty about silly, superstitious fantasies." Quite honestly, if that's what religion really was, I wouldn't be religious!....
Instead, when Jews read the Bible today through a rabbinic worldview, we are trying to answer two separate questions: First, what did the text mean in its time, and second, how can we create interpretations that will give us lessons for our time?
Indeed, the Bible shouldn't be taken simply literally today because circumstances, societies, norms and knowledge have all changed.
A great example of that comes from how the rabbis interpret the verse "an eye for an eye." While that is what the Bible says, to the rabbis, that's not what the verse means. Instead, the rabbis argue, "an eye for an eye" actually means financial compensation, and they go on for multiple pages in the Talmud trying to explain their reasoning. They don't read that verse on its simple, literal level, but through the lenses of fairness, of common sense, of other verses in the Torah and of the best legal knowledge they had at that time.
So now we can also see why in Judaism the beginning of Genesis is not in conflict with the big bang theory or natural selection. On the one hand, for its time, the Bible provided an origin story that was a story that worked then, but now, science provides a much better explanation for how we got here.
But the Bible isn't meant to be taken only literally -- it's designed to be a source of study and exploration for the questions of our time. The point of the Creation story is really to challenge us with questions like, "How should we treat people if everyone is created in the image of God? What are our responsibilities to this world if God has called it 'good'?"
In Judaism, there's no concept of "God says it, I believe it, that settles it." Instead, Judaism pushes us to embrace the text for what it was back then, and to create new ways of reading the text for what it can be now.
Judaism has no problem reconciling facts and religion.
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Creationists Hit the Panic Button After Neil DeGrasse Tyson Demolishes Their Myth That the Universe [View all]
xchrom
May 2014
OP
I always like the idea of a god who just likes screwing around with people like that
whopis01
May 2014
#128
Evolution and religion do co-exist. Many of the religions using the same Bible accept evolution.
tclambert
May 2014
#50
You are right. Most major religious bodies are thoughtful and intelligent about science these days
Hekate
May 2014
#97
Well, star formation takes a long time. Like evolution, we see the stages and components...
Gravitycollapse
May 2014
#148
Not really true. Since Andromeda is about as far away as something we can see and
MillennialDem
May 2014
#32
Well, heck, if you are talking unaided naked eye, I can't see half way across the room.
Thor_MN
May 2014
#155
Exactly. In 1654, an Anglican bishop does some calculations based on Biblical chronology ...
spin
May 2014
#21
Ayn Rand was an atheist. And she hated Christians. Not selfish enough for her.
tclambert
May 2014
#43
The Bible is really really weak on lasers, geophysics, micro-organisms and electromagnetism, too
nikto
May 2014
#11
They didn't know that Noah had to get Kangaroos, Platypluses, Wooly Mammoths, Saber Tooth Tigers
Thor_MN
May 2014
#115
I would rent the auditorium, pay Dr. Tyson his speaking fee, and sell tickets to the event
Ikonoklast
May 2014
#146
They have been set-up to believe that their happiness and survival is dependent upon falsehoods
siligut
May 2014
#17
There individuals are so overwhelmingly ignorant it's difficult to even listen to
RKP5637
May 2014
#28
People who practice faith should not feel it necessary to explain things with science.
Agnosticsherbet
May 2014
#53
Ok so the world is estimated to be 14.8 billion. But notice how they dont tell you what the margin
rhett o rick
May 2014
#68
Random variation is not the same as natural selection. Natural selection is not random.
Gravitycollapse
May 2014
#149
Neil de Grasse Tyson and Cosmos are both wonderful. It's must-see viewing, and I can hardly wait...
Hekate
May 2014
#95
After a good solid week of shit-throwing arguments in the religion forum...
AtheistCrusader
May 2014
#99
I suspect this 6000 year myth has been around longer than modern day fundies..............
wandy
May 2014
#102
I love Cosmos, but my favorite science show is Through The Wormhole with the great Morgan Freeman
aint_no_life_nowhere
May 2014
#127
our kids ask is it time yet? we do not do much TV and are surprised at the continuing interest
lunasun
May 2014
#142
"no one has ever seen a star form"... Well, we've seen the DEATH of this one...
Beartracks
May 2014
#144