Reply #76: I totally agree...

[ljm2002]

...and still shake my head that we (not just DU) still argue as though science and religious faith are mutually contradictory.

In my view, science discovers "how" things work. It does not address the "why" -- at least, not the philosophical "why". Religion, on the other hand, attempts to address the "why" and also to express a moral code.

When you try to treat religion as science, you're in trouble. Also, when you try and treat science as religion (don't even get me started on some of the shenanigans in federal agencies such as NIH, for example), you're also in trouble.

One of my favorite stories that addresses this issue in a way, is a famous exchange between Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr. Einstein was not comfortable with the findings of quantum mechanics, where statistics held sway, and it was said that there was no direct cause and effect as in Newtonian mechanics. Interestingly, it was his own findings that had spurred these findings. What he said was, "God does not play dice with the universe." Niels Bohr responded thus: "Stop telling God what to do!" I always thought it was a perfect illustration of the fallacy: because, if one does believe in an omnipotent being, then why would we quibble with that being's methods? When finding out about science and stuff, would that not just allow us to explore the wonders of God's creation, and marvel and the intricacy and subtlety of it all? And taking the Bible -- or any other religious text -- literally as though it is a science text is just so misguided, on so many levels, that is really is and should be treated as just laughable.

Sorry, got a little long winded there.