Title: Science and Religion
Course: REL 201 RTZ > Section: Week 1 - Introductions, Introductions to the Course and Introductions to Religion

First and foremost I want to define worldview as the belief system of a group as to how they believe the world was created, who created the world and how the world operates.  Religious and scientific worldviews have weaved harmonious and corroborative relationships prior to and since the divorce of religion and science.  When not in a harmonious relationship science and religion are at odds with one and another due to segmented approaches to the greater understanding of the universe.

There was a time when science was ostracized and feared by humankind.  Since science is able to produce tangible outcomes it was easy for humans to eventually accept science.  Science was originally intended to support religious beliefs and myths.  Science and mathematics was the sorcery of the religious practitioner who advised with the planning and harvesting of crops.  There was no separation of religion and science.  Pythagoras had a religious school of mathematical scholars.  All parts of math were related back to the human relationship of the universe.  When a Pythagoras scholar discovered numbers that were not perfect and fit into their worldview they were killed so that this information was not released to the public.  It took long intervals of time before there was acceptance of new math. The same has held true for science.

As more people learned science and mathematics it became easier to separate science from religion.  Science has become a tool for some to disrepute religion.  Worldviews are common human experiences and beliefs.  One person can have multiple worldviews depending on their experiences. These worldviews may be simultaneous or linear.  A religious and scientific worldview only comes into conflict within the individual’s mind.  For example, would be if someone believes in the Big Bang Theory and Creationism.  Science can either prove or disprove the Big Bang Theory. There is no science at this time that can prove or disprove the Creationist Theory.  An individual does not need to feel any conflict if they believe in both the Big Bang Theory and a Creationist Theory.  There are individuals who believe in both the Big Bang and Creation Theories.  This worldview includes the belief that a creator god was responsible for setting into motion the effects of the Big Bang.

There was a time that humans existed and they did not know about micro particles.  Through science we have been able to see micro particles.  These particles have always existed and did not spontaneously exist because we created new scientific tools that allowed us to see these micro particles.  The same idea can be held true to the belief of a creator god.  Because we do not have the tools yet to see if a creator god exists or does not exist does not mean we can say for certainty what the existence of god is at this time.

Worldviews are often used as a shield to defend one’s beliefs or as a weapon to attack other’s worldviews.  Once one is ready to move past the categorizing of other’s ethics and beliefs it is easier to accept that there is a coherent relationship between science and religion and that both are working towards the same answers just differently.  Science want to prove questions of who and how with tangible outcomes.  Religion is not worried about the tangible as much as they are worried about answering the questions.

Science uses human made tools to reach conclusions.  Religion uses the human experience to reach conclusions.  Using both human made tools and human experience is a worthy combination of not only a visionary scholar but a person who is connected to the world.  There will be conflict and there will be cohesion.