Religion
In reply to the discussion: Why not deal seriously with those of us who see science and religion as equal? [View all]Prophet 451
(9,796 posts)I'm a man of faith (an unusual faith but faith all the same) and the fact is that science and religion don't use the same tools or address the same questions. Science tells us what a human is, how we move, breathe, reproduce and, soon, how we think. Religion/philosophy tells us what it means to be human, what we should cherish and strive toward. Science, as you say, produces answers which are true for everyone, reproducable and reliable. Religion/philosophy is inherently personal and subjective and, to some extent, irrational. Science is about how, religion/philosophy is about why. Science looks for facts, religion/philosophy looks for truth.
They are equal as forces in the world and, in some cases, in a person's life but their individual strengths are not equal. Science should be taught in schools and universities. Religion should be taught in the home or the church or coven (or maybe a Comparative Religions class). When I commune with my chosen deity, I'm not engaging my science-brain and when I construct a correlational study or analyze a case report, I'm not engaging my faith-brain. While the two are equally strong forces in my life, they look at different questions in different ways and shouldn't be confused. In my life, science and faith are like a pair of shoes: You get further on both than you do hopping.
Quick note: That's not to disparage those who find meaning outside of faith. We each have our own path to walk.