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[AlohaDawg]

Here is an interesting take on the whole Religion and Science discussion

This is an interesting story. Can anyone find the speech he gave?



Also: This thread is clearly marked as to the nature of it's content. If you think you might get heartburn over it, don't read it or take some Mylanta and then read it.

[Drygioni]

That is certainly an interesting article. I find it admirable that such a man can advance our knowledge of science, yet still abide to his own personal faith. This reminds me of the supposed trend in the very-top scientists to believe in God; they've seen the way the world works down to the smallest detail, and supposedly see creative design as the only answer. Then again, I was told this by my Science teacher who I suspect of being Christian, so I doubt this is entirely true. Some evidence to prove/disprove this would be helpful.

[Doc]

I think he makes a very good point when he speaks about how science is not about to render human experience obsolete. Something that annoys me all the time is people who expect science to answer all the deep philosophical questions for them and then apply science in ways that just don't make sense (the most grating example of this I can remember right now, though it's probably one of the most trivial, is the Doom movie 'The last ten percent of the human genome encodes the soul'). Science is good for facts, it will tell you that eating hell of pizza is probably going to make your lifespan much shorter but it can't tell you that making your shoes from freshly skinned babies is a bad idea.

Judy: I've never heard that myself but it sounds semi-reasonable. In the lab I'm in at the moment the majority of people are either athiests or just not in your face religious. That said I know people who work there who are religious and they are as good scientists as anyone else there. I don't think being religious has any bearing on whether or not you are a good scientist, it's just another preconception that you basically have to ignore becuase as a scientist your job is to find the facts and they don't really care what your opinion is. I think cats are better than dogs but if I found evidence that dogs' brains were more advanced than cats' I couldn't ignore that because I like cats and if I feel like I would have to it would probably be appropriate for me to work in a different field that wasn't going to interfere with my preconceptions.

I think the pitting of science against religion is an idea that was made up by people who like science or are religious but more importantly have a grudge against the 'other side' and want to see that everyone who shares their views on one issue shares their prejudices on another.

[pmcd9]

Science... can't tell you that making your shoes from freshly skinned babies is a bad idea.

Well if science doesn't have a problem with it...

Sorry Doc to make a trivial response to a well thought out post.  Please forgive me.

~Paul

[Doc]

No forgiveness necessary Paul, just beware they can be quite expensive.

[AlohaDawg]

My take on the whole science and religion thing is that I love both of them, although it is more likely I would become a religious scholar than a scientist. That is probably just due to my own proclivity, although I am fascinated by the Jesuits. Not that they are flawless, but the whole warrior/scholar/priest thing is kind of cool.

My personal understanding of the universe as I experience it is that we are created by God to seek knowledge about His creation. We are given to the tools to seek and explore creation and in so doing, we explore Him. In the same way, we are given the powerful gift of examining ourselves, and because we are created in His image, we are exploring His gifts to us, and, in a remote way, Him.

We are not Him, however, and so there will always be challenges to expand our knowledge - what are elemental particles made of? What is at the end of space? How did the Universe begin?

I think that advancement of Scientific knowledge, hand in hand with advancement of moral thinking and the ethical application of our knowledge, discoveries and inventions lead us toward God himself; and like a parent playing hide-and-seek with a child, He will be as delighted as we when at last we find Him.

[Choop]

You guys! What if it's MIDI-CHLORIANS?!!

[theinevitable]

midichlorians. oh my goodness.

[wombat]

You guys!  What if it's CHOOP and the alien ship finally brought him back to us?!

[Doc]

Midichlorians + Aliens = Lightsabre duels to keep them from taking Choop (and Elvis) away again?

[AlohaDawg]

You guys! What if it's MIDI-CHLORIANS?!!

It's not impossible. Just highly unlikely. But, think about it, really, how much difference is there between "May God bless and keep you" and "May the force be with you"?

[Choop]

(kind of the whole idea there, dawg)

[AlohaDawg]

(kind of the whole idea there, dawg)

Of course, but I don't expect people <HERE> to grasp that universally.

[Carlos del Vaca]

Of course, but I don't expect people <HERE> to grasp that universally.

Cuz we're all heathens!  Satan Satan Satan!

[AlohaDawg]

He said it, not me. But he is into pushing buttons, especially mine.

Actually it's not all and it's not heathens. I have definitely sensed that there is a mindset where ideas, concepts, etc. are stripped of their religious overtones intentionally because that makes the idea or concept more acceptable. And I am sure there are more than one actual Atheist here who prefers their world that way - which is their right.

That's what I was referring to.