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Relationship between religion and science

 
Relationship Between Religion and Science

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Relationship between religion and science



 
 
The relationship between religion and science has been a focus of the Demarcation problem
Demarcation problem

The demarcation problem in the philosophy of science is about how and where to draw the lines around science. The boundaries are commonly drawn between science and non-science, between science and pseudoscience, and between science and religion....
. Statements about the world made by science and religion rely on different methodologies. Religions rely on revelation
Revelation

Revelation is the act of revealing or disclosing, or making something obvious and clearly understood through active or passive communication with the divinity....
 while science relies on observable
Observation

Observation is either an activity of a living being , consisting of receiving knowledge of the outside world through the senses, or the recording of data using scientific instruments....
, repeatable experiences. Some scholars say the two are separate, as in John William Draper
John William Draper

John William Draper was an United States scientist, philosopher, physician, chemist, historian, and photographer....
's conflict thesis
Conflict thesis

Conflict thesis is the theoretical premise of an intrinsic conflict between science and religion. The term was originally used in a historical context: its proponents claim the historical record is evidence of religion's perpetual opposition to science....
 and Stephen Jay Gould
Stephen Jay Gould

Stephen Jay Gould was a prominent American Paleontology, Evolution, and History of science. He was also one of the most influential and widely read writers of popular science of his generation....
's non-overlapping magisteria, while others (Thomas Berry
Thomas Berry

Reverend Fr. Thomas Berry C.P. is a Catholic priest of the Passionist order, cultural historian and ecotheologian .Among advocates of deep ecology and "ecospirituality" he is famous for proposing that a deep understanding of the history and functioning of the evolving universe is a necessary inspiration and guide for our own effective func...
, Brian Swimme
Brian Swimme

Brian Swimme is a mathematical cosmology and the director of the Center for the Story of the Universe at the California Institute of Integral Studies....
, Ken Wilber
Ken Wilber

Kenneth Earl Wilber Jr. is an American author who writes on psychology, philosophy, mysticism, ecology, and spiritual evolution. He has been described as New Age, although his writings are critical of much of the New Age Movement....
, et al.) propose an interconnection. The Pew Forum has published data on attitudes to religion and science.

  • Conflict when either discipline threatens to take over the legitimate concerns of the other
  • Independence treating each as quite separate realms of enquiry.
  • Dialogue suggesting that each field has things to say to each other about phenomena in which their interests overlap.
  • Integration aiming to unify both fields into a single discourse.


  • This typology is similar to ones found in Ian Barbour
    Ian Barbour

    Ian Graeme Barbour is an American scholar on the relationship between science and religion. According to PBS his mid 1960's Issues in Science and Religion "has been credited with literally creating the contemporary field of Relationship between science and religion." ...
     and John Haught
    John Haught

    Dr. John F. Haught is a Roman Catholicism theologian and the Landegger Distinguished Professor of Theology at Georgetown University. His area of expertise is systematic theology, with a special interest in issues of science, cosmology, ecology, and reconciling evolution and religion....
     .






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    The relationship between religion and science has been a focus of the Demarcation problem
    Demarcation problem

    The demarcation problem in the philosophy of science is about how and where to draw the lines around science. The boundaries are commonly drawn between science and non-science, between science and pseudoscience, and between science and religion....
    . Statements about the world made by science and religion rely on different methodologies. Religions rely on revelation
    Revelation

    Revelation is the act of revealing or disclosing, or making something obvious and clearly understood through active or passive communication with the divinity....
     while science relies on observable
    Observation

    Observation is either an activity of a living being , consisting of receiving knowledge of the outside world through the senses, or the recording of data using scientific instruments....
    , repeatable experiences. Some scholars say the two are separate, as in John William Draper
    John William Draper

    John William Draper was an United States scientist, philosopher, physician, chemist, historian, and photographer....
    's conflict thesis
    Conflict thesis

    Conflict thesis is the theoretical premise of an intrinsic conflict between science and religion. The term was originally used in a historical context: its proponents claim the historical record is evidence of religion's perpetual opposition to science....
     and Stephen Jay Gould
    Stephen Jay Gould

    Stephen Jay Gould was a prominent American Paleontology, Evolution, and History of science. He was also one of the most influential and widely read writers of popular science of his generation....
    's non-overlapping magisteria, while others (Thomas Berry
    Thomas Berry

    Reverend Fr. Thomas Berry C.P. is a Catholic priest of the Passionist order, cultural historian and ecotheologian .Among advocates of deep ecology and "ecospirituality" he is famous for proposing that a deep understanding of the history and functioning of the evolving universe is a necessary inspiration and guide for our own effective func...
    , Brian Swimme
    Brian Swimme

    Brian Swimme is a mathematical cosmology and the director of the Center for the Story of the Universe at the California Institute of Integral Studies....
    , Ken Wilber
    Ken Wilber

    Kenneth Earl Wilber Jr. is an American author who writes on psychology, philosophy, mysticism, ecology, and spiritual evolution. He has been described as New Age, although his writings are critical of much of the New Age Movement....
    , et al.) propose an interconnection. The Pew Forum has published data on attitudes to religion and science.

    Perspectives on the relationship between religion and science


    The kinds of interactions that might arise between science and religion have been classified using the following typology:
    1. Conflict when either discipline threatens to take over the legitimate concerns of the other
      • For example, John William Draper
        John William Draper

        John William Draper was an United States scientist, philosopher, physician, chemist, historian, and photographer....
         and Andrew Dickson White
        Andrew Dickson White

        Andrew Dickson White was a U.S. diplomat, author, and educator, best known as the co-founder of Cornell University....
        's conflict thesis
        Conflict thesis

        Conflict thesis is the theoretical premise of an intrinsic conflict between science and religion. The term was originally used in a historical context: its proponents claim the historical record is evidence of religion's perpetual opposition to science....
    2. Independence treating each as quite separate realms of enquiry.
      • For example, Steven Jay Gould's NOMA
    3. Dialogue suggesting that each field has things to say to each other about phenomena in which their interests overlap.
      • For example, William G. Pollard
        William G. Pollard

        William Grosvenor Pollard was a physicist and priest. He started his career as a professor of physics in 1936 at University of Tennessee. In 1946 he championed the organization of the the Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies ....
        's studies in Physicist and Christian
        Physicist and Christian

        Physicist and Christian: A dialogue between the communities is a book by William G. Pollard. Much of the attention given to the book such as its review in Time magazine has been attributed to the fact that Pollard was not only a well-respected physicist but also an Anglican priest....
        : A dialogue between the communities
    4. Integration aiming to unify both fields into a single discourse.
      • For example, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
        Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

        Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was a French philosopher and Society of Jesus Catholic priesthood who trained as a Paleontology and Geology and took part in the discovery of Peking Man....
        's Omega point
        Omega point

        Omega Point is a term invented by the France Jesuit Pierre Teilhard de Chardin to describe a maximum level of complexity and consciousness towards which the universe appears to be evolving....
         and Ian Barbour
        Ian Barbour

        Ian Graeme Barbour is an American scholar on the relationship between science and religion. According to PBS his mid 1960's Issues in Science and Religion "has been credited with literally creating the contemporary field of Relationship between science and religion." ...
        's sympathy towards process philosophy
        Process philosophy

        Process philosophy identifies metaphysics reality with change and dynamism. Since the time of Plato and Aristotle, philosophers have posited true reality as "timeless", based on permanent Substance theorys, whilst processes are denied or subordinated to timeless substances....
        /process theology
        Process theology

        Process theology is a school of thought influenced by the metaphysical process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead . While there are process theologies that are similar, but unrelated to the work of Whitehead the term is generally applied to the Whiteheadian school....


    This typology is similar to ones found in Ian Barbour
    Ian Barbour

    Ian Graeme Barbour is an American scholar on the relationship between science and religion. According to PBS his mid 1960's Issues in Science and Religion "has been credited with literally creating the contemporary field of Relationship between science and religion." ...
     and John Haught
    John Haught

    Dr. John F. Haught is a Roman Catholicism theologian and the Landegger Distinguished Professor of Theology at Georgetown University. His area of expertise is systematic theology, with a special interest in issues of science, cosmology, ecology, and reconciling evolution and religion....
     . More typologies that categorize this relationship can be found among the works of other science and religion scholars
    List of science and religion scholars

    A 'list of religion and science scholars' whose works have achieved prominent notice in peer reviewed literature on the subject, particularly those prominently featured in Zygon: Journal of Religion & Science, The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Science, Issues in Science and Religion, The Science and Religion Forum's Reviews in S...
     such as Arthur Peacocke
    Arthur Peacocke

    The Reverend Canon Arthur Robert Peacocke Order of the British Empire was a United Kingdom theologian and scientist....


    Conflict


    Conflict thesis
    The conflict thesis
    Conflict thesis

    Conflict thesis is the theoretical premise of an intrinsic conflict between science and religion. The term was originally used in a historical context: its proponents claim the historical record is evidence of religion's perpetual opposition to science....
     view was popularized in the 19th century by John William Draper
    John William Draper

    John William Draper was an United States scientist, philosopher, physician, chemist, historian, and photographer....
     and Andrew Dickson White
    Andrew Dickson White

    Andrew Dickson White was a U.S. diplomat, author, and educator, best known as the co-founder of Cornell University....
    . Most contemporary historians of science now reject it, considering that the conflict thesis has been superseded by subsequent historical research,:

    While H. Floris Cohen
    H. Floris Cohen

    Hendrik Cohen Floris is a historian of science....
     states that most scholars reject crude articulations of the conflict thesis, such as Andrew D. White's, he also states that milder versions of this thesis still hold some sway. This is because "it remains an incontrovertible fact of history that, to say the least, the new science was accorded a less than enthusiastic acclaim by many religious authorities at the time." Cohen therefore considers it paradoxical "that the rise of early modern science was due at least in part to developments in Christian thought — in particular, to certain aspects of Protestantism" (a thesis first developed as what is now known as the Merton thesis
    Merton Thesis

    The Merton Thesis is an argument about the nature of early experimental science proposed by Robert K. Merton. Similar to Max Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism on the link between Protestant ethic and the capitalist economy, Merton argued for a similar positive correlation between the rise of Protestant pietism and earl...
    ).

    Today, much of the scholarship in which the conflict thesis was based is considered to be inaccurate. For instance, a claim that was first propagated in the same period that originated the conflict thesis is the supposition that the Catholic Church from the Middle Ages
    Middle Ages

    File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
     believed that the Earth was flat
    Flat Earth

    The flat Earth model is an ancient view of the Earth's shape which conceived of it as flatness like a piece of paper or an infinite plane .This belief contrasts with the view introduced around the 4th century BC by natural philosophers of Classical Greece that the spherical Earth....
    , and that only science, freed from religious dogma, had shown that it was round. This claim was mistaken, as the contemporary historians of science David C. Lindberg
    David C. Lindberg

    David C. Lindberg is an United States historian of science. He is the Hilldale Professor Emeritus of History of Science and Past Director of the Institute for Research in the Humanities, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison....
     and Ronald L. Numbers write: "there was scarcely a Christian scholar of the Middle Ages who did not acknowledge Earth
    Earth

    Earth is the third planet from the Sun. Earth is the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in diameter, mass and density. It is also referred to as the World and Wiktionary:Terra.Note that by International Astronomical Union convention, the term "Terra" is used for naming extensive land masses, rather...
    's sphericity and even know its approximate circumference." A tight review of alternatives to the White/Draper conflict thesis has been composed by Ian G. Barbour, "Ways of relating science and theology" in Physics, philosophy, and theology: a common quest for understanding (Editors: Robert John Russell
    Robert John Russell

    Robert John Russell is Founder and Director of the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences and the Ian G. Barbour Professor of Theology and Science in Residence at the Graduate Theological Union....
    , William R. Stoeger
    William R. Stoeger

    William R. Stoeger is an astronomer and theologian. He was born on October 5, 1943 in Torrance, California and is now a staff scientist for the Vatican Observatory....
    , and George V. Coyne; Vatican City
    Vatican City

    Vatican City , officially the State of the Vatican City , is a Landlocked country sovereignty city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, the Capital of Italy....
     and Notre Dame Press, 1988).

    Independence

    A modern view, described by Stephen Jay Gould
    Stephen Jay Gould

    Stephen Jay Gould was a prominent American Paleontology, Evolution, and History of science. He was also one of the most influential and widely read writers of popular science of his generation....
     as "non-overlapping magisteria
    Stephen Jay Gould

    Stephen Jay Gould was a prominent American Paleontology, Evolution, and History of science. He was also one of the most influential and widely read writers of popular science of his generation....
    " (NOMA), is that science and religion deal with fundamentally separate aspects of human experience and so, when each stays within its own domain, they co-exist peacefully. Gould's view can also be seen as an attitude of neglect towards religion. It has been compared with a similar attitude of neglect towards evolutionary science, which has been seen in the works of theologians Karl Barth
    Karl Barth

    Karl Barth was a Switzerland Reformed theologian whom some critics held to be among the most important Christian thinkers of the 20th century; Pope Pius XII described him as the most important theologian since Thomas Aquinas....
     (who fails to mention evolution in his major work Church Dogmatics), Emil Brunner
    Emil Brunner

    Heinrich Emil Brunner was an eminent and highly influential Switzerland Protestant theology. Along with Karl Barth , he is commonly associated with neo-orthodoxy or the dialectical theology movement....
    , and Hans Kung (whose Theology for the Third Millennium (1988) has a chapter on the relationship between religion and science yet never mentions evolution).

    Two takes on experience
    Both science and religion represent distinct ways of approaching experience and these differences are sources of debate. Science is closely tied to mathematics—a very abstract experience, while religion is more closely tied to the ordinary experience of life. As interpretations of experience, science is descriptive
    Positive science

    In the humanities and social sciences, the term positive is used in a number of ways.One usage refers to analysis or theories which only attempt to describe how things are, as opposed to how they should be....
     and religion is prescriptive
    Normative

    Normative has specialized meanings in several academic disciplines. Generically, it means relating to an ideal standard or model. In practice, it has strong connotations of relating to a typical standard or model ....
    . For science and mathematics to concentrate on what the world ought to be like in the way that religion does can be inappropriate and may lead to improperly ascribing properties to the natural world as happened among the followers of Pythagoras
    Pythagoras

    Pythagoras of Samos was an Ionians Ancient Greeks mathematician and founder of the religious movement called Pythagoreanism. He is often revered as a great mathematician, mysticism and scientist; however some have questioned the scope of his contributions to mathematics and natural philosophy....
     in the sixth century B.C. The reverse situation where religion attempts to be descriptive can also lead to inappropriately assigning properties to the natural world. A notable example is the now defunct belief in the Ptolemy
    Ptolemy

    Claudius Ptolemaeus , known in English as Ptolemy , was a Roman Greek mathematics, Greek astronomy, geographer and astrologer. He lived in History of Roman Egypt, and was probably born there in a town in the Thebaid called Ptolemais Hermiou; he died in Alexandria around 168 AD....
     planetary model that held sway until changes in scientific and religious thinking were brought about by Galileo and proponents of his views.

    Parallels in method
    Many language philosophers
    Philosophy of language

    Philosophy of language is the reasoned inquiry into the nature, origins, and usage of language. As a topic, the philosophy of language for Analytic philosophys is concerned with four central problems: the nature of Meaning , language use, language cognition, and the relationship between language and reality....
     (e.g., Ludwig Wittgenstein
    Ludwig Wittgenstein

    Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein was an Austrian-United Kingdom philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language....
    ) and religious existentialists (e.g., those who ascribe to neo-orthodoxy
    Neo-orthodoxy

    Neo-orthodoxy is an approach to theology in Protestantism that was developed in the aftermath of the First World War . It is also called theology of crisis and dialectical theology....
    ) accepted Ian Barbour
    Ian Barbour

    Ian Graeme Barbour is an American scholar on the relationship between science and religion. According to PBS his mid 1960's Issues in Science and Religion "has been credited with literally creating the contemporary field of Relationship between science and religion." ...
     and John Polkinghorne
    John Polkinghorne

    John Polkinghorne, Order of the British Empire, Fellow of the Royal Society is a UK particle physics and theology. He has written extensively on matters concerning science and faith, and was awarded the Templeton Prize in 2002....
    's type II categorization of Independence. On the other hand, many philosophers of science have thought otherwise. Thomas S. Kuhn asserted that science is made up of paradigms that arise from cultural traditions, which is similar to the secular perspective on religion. Michael Polanyi
    Michael Polanyi

    Michael Polanyi, Fellow of the Royal Society was a Hungary?United Kingdom polymath whose thought and work extended across physical chemistry, economics, and philosophy....
     asserted that it is merely a commitment to universality
    Universality (philosophy)

    In philosophy, universalism is a doctrine or school claiming universal facts can be discovered and is therefore understood as being in opposition to relativism....
     that protects against subjectivity
    Subjectivity

    Subjectivity refers to a subject's perspective or opinion, particularly feelings, beliefs, and desires. It is often used casually to refer to unjustified personal opinions, in contrast to knowledge and justified belief....
     and has nothing at all to do with personal detachment as found in many conceptions of the scientific method. Polayni further asserted that all knowledge is personal and therefore the scientist must be performing a very personal if not necessarily subjective role when doing science. Polanyi added that the scientist often merely follows intuitions of "intellectual beauty, symmetry, and 'empirical agreement'". Polayni held that science requires moral commitments similar to those found in religion. Two physicists Charles A. Coulson and Harold K. Schilling
    Harold K. Schilling

    Harold K. Schilling was a professor of physics at Pennsylvania State University. He had served as chairman of the physics department and then as dean of the graduate school....
     both claimed that "the methods of science and religion have much in common." Schilling asserted that both fields—science and religion—have "a threefold structure—of experience, theoretical interpretation, and practical application." Coulson asserted that science like religion "advances by creative imagination" and not by "mere collecting of facts," while stating that religion should and does "involve critical reflection on experience not unlike that which goes on in science." Religious language and scientific language also show parallels (cf. Rhetoric of science
    Rhetoric of science

    Rhetoric of science is a body of scholarly literature exploring the notion that the practice of science is a rhetorical activity. It emerged from a number of disciplines during the late twentieth century, including the disciplines of sociology, history, and philosophy of science, but it is practiced most fully by rhetoricians in departments o...
    ).

    Dialogue

    A degree of concord between science and religion can be seen in religious belief and empirical science. The belief that God created the world and therefore humans, can lead to the view that he arranged for humans to know the world. This is underwritten by the doctrine of imago dei
    Imago Dei

    The Image of God is a concept and theological doctrine that asserts that human beings are created in God's image and therefore have inherent value independent of their utility or function....
    . In the words of Thomas Aquinas
    Thomas Aquinas

    Saint Thomas Aquinas, Dominican Order was a priest of the Roman Catholic Church in the Dominican Order from Italy, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus and Doctor Communis....
    , "Since human beings are said to be in the image of God in virtue of their having a nature that includes an intellect, such a nature is most in the image of God in virtue of being most able to imitate God".

    Many well-known historical figures who influenced Western science considered themselves Christian such as Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, and Boyle
    Boyle

    Boyle may refer to:*Boyle , a lunar crater*Boyle's law in physics, one of the gas laws; named after Irish natural philosopher Robert Boyle...
    .
    Concerns over the nature of reality
    Science in the Enlightenment and Colonial eras was conceived as ontological investigation which uncovered 'facts' about physical nature. This was often explicitly opposed to Christian Theology and the latter's assertions of truth based on doctrine. This particular perspective on science faded in the early 20th century with the decline of Logical Empiricism and the rise of linguistic and sociological understandings of science. Modern scientists are less concerned with establishing universal or ontological truth (which is seen, and dismissed, as the pursuit of philosophy), and more inclined towards the creation of pragmatic, functional models of physical systems. Christian Theology - excluding those fundamentalist churches whose aim is to reassert doctrinal truths - has likewise softened many of its ontological claims, due to increased exposure to both scientific insights and the contrasting theological claims of other faiths.

    Scientific and theological perspectives often coexist peacefully. Non-Christian faiths have historically integrated well with scientific ideas, as in the ancient Egyptian technological mastery applied to monotheistic ends, the flourishing of logic and mathematics under Hinduism and Buddhism, and the scientific advances made by Muslim scholars during the Ottoman empire. Even many 19th century Christian communities welcomed scientists who claimed that science was not at all concerned with discovering the ultimate nature of reality.

    Integration


    Christianity and science
    Tiffany Education (center)
    The reconciliation of Christianity
    Christianity

    Christianity is a Monotheistic religion #Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as New Testament view on Jesus' life....
     with science
    Science

    In its broadest sense, science refers to any systematic knowledge or practice. In its more usual restricted sense, science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge based on scientific method, as well as to the organized body of knowledge gained through such research....
     has had at least three attempted solutions that have proven themselves quite problematic. These three problematic solutions are biblical literalism
    Biblical literalism

    Biblical literalism is the interpretation of the explicit and primary sense of words and terms in the Bible. Literalism is associated with the fundamentalist and evangelical hermeneutics approach to Scripture....
    , religious experience
    Religious experience

    Religious experience is a subjective experience where an individual reports contact with a transcendence , an encounter or union with the Divinity....
    , and the evolving consensus of scientific truth
    Consensus theory of truth

    A consensus theory of truth is any theory of truth that refers to a concept of consensus as a part of its concept of truth....
    . Each of these methods of reconciliation have various historical and present-day examples. Respective examples include creationism
    Creationism

    Creationism is the religious belief that humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe were Creation myth in their original form by a deity or deities....
    , liberal christianity
    Liberal Christianity

    Liberal Christianity, sometimes called liberal theology, is an umbrella term covering diverse, philosophically informed religious movements and ideas within late 18th, 19th and 20th century Christianity....
    , and scientific imperialism
    Scientific imperialism

    Scientific imperialism is a term that appears to have been coined by Dr Ellis T Powell when addressing the Commonwealth Club of Canada on 8 September 1920....
    . Earlier attempts at reconciliation of Christianity with Newtonian mechanics appear quite different from later attempts at reconciliation with the newer scientific ideas of evolution
    Evolution

    In biology, evolution is change in the heritability trait of a population of organisms from one generation to the next. These changes are caused by a combination of three main processes: variation, reproduction, and selection....
     or relativity. Many early interpretations of evolution
    Evolution

    In biology, evolution is change in the heritability trait of a population of organisms from one generation to the next. These changes are caused by a combination of three main processes: variation, reproduction, and selection....
     polarized themselves around a struggle for existence
    Survival of the fittest

    "Survival of the fittest" is a phrase which is shorthand for a concept relating to competition for survival or predominance. Originally applied by Herbert Spencer in his Principles of Biology of 1864, Spencer drew parallels to his ideas of economics with Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by what Darwin termed natural selection....
    .
    These ideas were significantly countered by later findings of universal patterns of biological cooperation
    Sociobiology

    Sociobiology is a Neo-Darwinism synthesis of scientific disciplines that attempts to explain social behavior in all species by considering the evolutionary advantages the behaviors may have....
    . According to John Habgood, all man really knows here is that the universe
    Universe

    The universe is defined as everything that physically exists: the entirety of space and time, all forms of matter, energy and momentum, and the physical laws and physical constants that govern them....
     seems to be a mix of good and evil, beauty
    Beauty

    Beauty is a characteristic of a person, Location , Object , or idea that provides a perception experience of pleasure, Value , or satisfaction....
     and pain
    Pain

    Pain, in the sense of physical pain, is a typical sensory experience that may be described as the unpleasant awareness of a noxious stimulus or bodily harm....
    , and that suffering
    Suffering

    Suffering, or pain, is an individual's basic affective experience of unpleasantness and aversion associated with harm or threat of harm. Suffering may be qualified as physical, or mental....
     may somehow be part of the process of creation. Habgood holds that Christians should not be surprised that suffering may be used creatively by God
    God

    God is a deity in theism and deism religions and other belief systems, representing either the sole deity in monotheism, or a principal deity in polytheism....
    , given their faith in the symbol of the Cross
    Christian cross

    The Christian cross is the best-known religious symbol of Christianity. It is a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ....
    . Habgood states that Christians have for two millennia believed in the love
    Love

    Love is any of a number of emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong affection and attachment . The word wikt:en:love can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes, ranging from generic pleasure to intense interpersonal attraction....
     of God
    God

    God is a deity in theism and deism religions and other belief systems, representing either the sole deity in monotheism, or a principal deity in polytheism....
     because he revealed "Himself as Love in Jesus Christ," not because the physical universe does or does not point to the value of love.

    Reconciliation in Britain in the early 20th century
    In Reconciling Science and Religion: The Debate in Early-twentieth-century Britain, historian of biology Peter J. Bowler
    Peter J. Bowler

    Peter J. Bowler is a history of science and technology who has written extensively on the history of evolutionary thought, the history of the environmental sciences, and on the history of genetics....
     argues that in contrast to the conflicts between science and religion in the U.S. in the 1920s (most famously the Scopes Trial
    Scopes Trial

    "'Scopes Trial'" was an United States legal case that tested the Butler Act, which made it unlawful, in any state-funded educational establishment in Tennessee, "to teach any theory that denies the story of the Creation according to Genesis of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of anima...
    ), during this period Great Britain experienced a concerted effort at reconciliation, championed by intellectually conservative scientists, supported by liberal theologians but opposed by younger scientists and secularists and conservative Christians. These attempts at reconciliation fell apart in the 1930s due to increased social tensions, moves towards Neo-orthodox Theology and the acceptance of the modern evolutionary synthesis
    Modern evolutionary synthesis

    The modern evolutionary synthesis is a union of ideas from several biology specialties which forms a logical account of evolution. This synthesis has been generally accepted by most working biologists....
    .

    Buddhism
    In Buddhism
    Buddhism

    Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices considered by most to be a religionand is based on the teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as "The Buddha" , who was born in what is today Nepal....
    , the Kalama Sutta
    Kalama Sutta

    The Kesamutti Sutta , or better known as Kalama Sutta , is a Buddhist sutra in the Anguttara Nikaya of the Tripitaka. It is often cited by Mahayana and Theravada Buddhists alike....
     precludes the use of numerous non-systematic methods and sources, including authority, common sense, opinions, tradition, and scripture.

    Bahá'í view
    A fundamental principle of the Bahá'í Faith
    Bahá'í Faith

    The 'Bah?'? Faith' is a monotheism religion founded by Bah?'u'll?h in nineteenth-century Persian Empire#Persia and Europe , emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind....
     is the harmony of religion and science. Bahá'í scripture
    Bahá'í literature

    Bah?'? literature, like much religious text, covers a variety of topics and forms, including Religious text and inspiration, interpretation, Bah?'? history and biography, introduction and study materials, and Apologetics....
     asserts that true science
    Science

    In its broadest sense, science refers to any systematic knowledge or practice. In its more usual restricted sense, science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge based on scientific method, as well as to the organized body of knowledge gained through such research....
     and true religion
    Religion

    A religion is an organized approach to human spirituality which usually encompasses a set of myth, symbols, beliefs and practices, often with a supernatural or transcendence quality, that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power or truth....
     can never be in conflict. `Abdu'l-Bahá
    `Abdu'l-Bahá

    ?Abdu?l-Bah? , born `Abb?s Effend?, was the son of Bah?'u'll?h, the founder of the Bah?'? Faith. In 1892, `Abdu'l-Bah? was appointed in his father's Tablets of Bah?'u'll?h#Kit?b-i-`Ahd to be his successor and head of the Bah?'? Faith....
    , the son of the founder of the religion, stated that religion without science is superstition and that science without religion is materialism. He also admonished that true religion must conform to the conclusions of science.

    Current scholarship

    The modern dialogue between religion and science is rooted in Ian Barbour's 1966 book Issues in Science and Religion. Since that time it has grown in to a serious academic field, with academic chairs in the subject area, and two dedicated academic journal
    Academic journal

    An academic journal is a peer reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research....
    s, Zygon: Journal of Religion & Science
    Zygon: Journal of Religion & Science

    Zygon: Journal of Religion & Science is a academic journal published quarterly by Blackwell Publishing Limited of Oxford, England.Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science is a premier scholarly journal publishing in the area of religion and science dialogue since 1966 until present....
     and Theology and Science
    Theology and Science

    Theology and Science is a journal with a stated dedication to peer-reviewed articles on religion and science. The first volume was published in 2003....
    . Articles are also sometimes found in mainstream science journals such as American Journal of Physics
    American Journal of Physics

    The American Journal of Physics is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Association of Physics Teachers devoted to the educational and culture aspects of physics....
    •What is truth? A course in science and religion Peter J. Brancazio, Am. J. Phys. 62, 893 (1994)
    •The stifling grip of religion Romard Barthel Am. J. Phys. 68, 785 (2000)
    •Einstein and Religion: Physics and Theology, Max Jammer Author Jeremy Bernstein and Reviewer, Am. J. Phys. 68, 676 (2000), DOI:10.1119/1.19513
    •Science, religion, and skepticism, Dwight E. Neuenschwander, Am. J. Phys. 66, 273 (1998), DOI:10.1119/1.19024
    •Copernicus and Martin Luther: An encounter between science and religion Donald H. Kobe, Am. J. Phys. 66, 190 (1998), DOI:10.1119/1.18844
    •Science and Religion: From Conflict to Conversation John F. Haught and Eugene E. Selk, Am. J. Phys. 64, 1532 (1996), DOI:10.1119/1.18441
    •Science and Religion---A Comment M. A. Vandyck, Am. J. Phys. 64, 110 (1996), DOI:10.1119/1.18125
    •Religion versus science? Eduardo Segre, Am. J. Phys. 62, 296 (1994), DOI:10.1119/1.17567
    •Does religion contradict science? Mehmet Pakdemirli, Am. J. Phys. 61, 201 (1993), DOI:10.1119/1.17287
    •Religion versus science? Thomas E. Phipps, Jr., Am. J. Phys. 60, 871 (1992), DOI:10.1119/1.17004
    •A response to ``Religion vs. Science?, by Jay Orear Allen C. Dotson, Am. J. Phys. 60, 778 (1992), DOI:10.1119/1.17057
    •Religion vs. science? Jay Orear, Am. J. Phys. 60, 394 (1992), DOI:10.1119/1.16889
    •Religion in an Age of Science Ian G. Barbour and Eugene E. Selk, Am. J. Phys. 59, 1152 (1991), DOI:10.1119/1.16630
    •Making sense of experience: Common ground in science and religion Harry D. Powell, Am. J. Phys. 59, 679 (1991), DOI:10.1119/1.16767
    •Guest Comment: Preserving and cherishing the Earth---An appeal for joint commitment in science and religion Carl Sagan
    Carl Sagan

    Carl Edward Sagan, Ph.D. was an United States astronomer, Astrochemistry, author, and highly successful popularizer of astronomy, astrophysics and other natural sciences....
    , Am. J. Phys. 58, 615 (1990), DOI:10.1119/1.16418
    •James Clerk Maxwell and religion. Paul Theerman, Am. J. Phys. 54, 312 (1986), DOI:10.1119/1.14636 and Science
    Science (journal)

    Science is the academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is considered one of the world's most prestigious scientific journals....
    . •Science 13 December 1957: Vol. 126. no. 3285, pp. 1225 - 1229; "Science and the Citizen" Warren Weaver
    •Science 25 April 1958: Vol. 127. no. 3304, pp. 1004+1006; "Letters: Science and Religion"
    Science
    Science (journal)

    Science is the academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is considered one of the world's most prestigious scientific journals....
    , 6 June 1958, 127(3310), pages 1324-1327; "A Human Enterprise: Science as lived by its practitioners bears but little resemblance to science as described in print."
    •Science 23 February 2001: Vol. 291. no. 5508, pp. 1472 - 1474; "PAPAL SCIENCE: Science and Religion Advance Together at Pontifical Academy" Charles Seife

    Influence of a biblical world view on early modern science

    In
    The Scientific Revolution: A Historiographical Inquiry historian of science H. Floris Cohen
    H. Floris Cohen

    Hendrik Cohen Floris is a historian of science....
     presents scholarship arguing for a Biblical influence on the early development of modern science.

    Cohen presents Dutch historian R. Hooykaas
    Reijer Hooykaas

    Reijer Hooykaas was a historian of science. He along with Eduard Jan Dijksterhuis were pioneers in professionalizing the history of science in the Netherlands....
    ' argument that a Biblical world-view holds all the necessary antidotes for the hubris of Greek rationalism: a respect for manual labour, leading to experimentation and a greater level of empiricism
    Empiricism

    In philosophy, empiricism is a theory of knowledge which asserts that knowledge arises from experience. Empiricism is one of several competing views about how we know "things," part of the branch of philosophy called epistemology, or "theory of knowledge"....
     and a supreme God that left nature "de-deified" and open to emulation and manipulation. This argument gives support to the idea that the rise of early modern science was due to a unique combination of Greek and biblical thought. Cohen summarises Hooykaas' conclusion as attributing the rise of modern science to the combination of the "Greek powers of abstract reasoning and of thinking up idealized constructions" in combination with "the biblical humility toward accepting the facts of nature as they are, combined with a view of man as fitted out by God with the power to take nature on".

    Cohen also notes that Richard S. Westfall
    Richard S. Westfall

    Richard S. Westfall was an United States academic, biography and historian of science. He is best known for his biography of Isaac Newton and his work on the scientific revolution of the 17th century....
     "brought out the ultimate paradox" in stating:

    Historian and professor of religion Eugene M Klaaren
    Eugene Marion Klaaren

    Eugene Marion Klaaren is a historian and professor of religion. He holds a BA from Hope College, an MA from Emory University, a BD from Western Theological Seminary, and a PHD from Harvard University....
     holds that "a belief in divine creation" was central to an emergence of science in seventeenth-century England. The philosopher Michael Foster
    Michael Foster (philosopher)

    Michael Beresford Foster was a tutor in philosophy of Oxford University's Christ Church, Oxford. For a period up until his death he was the chairman of the British Student Christian Movement....
     has published influential analytical philosophy connecting Christian doctrines of creation with empiricism. Historian William B. Ashworth has argued against the historical notion of distinctive mind-sets and the idea of Catholic and Protestant sciences in "Catholicism and early modern science." Historians James R. Jacob and Margaret C. Jacob have published the paper "The Anglican Origins of Modern Science," which endeavors to show a linkage between seventeenth century Anglican intellectual transformations and influential English scientists (e.g., Robert Boyle
    Robert Boyle

    Robert Boyle was an Irish People theologian, natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, inventor, and early gentleman scientist, noted for his work in physics and chemistry....
     and Isaac Newton
    Isaac Newton

    Sir Isaac Newton, Fellow of the Royal Society was an English people physicist, mathematician, Astronomy, Natural philosophy, Alchemy, and Theology and one of the the 100 in human history....
    ).

    Two well-respected theological surveys, which also cover additional interactions occurring in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, are John Dillenberger
    John Dillenberger

    John Dillenberger was a historian of science specializing in the religion and science. For three decades, his book Protestant Thought and Natural Science was a leading introductory survey....
    's
    Protestant Thought and Natural Science (Doubleday
    Doubleday

    The Doubleday Publishing Group is the fifth largest book publishing company in the world....
    , 1960) and Christopher B. Kaiser
    Christopher B. Kaiser

    Christopher Barina Kaiser is a noted author and scholar, knowledgeable in both astrophysics and Christian dogmatics . His Creation and the History of Science received an outstanding book award from the Templeton Foundation....
    's
    Creation and the History of Science (Eerdmans, 1991).

    Historian Ronald L. Numbers has stated that this thesis "received a boost" from mathematician and philosopherAlfred North Whitehead
    Alfred North Whitehead

    Alfred North Whitehead, Order of Merit was an England mathematician who became a philosopher. He wrote on algebra, logic, foundations of mathematics, philosophy of science, physics, metaphysics, and education....
    's
    Science and the Modern World (1925). Numbers has also claimed "Despite the manifest shortcomings of the claim that Christianity gave birth to science—most glaringly, it ignores or minimizes the contributions of ancient Greeks and medieval Muslims—it too, refuses to succumb to the death it deserves. The sociologist Rodney Stark
    Rodney Stark

    Rodney Stark is an American sociology of religion. He grew up in Jamestown, North Dakota in a Lutheran family. He spent time in the U.S. Army and as a journalist before pursuing graduate studies at UC Berkeley....
     at Baylor University
    Baylor University

    Baylor University is a private university, Baptist-affiliated research university located in Waco, Texas. It is the largest Baptist university in the world by enrollment....
    , a Southern Baptist institution, is only the latest in a long line of Christian apologists to insist that 'Christian theology was essential for the rise of science.'"

    Religious community's perspective


    Historical Judeo-Christian-Islamic view

    God the Geometer
    In the Medieval era, some leading thinkers in Judaism
    Judaism

    Judaism is a set of beliefs and practices originating in the Hebrew Bible , as later further explored and explained in the Talmud and other texts....
    , Christianity
    Christianity

    Christianity is a Monotheistic religion #Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as New Testament view on Jesus' life....
     and Islam
    Islam

    Islam is a Monotheism, Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of the Prophets of Islam Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure....
    , undertook a project of synthesis between religion, philosophy, and natural sciences. For example, the Islamic philosopher
    Early Islamic philosophy

    Early Islamic philosophy or classical Islamic philosophy is a period of intense philosophical development beginning in the 2nd century AH of the Islamic calendar and lasting until the 6th century AH ....
     Averroes
    Averroes

    Abu 'l-Walid Mu?ammad ibn A?mad ibn Rushd , better known just as Ibn Rushd , and in European literature as Averroes , was an Al-Andalus-Arab Muslim polymath: a master of early Islamic philosophy, Islamic theology, Maliki Sharia and Fiqh, Logic in Islamic philosophy, Psychology in medieval Islam, Arabic music theory, and the Scien...
    , the Jewish philosopher Maimonides
    Maimonides

    Moses Maimonides, also known as Rabbi Moses ben Maimon , the Rambam, and Musa ibn Maymun , was born in C?rdoba, Spain, Spain on March 30, 1135, and died in Egypt on December 13, 1204.....
    , and the Christian philosopher
    Christian philosophy

    Christian philosophy is a term to describe the fusion of various fields of philosophy with the Theology doctrines of Christianity. Christian philosophy originated during the Middle Ages as medieval theologians attempted to demonstrate to the religious authorities that Greek philosophy and Christian faith were, in fact, compatible methods for...
     Augustine of Hippo, held that if religious teachings were found to contradict certain direct observations about the natural world, then it would be obligatory to re-evaluate either the interpretation of the scientific facts or the understanding of the scriptures. The best knowledge of the cosmos was seen as an important part of arriving at a better understanding of the Bible, but not yet equal with the authority of the Bible.

    This approach has continued down to the present day; Henry Drummond
    Henry Drummond

    Henry Drummond was a Scotland evangelicalism writer and lecturer....
    , for example, was a 19th century Scot who wrote many articles, some of which drew on scientific knowledge to tease out and illustrate Christian ideas.

    From the 11th century, however, scientific method
    Scientific method

    Scientific method refers to techniques for investigating phenomenon, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on gathering observable, empirical and Measure evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning....
    s were being applied by both Muslim scientists
    Islamic science

    Science in medival Islam, also known as Islamic science, is a term used in the history of science to refer to the science developed in the Muslim world between 7th and 16th centuries, a period also known as the Islamic Golden Age....
     and Christian scientists
    List of Christian thinkers in science

    This list concerns the issue of the relationship between religion and science, but is specific to Christianity history. This is only supplementary to the issue as lists are by themselves not equipped to answer questions on this topic....
     to domains such as optics
    Optics

    Optics is the study of the behavior and properties of light including its optical phenomena with matter and its imaging by optical instruments....
     and planet
    Planet

    A planet , as 2006 definition of planet by the International Astronomical Union , is a celestial body orbiting a star or Stellar evolution#Stellar remnants that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared the neighbourhood of planetesimals....
    ary orbit
    ORBit

    ORBit is a Common Object Request Broker Architecture 2.4 compliant Object Request Broker . It features mature C , C++ and Python bindings, and less developed bindings for Perl, Lisp , Pascal , Ruby , and Tcl....
    s, with results which threatened some of the Church
    Roman Catholic Church

    The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
    's doctrines. Christianity asserted religious certainty at the expense of scientific knowledge, by giving more explicit sanction to officially correct views of nature and scripture. Similar developments occurred in other religions. This approach, while it tended to temporarily stabilize doctrine, was also inclined toward making philosophical and scientific orthodoxy less open to correction, as accepted philosophy became the religiously sanctioned science. Observation and theory became subordinate to dogma. In Europe, scientists and scholars of the Enlightenment
    Age of Enlightenment

    The Age of Enlightenment or The Enlightenment is a term used to describe a time in Western philosophy and cultural life centered upon the eighteenth century, in which rationalism was advocated as the primary source and legitimacy for authority....
     responded to such restrictions with increasing skepticism.

    Non-fundamentalist religious views

    In between these positions lies that of non-fundamentalist religious believers. A great many Christians and Jews still accept some or many traditional religious beliefs taught in their respective faith communities, but they no longer accept their tradition's teachings as unquestionable and infallible (indeed this is a basic tenet of mainstream Protestant Christian
    Christian

    A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism#Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus and interpreted by Christians to have been prophesied in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament....
     thought and of other faith perspectives open to dialogue with science). Liberal
    Liberalism

    Liberalism is a broad class of political philosophy that considers individualism liberty and equality to be the most important political goals....
     religious believers do believe in god(s), and believe that in some way their god(s) revealed their will
    Revelation

    Revelation is the act of revealing or disclosing, or making something obvious and clearly understood through active or passive communication with the divinity....
     to humanity. They differ from religious fundamentalists in that they accept that even if their religious texts were divinely inspired, they are also human documents which reflect the cultural and historic limitations and biases of their authors. Many support allegorical interpretations of Genesis
    Allegorical interpretations of Genesis

    An allegorical interpretation of Genesis is a symbolic, rather than literal, reading of the biblical Book of Genesis. An allegorical interpretation does not necessarily preclude a literal interpretation; interpreters such as Origen of Alexandria and Augustine of Hippo maintained that the Bible is true on multiple levels at the same time....
    . Such believers are often comfortable with the findings of archaeological and linguistic
    Linguistic

    Linguistic may mean:*pertaining to language**specifically, pertaining to natural language*pertaining to the field of linguistics...
     research and historical-critical study. They will often make use of literary and historical analysis of religious texts to understand how they developed, and to see how they might be applied in our own day. This approach developed among Protestant scholars in the 18th and 19th centuries, and is now to found among other Christians, Liberal Jewish communities and others.

    Some religious approaches acknowledge the historical relationship between modern science and ancient doctrines. For example, John Paul II, leader of the Roman Catholic Church
    Roman Catholic Church

    The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
    , in 1981 spoke of the relationship this way: "The Bible itself speaks to us of the origin of the universe and its make-up, not in order to provide us with a scientific treatise, but in order to state the correct relationships of man with God and with the universe. Sacred Scripture wishes simply to declare that the world was created by God, and in order to teach this truth it expresses itself in the terms of the cosmology in use at the time of the writer". This statement would reflect the views of many non-Catholic Christians as well. An example of this kind of thinking is Theistic evolution
    Theistic evolution

    Theistic evolution and evolutionary creationism are similar concepts that assert that classical religious teachings about God are compatible with much or all of the modern scientific understanding about biological evolution....
    .

    This understanding of the role of scripture in relation to science is captured by the phrase: "The intention of the Holy Spirit
    Holy Spirit

    In Christianity, the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit is the spirit of God. The term Christ , is also used to refer to this presence. That is, the Spirit is considered to act in concert with and share an essential nature with God the Father and God the Son ....
     is to teach us how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go." Thomas Jay Oord
    Thomas Jay Oord

    Thomas Jay Oord is a Wesleyan theologian and philosopher who specializes in research related to Love , Relational theory , and science and religion....
     said: "The Bible tells us how to find abundant life, not the details of how life became abundant."

    The scientific community's perspective


    The attitudes of scientists towards religion

    In the 17th century, founders of the Royal Society
    Royal Society

    The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, or even the Royal, is a learned society for science that was founded in 1660 and is considered by most to be the oldest such society still in existence....
     largely held conventional and orthodox religious views, and a number of them were prominent Churchmen. While theological issues that had the potential to be divisive were typically excluded from formal discussions of the early Society, many of its fellows nonetheless believed that their scientific activities provided support for traditional religious belief. Clerical involvement in the Royal Society remained high until the mid-nineteenth century, when science became more professionalised.

    Among contemporary scientists—physicists and biologists—about 40% hold strong religious beliefs, which closely matched those of a similar 1916 poll. Prominent scientists advocating disbelief in religion include evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins
    Richard Dawkins

    Clinton Richard Dawkins, Royal Society#Fellowship, Royal Society of Literature is a United Kingdom ethology, evolutionary biology and popular science author....
     and Nobel prize winning physicist Stephen Weinberg. For a more complete list, see List of atheists (science and technology)
    List of atheists (science and technology)

    Science and technology* Peter Atkins : England chemist, Professor of chemistry at Lincoln College, Oxford in England.* Julius Axelrod : American Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine biochemistry, noted for his work on the release and reuptake of catecholamine neurotransmitters and major contributions to the understanding...
    . Prominent scientists advocating belief include Nobel prize winning physicist Charles Townes and climatologist John T. Houghton
    John T. Houghton

    Sir John Theodore Houghton Royal Society Order of the British Empire was the co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's scientific assessment working group....
    . For a more complete list, see List of Christian thinkers in science
    List of Christian thinkers in science

    This list concerns the issue of the relationship between religion and science, but is specific to Christianity history. This is only supplementary to the issue as lists are by themselves not equipped to answer questions on this topic....
    .

    According to a 1996 survey, belief in a god that is "in intellectual and affective communication with humankind" and belief in "personal immortality
    Immortality

    Immortality is the concept of life in a body or soul for an infinite or inconceivably vast length of time.As immortality is the negation of mortality?not dying or not being subject to death?it has been a subject of fascination to human since at least the beginning of history....
    " are most popular among mathematician
    Mathematician

    A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study and/or research is the field of mathematics....
    s and least popular among biologist
    Biologist

    A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life.Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment....
    s. In total, about 60% of scientists in the United States
    United States

    The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
     expressed disbelief or doubt in such a god. This compared with 58% in 1914 and 67% in 1933. Among leading scientists defined as members of the National Academy of Sciences
    United States National Academy of Sciences

    The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine."...
    , 72.2% expressed disbelief and 93% expressed disbelief or doubt in the existence of a personal god in 1998.

    A survey conducted between 2005 and 2007 by Elaine Ecklund of University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
    University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

    State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly known as the University at Buffalo or , is a public university research university which has multiple campuses located in Buffalo, New York and Amherst, New York, USA....
     and funded by the Templeton Foundation
    John Templeton Foundation

    The John Templeton Foundation was established in 1987 by the late investor and philanthropist Sir John Templeton; the current president is his son John M....
     found that over 60% of natural and social science professors are atheists
    Atheism

    Atheism is the absence or rejection of belief in deity, or the explicit view that Existence of God.Many list of atheists are Skepticism of all supernatural beings and cite a lack of empiricism evidence for the existence of deities....
     or agnostics
    Agnosticism

    Agnosticism is the philosophy view that the logical value of certain claims ? particularly metaphysics claims regarding theology, afterlife or the existence of deity, ghosts, or even ultimate reality ? is unknown or, depending on the form of agnosticism, inherently impossible to prove or disprove....
    . When asked whether they believed in God, nearly 34% answered "I do not believe in God" and about 30% answering "I do not know if there is a God and there is no way to find out," According to the same survey, "[m]any scientists see themselves as having a spirituality not attached to a particular religious tradition." In further analysis, published in 2007, Ecklund and Christopher Scheitle conclude that "the assumption that becoming a scientist necessarily leads to loss of religion is untenable" and that "[i]t appears that those from non-religious backgrounds disproportionately self-select into scientific professions. This may reflect the fact that there is tension between the religious tenets of some groups and the theories and methods of particular sciences and it contributes to the large number of non-religious scientists."

    A explanation has been offered by Farr Curlin, a University of Chicago Instructor in Medicine and a member of the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics, that science-minded religious people instead elect to study medicine. He helped author a study that "found that 76 percent of doctors believe in God and 59 percent believe in some sort of afterlife." and "90 percent of doctors in the United States attend religious services at least occasionally, compared to 81 percent of all adults." He reasoned, "The responsibility to care for those who are suffering and the rewards of helping those in need resonate throughout most religious traditions."

    Prominent scientist Albert Einstein
    Albert Einstein

    Albert Einstein was a Germany-born theoretical physics. He is best known for his theory of relativity and specifically mass?energy equivalence, expressed by the equation E = mc2....
     supported the compatibility of religion and science. In an article originally appearing in the New York Times Magazine in 1930, he wrote:

    Scientific study of religion

    Scientific studies have been done on religiosity
    Religiosity

    File:Religion in the world.PNGReligiosity, in its broadest sense, is a comprehensive sociological term used to refer to the numerous aspects of religious activity, dedication, and belief ....
     as a social or psychological phenomenon. These include studies on the correlation between religiosity and intelligence
    Religiosity and intelligence

    The topic of religiosity and intelligence pertains to relationships between intelligence and religiosity, the extent to which someone is religion....
     (often IQ, but also other factors). A recent study on serotonin
    Serotonin

    Serotonin is a monoamine neurotransmitter synthesized in serotonergic neurons in the central nervous system and enterochromaffin cells in the gastrointestinal tract of animals including humans....
     receptors and religiosity suggests a correlation between low density of serotonin receptors and intense religious experiences. Also of popular interest are the studies regarding prayer
    Prayer

    Prayer is the act of communicating with a deity or spirit in worship. Specific forms of this may include praise, requesting divine providence, confessing sins, as an act of reparation or an expression of one's emotional expression....
     and medicine
    Medicine

    Medicine is the art and science of healing. It encompasses a range of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
    , in particular whether there is any causal or correlative link between spiritual supplication and improvement of health. Surveys by Gallup
    Gallup

    Gallup can refer to:*Gallup, New Mexico*George Gallup, American pollster**The Gallup Organization, firm founded by George Gallup**Gallup poll, an opinion poll invented by George Gallup and conducted by The Gallup Organization...
    , the National Opinion Research Centre and the Pew Organisation conclude that spiritually committed people are twice as likely to report being "very happy" than the least religiously committed people. An analysis of over 200 social studies that "high religiousness predicts a rather lower risk of depression and drug abuse and fewer suicide attempts, and more reports of satisfaction with life and a sense of well-being" and a review of 498 studies published in peer-reviewed journals concluded that a large majority of these studies showed a positive correlation between religious commitment and higher levels of perceived well-being and self-esteem, and lower levels of hypertension, depression and clinical delinquency, Surveys suggest a strong link between faith and altruism. Studies by Keith Ward
    Keith Ward

    The Reverend Professor Keith Ward is a British cleric, philosopher, theologian, and scholar. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and an ordained priest in the Church of England....
     show that overall religion is a positive contributor to mental health. Michael Argyle
    Michael Argyle

    Michael Argyle may refer to:*His Honour Michael Argyle , a UK judge*Professor Michael Argyle , a 20th century British social psychologist...
     and others claim that there is little or no evidence that religion ever causes mental disorders.

    Other studies have showed that certain mental disorders, such as schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder, are also associated with high levels of religiosity. In addition, anti-psychotic medication, which is mainly aimed to block dopamine receptors, typically reduces religious behaviour and religious delusions.

    Some historians, philosophers and scientists hope that the theory of memetics
    Memetics

    Memetics is an approach to evolutionary models of cultural information transfer based on the concept of the meme. Starting from a metaphor used in the writings of Richard Dawkins, it has since turned into a new area of study, one that looks at the self-replicating units of culture....
    , reminiscent of the theory of genetics
    Genetics

    Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of heredity and Genetic variation in living organisms. The fact that living things inherit traits from their parents has been used since prehistoric times to improve crop plants and animals through selective breeding....
    , will allow the modeling of the evolution of human culture, including the evolutionary origin of religions
    Evolutionary origin of religions

    The evolutionary origin of religions refers to the emergence of religious behavior during the course of human evolution. When humans first became religion remains unknown, but there is credible evidence of religious behavior from the Middle Paleolithic era and possibly earlier....
    . Daniel Dennett
    Daniel Dennett

    Daniel Clement Dennett is a prominent United States Philosophy whose research centers on philosophy of mind, philosophy of science and philosophy of biology, particularly as those fields relate to evolutionary biology and cognitive science....
    's book
    Breaking the Spell
    Breaking the Spell

    Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon is a 2006 in literature book by the United States philosopher Daniel Dennett, which argues for a scientific analysis of religion in order to predict the future of this phenomenon....
    (2006) attempts to begin such an analysis of modern religions. The idea that evolutionary processes are involved in the development of human culture and religion is not particularly controversial among natural scientists, however other approaches based on social sciences such as anthropology
    Anthropology

    Anthropology is the study of humans and humanity in its totality. Anthropology has origins in the natural sciences, and the humanities. In Great Britain it was originally divided into physical anthropology and cultural anthropology, which itself was divided into archaeology, technology, ethnology and sociology ....
    , psychology
    Psychology

    Psychology is an academic and applied science discipline involving the science study of human mental functions and behavior. Occasionally it also relies on symbolic hermeneutics and critical theory, although these traditions are less pronounced than in other social sciences such as sociology....
    , sociology
    Sociology

    Sociology is a branch of the social sciences that uses systematic methods of Empiricism and critical theory to develop and refine a body of knowledge about human social structure and activity, sometimes with the goal of applying such knowledge to the pursuit of social welfare....
     and economics
    Economics

    File:Ballard Farmers' Market - vegetables.jpgEconomics is the Social sciences that studies the Production theory basics, Distribution , and Consumption of Good and Service ....
     are more prevalent in academic use.

    Religion and science community

    The
    religion and science community consists of those scholars who involve themselves with what has been called the "religion-and-science dialogue" or the "religion-and-science field." The community belongs to neither the scientific nor the religious community, but is said to be a third overlapping community of interested and involved scientists, priests, clergymen, and theologians. Institutions interested in the intersection between science and religion include the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences
    Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences

    The Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences is an international non-profit membership organization dedicated to research, teaching and public service....
    , the Institute on Religion in an Age of Science
    Institute on Religion in an Age of Science

    The Institute on Religion in an Age of Science is a non-denominational society that promotes and facilitates the ongoing dialectic between religion and science....
    , and the Faraday Institute
    Faraday Institute

    The Faraday Institute is a research institute at St Edmund's College, Cambridge, England. The institute was set up in January 2006 by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation....
    . Journals addressing the relationship between science and religion include Theology and Science
    Theology and Science

    Theology and Science is a journal with a stated dedication to peer-reviewed articles on religion and science. The first volume was published in 2003....
     and Zygon: Journal of Religion & Science
    Zygon: Journal of Religion & Science

    Zygon: Journal of Religion & Science is a academic journal published quarterly by Blackwell Publishing Limited of Oxford, England.Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science is a premier scholarly journal publishing in the area of religion and science dialogue since 1966 until present....


    Further reading

    • Brooke, John H., Margaret Osler, and Jitse M. van der Meer, editors. "Science in Theistic Contexts: Cognitive Dimensions," Osiris, 2nd ser., vol. 16(2001), ISBN 0-226-07565-6.
    • Brooke, John H., Science And Religion: Some Historical Perspectives, New York: Cambridge University Press
      Cambridge University Press

      Cambridge University Press is a printer and publisher granted a Royal Letters Patent by Henry VIII of England in 1534. It is the world's oldest continually operating book publisher....
      , 1991, ISBN 0-5212-3961-3
    • Haisch, Bernard. The God Theory: Universes, Zero-point Fields, and What's Behind It All (), Red Wheel/Weiser, 2006, ISBN 1-57863-374-5
    • Lenaers, Roger. Nebuchadnezzar's Dream or The End of a Medieval Catholic Church. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2007. ISBN 978-1-59333-583-0.
    • Thomas Henry Huxley, , D. Appleton and Company, 1897, 372 pages
    • Oord,Thomas Jay
      Thomas Jay Oord

      Thomas Jay Oord is a Wesleyan theologian and philosopher who specializes in research related to Love , Relational theory , and science and religion....
       -
      Science of Love: The Wisdom of Well-Being, Templeton, 2003, ISBN 1-932031-70-7
    • Richardson, Mark
      Mark Richardson

      Mark Richardson may refer to:* Mark Richardson , British athlete acquitted of a drugs charge* Mark Richardson , New Zealand cricketer* Mark Richardson , Australian rules footballer...
       - Wesley Wildman (ed.),
      Religion & Science: History, Method, Dialogue, Routledge, 1996, ISBN 0-415-91667-4
    • Van Huyssteen, J. Wentzel (editor), Encyclopedia of Science and Religion, MacMillan, 2003, ISBN 0-02-865704-7
    • Wilber, Ken
      Ken Wilber

      Kenneth Earl Wilber Jr. is an American author who writes on psychology, philosophy, mysticism, ecology, and spiritual evolution. He has been described as New Age, although his writings are critical of much of the New Age Movement....
      ,
      The Marriage of Sense and Soul: Integrating Science and Religion, Broadway; Reprint edition, 1999, ISBN 0-7679-0343-9
    • Walsh, James J.
      James Joseph Walsh

      James Joseph Walsh, M.D., LL.D., Litt.D., Sc.D. was an United States physician and author, born in City of New York. He graduated from Fordham University in 1884 and from the University of Pennsylvania in 1895....
      ,
      The Popes and Science; the History of the Papal Relations to Science During the Middle Ages and Down to Our Own Time, Kessinger Publishing, 1908, reprinted 2003. ISBN 0-7661-3646-9 from WorldCat
      WorldCat

      WorldCat is a union catalog which itemizes the collections of more than 10,000 library which participate in the Online Computer Library Center global cooperative....
    • John Polkinghorne
      John Polkinghorne

      John Polkinghorne, Order of the British Empire, Fellow of the Royal Society is a UK particle physics and theology. He has written extensively on matters concerning science and faith, and was awarded the Templeton Prize in 2002....
      ,
      Science and Theology SPCK/Fortress Press, 1998. ISBN 0-8006-3153-6


    See also

    • Issues in Science and Religion
      Issues in Science and Religion

      Issues in Science and Religion is a book by Ian Barbour. A biography provided by the John Templeton Foundation and published by PBS online states this book "has been credited with literally creating the contemporary field of Relationship between science and religion."...
    • Philosophy of Science
      Philosophy of science

      The philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, and implications of science. The field is defined by an interest in one of a set of "traditional" problems or an interest in central or foundational concerns in science....
    • Religious skepticism
      Religious skepticism

      Religious skepticism is a type of skepticism relating to religion, but should not be confused with atheism. Religious skeptics question religious authority and are not necessarily anti-religious but are those skeptical of a specific or all religious beliefs or practices....
    • Conflict thesis
      Conflict thesis

      Conflict thesis is the theoretical premise of an intrinsic conflict between science and religion. The term was originally used in a historical context: its proponents claim the historical record is evidence of religion's perpetual opposition to science....
    • Continuity thesis
      Continuity thesis

      In the history of ideas, the continuity thesis is the hypothesis that there was no radical discontinuity between the intellectual development of the Middle Ages and the developments in the Renaissance and early modern period....
    • Deep ecology
      Deep ecology

      Deep ecology is a recent branch of ecological philosophy that considers humankind an integral part of its natural environment. It is a body of thought that places greater value on non-human species, ecosystems and processes in nature than established environmental movement and green movements....
    • Faith and rationality
      Faith and rationality

      Faith and rationality are two modes of belief that exist in varying degrees of conflict or compatibility. Faith is belief in inspiration, revelation, or authority....
    • Merton thesis
      Merton Thesis

      The Merton Thesis is an argument about the nature of early experimental science proposed by Robert K. Merton. Similar to Max Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism on the link between Protestant ethic and the capitalist economy, Merton argued for a similar positive correlation between the rise of Protestant pietism and earl...
    • Natural theology
      Natural theology

      Natural theology is a branch of theology based on reason and ordinary experience. Thus it is distinguished from revealed theology which is based on scripture and religious experiences of various kinds; and also from transcendental theology, theology from a priori reasoning ....
    • Theistic evolution
      Theistic evolution

      Theistic evolution and evolutionary creationism are similar concepts that assert that classical religious teachings about God are compatible with much or all of the modern scientific understanding about biological evolution....
    • Metaphysics
      Metaphysics

      Metaphysics investigates principles of reality transcending those of any particular science. cosmology and ontology are traditional branches of metaphysics....


    by tradition
    • Bahá'í Faith and science
      Bahá'í Faith and science

      A fundamental principle of the Bah?'? Faith is the harmony of religion and science. Bah?'? literature asserts that true science and true religion can never be in conflict....
    • Buddhism and science
      Buddhism and science

      Buddhism and science have increasingly been discussed as compatible and Buddhism has increasingly entered into the ongoing science and religion dialog....
    • List of Christian thinkers in science
      List of Christian thinkers in science

      This list concerns the issue of the relationship between religion and science, but is specific to Christianity history. This is only supplementary to the issue as lists are by themselves not equipped to answer questions on this topic....
    • Evolution and the Roman Catholic Church
      Evolution and the Roman Catholic Church

      The position of the Roman Catholic Church on the theory of evolution has moved over the last two centuries from a large period of no official mention, to a statement of neutrality in the 1950s, to a more explicit acceptance in recent years....
    • Islam and science


    by region:
    • USA:
      • Creation-evolution controversy
        Creation-evolution controversy

        The creation-evolution controversy is a recurring theology and culture wars about the origins of Age of the Earth, human evolution, origin of life, and Big Bang, between the proponents of evolution, backed by scientific consensus, and those who espouse the validity and/or superiority of various literal interpretations of creation myth....
      • Intelligent design
        Intelligent design

        Intelligent design is the term used for the assertion that "certain features of the universe and of life are best explained by an intelligent causality, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a modern form of the traditional teleological argument for the existence of God that avoids specifying the nature or identity of th...
      • American Scientific Affiliation
        American Scientific Affiliation

        The American Scientific Affiliation is a fellowship of men and women in science and related disciplines, whose stated goal is to share a common fidelity to the Bible and a commitment to integrity in the practice of science....
      • Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences
        Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences

        The Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences is an international non-profit membership organization dedicated to research, teaching and public service....
      • Metanexus Institute
        Metanexus Institute

        The Metanexus Institute, formally named the Metanexus Institute on Religion and Science and formerly known as the Philadelphia Center for Religion and Science, is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based educational center that promotes the engagement between science and religion....
      • Templeton Foundation
    • Science and religion in Czechia and Slovakia
      Science and Religion in Czechia and Slovakia

      Historical backdrop The field of ?science and religion? has a long history in the Czech lands and Slovakia. The census of 1910 shows that the Kingdom of Bohemia was 95 % Roman Catholic....


    External links

    • , Alvin Plantinga
      Alvin Plantinga

      Alvin Carl Plantinga is a contemporary United States philosopher known for his work in epistemology, metaphysics, and the philosophy of religion....
       on Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
      Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

      The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy is a Open access online encyclopedia of philosophy maintained by Stanford University. The SEP was initially developed with U.S....
    • – website about the historical relations between science and religion, PBS
    • – Discussion with atheists Richard Dawkins
      Richard Dawkins

      Clinton Richard Dawkins, Royal Society#Fellowship, Royal Society of Literature is a United Kingdom ethology, evolutionary biology and popular science author....
       and Steven Pinker
      Steven Pinker

      Steven Arthur Pinker is a prominent Canadian-American experimental psychology, cognitive science, and author of popular science. Pinker is known for his wide-ranging advocacy of evolutionary psychology and the computational theory of mind....
       on Edge Foundation
      Edge Foundation, Inc.

      The Edge Foundation, Inc. is an organization of science and technology intellectuals created in 1988 as an outgrowth of The Reality Club. Its motto is 'to seek out the most complex and sophisticated minds, put them in a room together and have themselves ask each other the questions they are asking themselves.' Currently, its main activity is...
      .
    • A collection of video interviews with prominent scientists about topics relating science and religion (requires WMV or RealMedia
      RealMedia

      RealMedia is a multimedia container format created by RealNetworks. Its extension is ".rm". It is typically used in conjunction with RealVideo and RealAudio and is used for Streaming media content over the Internet....
       software)
    • An article critical of the idea that religion and science occupy different realms of inquiry by Michael Ruse
      Michael Ruse

      Michael Ruse is a philosophy of science, working on the philosophy of biology, and is well known for his work on the argument between creationism and evolutionary biology....
       (with links to many other articles of the same theme), from
      Butterflies and Wheels.
    • – by John Horgan
      John Horgan (American journalist)

      John Horgan is an United States science journalism best known for his 1996 book The End of Science. He has written for many publications, including Scientific American, The New York Times, Time , Newsweek, and IEEE Spectrum....
      , Scientific American
      Scientific American

      Scientific American is a popular science science magazine, published since August 28, 1845, making it one of the oldest continuously published magazines in the United States....
      , September 2005
    • – Dalai Lama address to the Society for Neuroscience
      Society for Neuroscience

      The Society for Neuroscience is a professional society for basic scientists and physicians around the world whose research is focused on the study of the brain and nervous system....
      , 2005-11-12
    • , Greg Graffin
      Greg Graffin

      Gregory Walter Graffin, Doctor of Philosophy is the vocalist and co-founder of the Punk rock band Bad Religion, as well as a life sciences and paleontology lecturer at UCLA....
      's CornellEvolutionProject.org
    • , David Masci, Pew Research Center*
    • by Archbishop Luke of Crimea, an Eastern Orthodox perspective