Relation Between Science and Religion Essay - 4079 Words

on What is the Relation between Science and Religion William Lane Craig Examines several ways in which science and theology relate to each other. Back in 1896 the president of Cornell University Andrew Dickson White published a book entitled A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom. Under White’s influence, the metaphor of â€Å"warfare† to describe the relations between science and the Christian faith became very widespread during the first half of the 20th century. The culturally dominant view in the West—even among Christians—came to be that science and Christianity are not allies in the search for truth, but adversaries. To illustrate, several years ago I had a debate with a philosopher of science at Simon Fraser†¦show more content†¦They were remarkably successful in pushing through their agenda. But philosophers of science during the second half of the 20th century have come to realize that the idea of a warfare between science and theology is a gross oversimplification. White’s book is now regarded as something of a bad joke, a one-sided and distorted piece of propaganda. Now some people acknowledge that science and religion should not be regarded as foes, but nonetheless they do not think that they should be considered friends either. They say that science and religion are mutually irrelevant, that they represent two non-over-lapping domains. Sometimes you hear slogans like â€Å"Science deals with facts and religion deals with faith.† But this is a gross caricature of both science and religion. As science probes the universe, she encounters problems and questions which are philosophical in character and therefore cannot be resolved scientifically, but which can be illuminated by a theological perspective. By the same token, it is simply false that religion makes no factual claims about the world. The world religions make various and conflicting claims about the origin and nature of the universe and humanity, and they cannot all be true. Science and religion are thus like two circles which intersect or partially overlap. It is in the area ofSh ow MoreRelatedThe Relations between Science and Religion Essay1630 Words   |  7 Pages The relations between science and religion. Humans are servant of God who descended to earth as its inhabitants. Humans are creatures of God are given the advantage of reasonable than other creatures. With that human minds can do more than any other creature. At the beginning of its creation, only human beings who do not know anything and therefore people need a hint for his life. Humans need a guideline in order to survive life in the world and in the hereafter. 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Critique First of all, I appreciate Barbour’s praiseworthy and toilsome effort to put theology and science in a meaningful and fruitful dialogue, by seriously taking account of both continuities and discontinuities between scientific metaphors and religious metaphors. For Barbour, because both disciplines have continuities and discontinuities they can contribute to our more comprehensive understanding of the reality of our experiences in the world through their metaphorical relationshipRead MoreBecause Religion Is A Difficult Concept To Define, It Faces1709 Words   |  7 PagesBecause religion is a difficult concept to define, it faces several criticisms. To this day, it has never been possible to find a definition of religion that pleases the majority of the population. However, researchers in this area have never felt the need to have a definition to carry out their research. 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