Science Vs Religion

In this chapter, we will delve into the question of how science and religion interact in our modern world, in our past and how it will interact in the future. Science and religion are two of the biggest fields of study in the academic world and many of these academics debate each other. For students of Mater Dei Institute of Education it is very important that we get our head out of the sand and look at this relationship. As teachers of the next generation of theologians, scientists and all other types of people, we have a responsibility to look at the truth and teach the truth. With this in mind, when looking at religion vs. science or should we say religion with science we must have an open mind. To look at this problem, we must trace
the issue to its origin. The appearance of a conflict between science and religion seems to arise in the period of the Reformation especially in the exact lifetime of Galileo Galilei.
This man was an Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who played a major role in the Scientific Revolution. His achievements include improvements to the telescope and consequent astronomical observations and support for Copernicanism1. Galileo has been called the "father of modern observational astronomy", the "father of modern physics", the "father of science", and "the Father of Modern Science".2 Nicolaus Copernicus although the original person to have the theory did not receive the same level of criticism and fight back that Galileo got. According to Dominique Morin, the reason for Copernicus avoiding the wrath of Rome was at his time science was a hot topic and Rome was the premier power in regards reason, science, and major philosophy. The time of Galileo was a time of civil and religious unrest. The Catholic Church now had the problem of Protestantism. This meant that a theory that differed from the standard Church tradition was now a threat. This
meant that Galileo seemed to put himself on a battlefield that put him against the Church. The persecution of Galileo is attributed as the first major battle between religion and science. That last statement however is not very fair; Galileo did not fight with God, he was not fighting at all. Galileo was trying to champion the science of heliocentrism not destroy the Church or religion. Galileo was a scientist that was trying to solve the mysteries of the scientific world. Galileo was not trying to disprove God or fight religion in any manner. The Catholic Church did not accept his discoveries, not because they were scientifically flawed but because they went against Church tradition and the Holy Bible. The Galileo controversy brought up a question over the validity of the Bible. The Catholic Church used the Bible alongside Church tradition to practice the faith. They rejected Galileo on the basis that he contradicted the Bible therefore; he was a heretic and wrong. This leads us to the major question at hand; does the Bible and science mix? At this time, the Church said that the first three books of Genesis were scientific fact and any other thought was wrong. The Church also held the belief that God created the world and created man in his image. By this reckoning, the Earth was centre of the universe and all planets orbited the Earth. The Church built its theory around the Ptolemaic system thought up by Ptolemy a Greek astrologist. Ptolemy theory was proven to be false by Galileo therefore the Church was wrong on this matter. Surely this means that Galileo is trying to remove the Church and in turn God. That of course is rubbish. The Church tried to hush Galileo not to halt the progress of science but to keep their stranglehold on society well and truly there. The only conflict here was between men not the entire spheres of thought that religion and science are. In this instance, religion and science are not in conflict. The Church although being a religious institution, it is quashing Galileo to enrich their worldly position not their religious soul. The next massive ‘conflict’ between religion and science is about Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution.
Charles Darwin was an English naturalist. In his works, he recognised that all species of life have descended from the similar or common ancestors over a long period. With this observation, he produced a scientific theory that showed a branching pattern similar to a family tree. He called this natural selection. Just like Galileo, Darwin did not try to disprove the existence of God. In fact, Darwin was a Christian and he nearly ended up with a career in religion a faith nobody wants unlike the fine people of Mater Dei. With this in mind, we must understand that Darwin did not want the death of God like many theologians or creationists thought. Darwin did many of his observations on his voyage on board the HMS Beagle. On the geologically new Galapagos Islands Darwin looked for evidence attaching wildlife to an older "centre of creation". His found that over the many islands the same original species of bird evolved and developed differently to its environment. For example if the island had an abundance of insects high in trees, the bird had the abilities to fly to that height and it had the body to open the hole in the tree to get to the food. While on another island, there could be an abundance of ground insects so the bird may fly less or have the ability to swoop down low and very fast. These kinds of observations were made all along Darwin’s journey. Darwin used
these observations to make up his theory. However contrary to some peoples belief Darwin did not publish his theory drunk with a rage to attack religion. He was the complete opposite. He did not want to publish his theory because he feared what he repercussions could be for him, his family, and society in general. He reluctantly published it when a rival had a similar theory, so on 24 November 1859 ‘On the Origin of Species’ was published. The Established Church in England, The Anglican Church responded in a very mixed fashion. Two of Darwin’s old Cambridge tutors Adam Sedgwick and John Stevens dismissed his ideas, but in contrast, clergymen of the liberal leaning saw his idea of natural selection as an instrument of God’s design.3 The cleric Charles Kingsley said that he saw this as “I have gradually learnt to see that it is just as noble a conception of Deity”4 Many atheists use Darwinism as a tool to remove God as creator while as will be discussed now creationists use the Bible to remove science. It is not fair to do either of these things. Charles Darwin did not design his theory to remove God. Pope John Paul II, on the 23rd of October 1996, while speaking to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences plenary session at the Vatican, declared the evolutionary theories of Charles Darwin to be fact. However, he reminded people that Darwin’s theory does not have all the answers. It does not answer the higher questions about God and our existence from the first whispers of life. Although the Pope came out to speak on behalf of Catholics, he does not hold authority over people of the Protestant faith especially those in the Bible belt in the U.S.A. In the U.S.A, creationism was widely accepted as fact among the good people in the Bible belt. They believe in the literal truth of the Bible and in the creation story in Genesis. When the idea of creationism came under threat, a new theory was thought up to rival Darwinism, Intelligent Design theory. This theory was an attempt to make their story of Genesis in the Bible a scientific truth and make the Bible a scientific book. Both sides of this debate do not see the bigger picture. Both parties are trying to make their extreme views the mainstream and in the process making a conflict between religion and science. Religion and science are not designed to be in conflict. Religion asks why we exist. In addition, why do bad things happen to good people? While science asks questions about the natural world such at what temperature, does water boil? If you are a scientist, it does not mean you can not be religious and if you are religious it does not mean you must be ignorant of science.

Bibliography
Morin, Dominique, How to understand God (SCM Press LTD.).
Singer, Charles Joseph, A short history of science to the nineteenth century (The Clarendon press, 1941). http://inventors.about.com/od/gstartinventors/a/Galileo_Galilei.htm http://library.thinkquest.org/29033/history/ptolemy.htm http://www.phy6.org/stargaze/Ssolsys.htm http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/dawkins_pinker/dawkins_pinker_index.html
God vs. Science By Dan Cray/Los Angeles Sunday, Nov. 05, 2006
"Darwin and design: historical essay". Darwin Correspondence Project. 2007. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
www.darwinproject.ac.uk/entry-2534