37 replies to this topic

[The world needs you]

Quote

He looked really uneasy. I'd just finished giving my first lecture of 8.282, MIT's freshman astronomy course, but this one student stayed behind in my classroom. He nervously explained that although he liked the subject, he worried that my teaching conflicted with his religion. I asked him what his religion was, and when I told him that it had officially declared there to be no conflict with Big Bang cosmology, something amazing happened: his anxiety just melted away right in front of my eyes! Poof!

This gave me the idea to start the MIT Survey on Science, Religion and Origins, which we're officially publishing today in honor of Charles Darwin's 204th birthday. We found that only 11 percent of Americans belong to religions openly rejecting evolution or our Big Bang. So if someone you know has the same stressful predicament as my student, chances are that they can relax as well. To find out for sure, check out the infographic below.

So is there a conflict between science and religion? The religious organizations representing most Americans clearly don't think so. Interestingly, the science organizations representing most American scientists don't think so either: For example, the American Association for the Advancement of Science states that science and religion "live together quite comfortably, including in the minds of many scientists." This shows that the main divide in the U.S. origins debate isn't between science and religion, but between a small fundamentalist minority and mainstream religious communities who embrace science.

http://www.huffingto..._b_2664657.html

[IamsSon]

There is no conflict between science and religion.  There is a conflict between the religion of evolution and other religions.

[starchild1976]

Religion is based on doctrine and faith in one doctrine. Spirituality is based upon connection to a higher being. Science is based on actual physical evidence starting with theories which can be proven true.

[Rlyeh]

IamsSon, on 08 March 2013 - 05:26 PM, said:

There is no conflict between science and religion.  There is a conflict between the religion of evolution and other religions.

So evolution isn't science now?

[Imaginarynumber1]

IamsSon, on 08 March 2013 - 05:26 PM, said:

There is no conflict between science and religion.  There is a conflict between the religion of evolution and other religions.

What you fail to understand is that no matter how you label it or condemn it, evolution is not in any way a religion. It is evidence based science, just like physics, math, medicine, etc.

[Seeker79]

IamsSon, on 08 March 2013 - 05:26 PM, said:

There is no conflict between science and religion.  There is a conflict between the religion of evolution and other religions.

*snip* I'm just going to bite my toung.😝

Edited by Seeker79, 10 March 2013 - 03:36 PM.

[Frank Merton]

That is one of the pleasant things about this board; there is no evolution versus creationism going on, except maybe a little on the edges and how to teach evolution.

I suppose if one starts I will find myself jumping in, to my regret.  Those discussions always irritate me.

[Hawkin]

The Vatican has an observatory so it would seem they embrace science.

[Seeker79]

Frank Merton, on 10 March 2013 - 03:29 PM, said:

That is one of the pleasant things about this board; there is no evolution versus creationism going on, except maybe a little on the edges and how to teach evolution.

I suppose if one starts I will find myself jumping in, to my regret.  Those discussions always irritate me.

That's because it's been beat to death on this forum. There are some very knowledgable people about evolution that show up from time to time, and the fundi arguments usually look innocently nieve.

[Odin11]

Frank Merton, on 10 March 2013 - 03:29 PM, said:

That is one of the pleasant things about this board; there is no evolution versus creationism going on, except maybe a little on the edges and how to teach evolution.

I suppose if one starts I will find myself jumping in, to my regret.  Those discussions always irritate me.

Wait a little bit they tend to come in waves.

[monk 56]

Hi Mag357,

Hell, Mount Graham in Arizona is getting as religious as Temple Mount/Dome of the Rock ha ha!

The Vatican has an Observatory there and next door is another telescope unconnected called Lucifer, i wonder if the Jesuit astronomers pop next door to look through Lucifer ha ha!

http://en.wikipedia....ology_Telescope

http://www.popsci.co...hrough-darkness

Edited by monk 56, 10 March 2013 - 11:03 PM.

[Jinxdom]

Never really thought they were all that far apart in the first place, Religion and Politics when dealing with laws, morality, and ethics on the other hand.... now that's a hatred that will last for pretty much forever. I

[MysticStrummer]

I guess it depends on which religion and which science you're talking about. I have two books on the similarity between eastern philosophy/religion and the findings of quantum physics. Pretty interesting reading, as was this article. I'm not sure the title of the article is accurate though, given what it says about the personal beliefs of the people who attend these churches. Only 11% of american churches conflict with science, but 46% of church going americans have beliefs that do. Why would you attend a church that has teachings which conflict with your beliefs? That's the part that shocked me.

[Rafterman]

It's easy to forget that the vast majority of Christians embrace science, evolution, the Big Bang, etc. etc.  It's only a small percentage of fringe young earth types that don't and unfortunately they get most of the press on these issues.

I've lived and worked in college towns most of my life and anytime I was in a church I would always see many  faculty members from the sciences in attendance.

[scowl]

Rafterman, on 11 March 2013 - 07:13 PM, said:

It's easy to forget that the vast majority of Christians embrace science, evolution, the Big Bang, etc. etc.

The vast majority of Christians couldn't even tell you in what order the God they worship created the universe, as written in the book their religion is based on.

I guess you don't need to know these trivial things to call yourself a Christian.