Viewing Thread:
"Is science a religion?"

We were invaded by Christians a few months back. [Note: I say a few months back, but I actually started writing this the day after they left]. It did get me thinking though:

What is a religion? A religion is something that you follow and believe in. Religions will never explain everything, but it offers an opinion and you choose to accept it if you wish. Christians choose to believe the Universe was made in 6 days, etc... Now, our RS teacher, Mr Clarke, posed us all the question "Do you have a religion", to which most of us answered "No". I also answered "no", because I believe in science, which I don't class as a religion. However, Mr Clarke and I got chatting at one point. He asked me if I had a religion and I said no, and when he asked why I replied "Because every explanation religion makes towards the Universe, etc. can also be explained through science, and to me the earth forming over billions of years makes much more sense than it being created over 6 days". The thing is, he noticed a flaw in my argument. There are some things that science can't explain like it can't explain fully how the universe was created and it can't explain fully how life evolved from scratch and how it came to be like it is today. Religion howeverm can. So, I quite stupidly replied "Well, I believe science will explain it eventually."

Then it hit me... I BELIEVE in science. I don't understand it. Sure, there are some things I understand, but most of it is just being told "this is how it is" and accepting it because it made sense in some way. The thing is, all I know is what I've been told. The only thing that makes it different to religion in a way is that it can be "proved" and measured. The fact that millions of other scientists concuur is no matter, because millions of priests concuur. It's a very interesting concept which has, well, changed my way of thinking I suppose.

I no longer just accept things, but I BELIEVE in science as my religion, I have found science. It's a young and upcoming religion, almost fledgling, because it is far behind other religions in terms of completetion. I will even worhip it by furthering my knowledge of science and endeavouring to contribute to its teachings, so that many before me may learn science at school and in life, and hopefully think "Oh, Robin Haswell discovered that, I want to be like him and discover stuff", and so writing more chapters in the big bumber bible of science.

The six day theory is more accurately translated as six time periods.

Goatboy wrote:
> MoJoJoJo wrote:
No, you're
> talking about DETAILS of the religions,
> something you don't learn in Sociology,
> you learn them in
> RS/RE

---

Ummm, no I'm not.
I'm talking about the manner in which their
> advocacy of Original Sin affects their behavioural responses in society, and the
> wider implications of Christians utlising a passive involvement, rather than the
> direct action of Catholics that have that belief system.

I'm looking at this
> from a sociological standpoint, trying to discuss the effects of such a
> principle and whether it is better or worse than the Christian doctrine and how
> that resonates within society.

------------

Yes, you are

You're talking about religion, and what's IN the religion

When you do religion in Sociology, you look at what MAKES a religion, now what's in each individual religion

Try Religious Studies

Using the example of Palistinians in this case isnt fair. If you were kicked out of ur house by some people would you then negotiate peacefully to gain back your bathroom?

Back to the original point; Science doesnt disprove religon, even Darwin wrote in his book that the biggest flaw was how the original microbe, from which everything started, came into being.

The 6 day theory isnt exactly what it seems, go and ask your RE teachers. It goes in a lot deeper. For a book to survive so long it must be written in a fashion that can be deciphered by people over 2000 yrs. Then again the bible was changed a lot to suit the romans, and after that various kings of Britain.

Saying that the 6 day theory is correct, where do dinosaur bones come from? There are loads of different theories, one being that the 5th day lasted much longer than 24hrs.

If you a tornado hit a scrap yard would a car be made as a result? Some people say that we are the result of billions of attempts, but even after a billion tornados car wouldnt appear in the scrap yard.

A topic like this is going to be hard to solve in a forum, even after years of study an answer might not be reached, for all we know we could be living in the matrix, the ideas of God are just made up and dinosaur bones planted to keep us guessing.

That should have read Palistinian.

Palistian suicide bombers are driven totally by their religious fanaticism. They may be misguided, even stupid or brainwashed, but when they blow themselves up in crowded marketplaces and on buses, it is their obsessive religious fundamentalism that makes them do it.

Your Honour wrote:
> RELIGION DOES NOT CAUSE WAR!

Stupid people in charge cause war, and then use
> religion as an excuse.

If religion wasn't there, they would just blame it on
> something else instead.


Okay, religion does not directly cause war, BUT if religion did not exist then people would not fight for the stupid people in charge, because the average guy who would have to fight would see no reason. Religious fanatics can be made to do just about anything if they are made to think that what they are doing is fighting for their religion.

RELIGION DOES NOT CAUSE WAR!

Stupid people in charge cause war, and then use religion as an excuse.

If religion wasn't there, they would just blame it on something else instead.

V.V.V.V.V. wrote:

Science is also the reason why 100,000s of people where obliterated in Hiroshima.

And what might the result of that war been, if they didn't drop it?

Sibs wrote:
And religion has been (and still is) the cause
> for wars that kill millions. Wars over some 'holy land' that they believe they
> have been promised by God. There is a good and bad side to both science and
> religion, both can help people, but both can equally harm people.

I, in the wrong hands: Science + Religion creates a deadly cocktail.

Goatboy wrote:
> Actually, I can't even remember what my original point was now.

Ah well,
> Nintendo suck


You came all the way to the life forum to say that?

Ah well...

*devises witty comeback*