ARE SCIENCE AND RELIGION IN CONFLICT

Are Science and Religion in Conflict?



Are Science and religion in Conflict?

Science and Religion

Religion and science - two aspects of social life, the first of which was important from the outset the known history of the human mind, whereas the second, after a brief period of existence among the Greeks and the Arabs, was revived only in the XVI century and since then has increasingly strong influence the ideas and the whole lifestyle of modern man. Religion and science are in a long-standing confrontation, but until recently, science has always provided in the position of the winner. However, the emergence of new religions, framed by science itself, with new opportunities for preaching, did not clear the balance of power, so now have to turn to again identify the causes and history of the war that waged against the traditional religion of science (Berger, 1999).

With the help of observation and reasoning science establishes facts, and combine these facts the laws, which allows in some cases successfully predict the future. Besides the theoretical aspect is also based on science, technology, creating a fun and convenience, which were impossible or too expensive cost of pre-scientific era. That technique makes science more important, even in the eyes away from her people.

From a social point of view of religion is a more complex phenomenon than a science. In each of the great historical religions, there are three elements: 1) Church, 2) faith, 3) code of personal morality. The relative importance of each of these elements varied with time and was different for different people. In the ancient religions of Greece and Rome - as long as the Stoics did not turn in their ethics - not too much attention paid to personal morality in Islam, the Church has always been less important than the secular power, but in modern Protestantism discerned a tendency to soften the dogmatism of faith. Nevertheless, all three elements - albeit not in the same proportions - are essential to religion as a social phenomenon. Religion comes into conflict with science for the very reason that it has social value. Personal religion, not making statements that science could disprove, calmly and in a scientific age (Durkheim, 1915).

The source of the conflict between religion and science is the difference in beliefs, but the sharpness of contradictions due to the fact that the beliefs associated with the church and the moral code. Doubt in their faith weakens the authority of the church and its impact on earnings, in addition, has always been assumed that undermines the moral question as a moral duty is deduced from the views. Therefore, not only religious but also secular authorities have reason to fear the revolutionary views of scientists.

In what follows we are interested in is not science and religion in general, but only those conflicts that once arose between them, or they have a place today. In the Christian world, there were two kinds of such ...