Can Science and Religion Agree?

Why can’t science and religion agree?

Science and religion are two different types of truths, as we have already discussed. The issue arises because both sides believe that their truth is correct and that they are able to prove that they are correct.

Furthermore, because of religious interpretations of holy texts there are many different views of religious teachings. For example, the Fundamentalist interpretations would argue that it is incorrect to try and combine scientific and religious arguments as they are incompatible and it would mean that some religious traditions and beliefs may end up being discarded as you cannot use science to prove religion.

Why can science and religion agree?

It is possible, that depending on the interpretations, science and religion could agree with each other. For example, if we don’t take the Bible literally then it is plausible that the creation stories did not happen in six consecutive days but rather was six days over a larger period of time (the Gap Theory). Further to this, it can be argued that Darwin actually requires God to begin evolution. What is more, in the view of Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims science does not have to oppose religion. This is especially true in the view of Muslims who believe that science can assist in the proving of Allah as the creator.

A recent development has been the theory of Intelligent Design which explains the features of the universe and of living things in a scientific way, but avoids suggesting that the Big Bang and evolution are random processes. It argues that the very nature of the universe and of humanity means that there must be an intelligent design, it cannot be random, but unlike religious arguments it does not say that the intelligent design comes from God, thus making it easier for science and religion to agree.

Conclusion:

As has already been mentioned, science and religion find it extremely difficult to agree with each other. However, whether science and religion agree with each other is dependent on the interpretations of religious teachings and whether the Theory of Intelligent Design is accepted.