Paper Example on Science and Religion

Introduction

The puzzle on science and religion contains many explanations which explain arguments on scientific or religious grounds as noted by Richard Atkins. In all the religions, there is a common thought which views spiritual ideas as void of mistakes and any information contradicting religious teaching is wrong. However, there are cases where sacred text explains a particular phenomenon which science objects. For example, religious texts claim the existence of cases which are impractical when scientific perspective is considered. Although an individual accepts the fact that religious texts assume a divine nature, rejecting the logical reason behind as presented by the experimental observations would be translated as objecting the truth. In this case, a dilemma occurs where one is torn between hold on the belief that religion is void of mistakes or accepting the different scientific explanation which is logical.

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Another scenario is when individuals accept the claim that sometimes religion is wrong on some of its explanation. According to critics of religion, the logic in religious texts such as the Bible and the Quran is not practical when compared to scientific writing. It is not logical for one to claim the relevance of specific information in the bible when the same doctrines offer wrong information in other sections. Accepting that religion is wrong on some aspects can lead to a conclusion that even the other texts based on belief are not accurate and are subject to debate about their validity.

However, there are other instances where the claims of religious texts are right when compared with scientific knowledge. For example, scientific information has been challenged by religious texts which were written years ago. In this case, a scenario arises where science is now viewed as being on the wrong, validating the error-free nature of religious texts. For those who do not accept the ideas of doctrines, errors in the scientific information reduce their bargaining power on their claims of science as being error free. In instances where the religion out weights the scientific facts, it becomes hard for one to argue on the erroneous nature of the religion when scientific thoughts have been proved wrong by the same religion.

Also, there are other instances where both the religion and science do not offer supporting evidence for the information recorded in either of the texts which introduce a concept of doubt. For example, there are pieces of information in the bible which talks about the lives of the ancient people which is not supported by science. Similarly, the Bible does not give supporting evidence of the concepts on the origin of life as explained by science. In such cases, it becomes difficult to establish which source of information will be termed as bearing the valid data.

Solutions to the Puzzle

When solving the puzzle, there are different solutions which can be applied. One of the possible solutions is to accept that both the Bible and the scientific texts contain errors. In this case, doubts in any information from either religion or science which is against logic should be accommodated. Another solution is to hold the belief that faith is error-free and any information in religious schemes should be termed as truth even with the absence of supporting evidence. This solution upholds the divine nature of religion which is taken as free of mistakes. Also, the scientific texts can be considered as the truth while viewed religion as a matter of belief which can vary from one individual to another. In this scenario, the inconsistencies found in science will be taken as human errors which are always present in tasks carried out by human beings.

Appropriate Solution

From the list of the possible solution, one of the solutions which hold a lot of weight is accepting that religion is void of errors and any information recorded is true. From the analysis of religion, it is evident that religion deals with phenomena which are not tangible but can only be experienced. There are no ways which the validity of the biblical and Islamic doctrine in the Quran can be determined. For example, the Bible incorporates the presence of the holy spirit whose existence cannot be proved through practical experiments (Clayton & Zachary 900) Such texts should not be questioned since the information recorded is of divine nature. In broad terms, religion incorporates concepts which cannot be fathomed by the human mind. From the religious texts, one of the divine characteristics of a supernatural being is that God is all knowing. Such a feature shows that scriptures are from divine sources and cannot bear errors proving their validity.

When applying this solution, one should view all the information recorded in divine scriptures as true. Although there are conflicting ideas which are against the known truth, such should be treated as conveying in-depth information which is different from the canal information. For example, the Bible records that God created the world in seven days, an action which the human mind cannot explain. Individuals should connect such act with the mighty power of the divine forces which cannot be solved using human understanding. For the success of this option where a religious text is viewed as complete truth, it should be acknowledged that the books were written for different contexts. It is known that all religious texts cover the ancient lives which are associated with the absence of most of the technologies in the modern world. In this case, it is expected for the texts to offer less detailed information when compared to the scientific information.

Justification

One of the facts which affirms the suitability of this line of thought is that in complex cases, science depends on religious faith while there is no instance where religion concepts are based in science. Although science has succeeded in introducing proofs for some of its arguments, complex topics such as evolution are based on assumptions which insinuate the existence of divine intervention. On the other hand, religion works against scientific laws which can only be explained by the untestable concept of holy spirit as noted by Clayton and Zachary (219). The fact that the Islamic religion confirms the existence of Jesus validates his presence and also his marvelous actions mentioned in the Bible. In its explanation, the wondrous deeds are achieved through the unlimited power of the holy spirit which explains the concept behind such acts. However, science deals with assumptions which are not practical and only appear in ideal situations, validating the truthful nature of religion.

Problem With the Other Views

The problem with the belief that both religion and science have errors is that it objects the presence of a supernatural being in control of human life. Until now, science has never proved the absence of supernatural intervention in creation. Such a limitation demonstrates that there is a divine force behind all life on the earth which is the origin of life. Besides, some of the occurrences explained in the bible shows the truthful nature of scripture and divine forces cannot be written off. For example, the birth of Jesus Christ was through Virgin Mary, a phenomenon which cannot be explained by human understanding which proves the presence of supernatural forces that case impossible things to happen (Clayton & Zachary 679). As such, viewing religion as erroneous will object to the existence of a supernatural being whose manifestations have been witnessed throughout the ages.

Besides, viewing science as the only truth will lead to conflicts between scholars on the correct version of the scientific information. For example, different scholars have presented different arguments on the evolution which rejects God's role in creation (Clayton & Zachary 469). Some hold to the claim that the solar system was due to the fission theory where the sunburst and released the moon and the planets which started orbiting the earth. However, other scholars hold the notion that the moons and planets existed before and were captured by the sun and begun orbiting around it. In such a case, the scientific texts present conflicting ideas which pose challenges in the efforts of determining the truth about a specific phenomenon. However, most of the religious infer to the supernatural forces behind the existence of features which cannot be explained using human knowledge. Although the in-depth details are not offered, it is better to have one explanation rather than having different versions which provide conflicting information. Terming science as the truth is further complicated by recent discoveries which uncover new information which render the previous explanations obsolete.

Works Cited

Atkins, Richard. Puzzled?!: An introduction to philosophizing. Indiana: Hackett publishing company, 2015. Print.

Clayton, Philip, and Zachary R. Simpson. The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Science. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. Print.