Celebrating Darwin: Religion and Science are Closer Than You Think

[E_Pluribus_Unitarian]

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://theinterfaithobserver.org/journal-articles/2013/5/15/celebrating-darwin-religion-and-science-are-closer-than-you.html

[libodem]

1. Way back in the day

I took Western Civilization as a HS senior. I can't spell the guys name because it is French, it sounds out like this, Peer De Chardain, that looks so wrong. And I may not even be saying it right. Been 40 years ago. But he was all about making science and religion fit way back. I never understood why he wasn't a more popular philosopher. Maybe because, idiots like me, spell what they remember as the name, phoneticly.

[Ted Brown]

3. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Teilhard_de_Chardin

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin SJ (French: [pjɛʁ tejaʁ də ʃaʁdɛ̃]; May 1, 1881 – April 10, 1955)

Teilhard's primary book, The Phenomenon of Man, set forth a sweeping account of the unfolding of the cosmos. He abandoned traditional interpretations of creation in the Book of Genesis in favor of a less strict interpretation. This displeased certain officials in the Roman Curia and in his own order who thought that it undermined the doctrine of original sin developed by Saint Augustine. Teilhard's position was opposed by his Church superiors, and some of his work was denied publication during his lifetime by the Roman Holy Office. The 1950 encyclical Humani generis condemned several of Teilhard's opinions while leaving other questions open. However, some of Teilhard's views became influential in the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. More recently, Pope John Paul II indicated a positive attitude towards some of Teilhard's ideas. In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI mentioned Teilhard's idea of the universe as a "living host"

[libodem]

4. That is he

Good on ya for fishing that out of obscurity. I liked his thoughts at the time and it influenced my atheist bent towards being more tolerant of religion in general.

(man, I couldn't remember the middle name at at all) Again, you rock.

I have long thought that some delightful blend of both were possible. My invisible blueprint of math and physics that was laid out before time began, theory.

[Ted Brown]

5. You're very welcome, perhaps put this in your bookmarks?

Or copy my link and add it to your bookmarks somewhere on your computer.

Book available in English here:

http://www.amazon.com/Phenomenon-Man-Pierre-Teilhard-Chardin/dp/0061632651

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics; 1 edition (November 4, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061632651
ISBN-13: 978-0061632655
Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (51 customer reviews)

[dimbear]

8. In a never to be resolved controversy, Pierre is suspected as an active agent of the

Piltdown man hoax. An interesting sidelight of anthropology whose continual appearance in fundamentalist literature is a strong indication that yes, there is eternity.

[Ted Brown]

12. Yes, that is casually mentioned in the link I provided.

They didn't go into detail as to his role, however.

[dimbear]

13. Just an attractive bit of possible history.

Every decade or so a new treatment of the episode pops up. It's a risk every hoaxer runs, technology catching up with the hoaxer's skills. Look how long it took to put away the Shroud of Turin!



A year or a decade from now we may be discussing the Gabriel Revelation in the same light.

[rug]

11. Welcome to DU!

[LostOne4Ever]

14. Welcome to DU!

Welcome to the party

[rug]

10. He's buried on the grounds of the Culinary Institute of America near Poughkeepsie, New York.

It used to be a Jesuit seminary.

[libodem]

15. How interesting

Thank you for the cool info.

[cbayer]

2. I think they are entirely different things, but agree with the AAAS position

on peaceful co-existence.

The statistics presented are interesting and somewhat reassuring. I hope there is a trend here.

[trotsky]

6. Nearly every American Christian who, in surveys, "accepts" evolution...

believes that their god has guided or directed the process at some point.

That religious belief is wholly unsupported by and in direct conflict with science and the evidence.

[Warren Stupidity]

7. The author perhaps doesn't grasp the significance of the stats he cites.

Part of the explanation may be a striking gap between Americans’ personal beliefs and the official views of the faiths to which they belong. Whereas only 11 percent belong to religions openly rejecting evolution, Gallup reports that 46 percent believe that God created humans in their present form less than 10,000 years ago. Why is this “belief gap’’ so large? Interestingly, this isn’t the only belief gap surrounding a science-religion controversy: whereas 0 percent of Americans belong to religions arguing that the Sun revolves around Earth, Gallup reports that as many as 18 percent nonetheless believe in this theory that used to be popular during the Middle Ages. This suggests that the belief gaps may have less to do with intellectual disputes and more to do with an epic failure of science education.

No really it suggests that 18% of the population is fundamentally stupid. Now about that other 28% who think a supernatural being created humans less than 10,000 years ago: religion did that.

[LostOne4Ever]

9. Religion and Science can coexist

But that does not mean they will or even do co-exist.

I read the Tao Te Ching several years ago and I don't remember anything in it (the book not the religion) that contradicts science. But in the case of many religions there are several points where their dogma or holy books flat out contradicts science. Poor Galileo had to spend 350 years in hell because of this.

I don't see how anyone can say there is not contradiction when a book says that the Universe is only 6000 years old and that the sun rotates around the earth and has several references that could easily be taken to suggest that the world is flat and the sky is a river made of water. There are ways of working around these contradictions but it does not mean these contradictions cease to exist.

You could simply ignore the cognitive dissonance caused by these points where the two conflict. Or you could say that the book is not literal, but why not add a sentence to these books stating that or remove the stories that are especially out of sync with science if that is the case? But still others decide that science is the one that is wrong or ignore the parts of science that does not agree with their beliefs. This causes problems.

So long as we have religions making claims that contradict science there will arise some people who will try and force their beliefs upon science.