week 1 discussion post #1

On the topic of Ways of relating Science & Religion


I was brought up as a Jehovah's Witness; however, my parents (and as a result, I) had stopped attending meetings by the time I finished primary school, and since then not only have I discovered that being a Jehovah's Witness made me part of a Christian denomination (when I was a lot younger, I always thought we were different to Christians mostly because we didn't go to 'church', we went to Kingdom Halls), but there are so many religions, beliefs, faiths out there, and it's always really interesting to learn about them.

But I digress (bad habit of mine). I have to say that my mode of thought mostly aligns with #7: Religion & Science give Complementary Insights. I can see how both scientific and religious people could provide two different explanations for the same object, or event, etc. One would be more theoretical and technical in their description, while the other would be more emotive and perhaps Romantic in their approach.

Another thought that enters my mind is, that perhaps, if God really did create the entire universe etc, then he must have created the ability for humans to create/explore/believe in Science.. in which case, theology MUST exist for science to exist.. right?

But if you argue it another way.. well, perhaps science has created a God instead. Since science is an ever-expanding school of knowledge, there are still so many things we don't have the answers for, perhaps somebody decided to create an entity, a being that we are capable of comprehending, but only just.

Not sure where I'm going with that train of thought, so I'll stop there for now :)

When asking my friends about their religious beliefs (if they have any), a few of my friends have mentioned that they believe that religion in its purest form is a great thing, but mankind has warped it and corrupted it over the years; maybe they mean to say that religion has been 'commercialised' in a way.

I don't adhere to any particular religion, and although I can get pretty wordy at times, I don't know a great deal about any religion, but am very willing for somebody to tell me more about their religion and why they believe in it - it's always a fascinating window into their lives and the strength of human faith in general.

This subject is going to be great fun.. will cause massive headspins, but will keep my mind more than occupied, which is what I need right now.