Science & Religion — Ten Degrees of Separation March 31, 2009
Posted by Dan R. Dick in Critical Thinking, Religion in the U.S., Science and Theology.Tags: science and religion
4 comments
War is a horrible thing, especially an unnecessary and meaningless war. One such terrible and tragic conflict exists between science and religion. The popular media loves the whole idea — physics vs. metaphysics, secular vs. spiritual, rational vs. emotional, fact vs. fiction — and always portrays the issue in stark “either/or” terms. Forget that “science” is a meaningless term — physics, biology, geology, immunology, botany, chemistry, astronomy, etc. are all “science,” but come to some very different conclusions about things “meta-physical.” Likewise religion. There are different religions, with different worldviews and creation myths, that embrace a broad and diverse theological spectrum. The only way to perpetuate the “war” between science and faith is to create false dichotomies and to misrepresent reality by defining simple “sides” to the complex issues.
I served as the chair of The United Methodist Church’s Task Force on the Relationship of Science and Theology from 2001-2004, and continued to serve as a resource person in the area through 2008. In working with a wide variety of people concerned with the issues involved, I came realize that there is no simple way to define the debate. It definitely is NOT a tug-of-war between two sides. A different model is needed that looks at a wider variety of positions (oh, say… ten).
