The bogus battle between science and religion

A college student once asked me, “How can I believe there is a God out there when there is no scientific proof of it?”

I answered him, “Is reality limited to that which can be proven by the scientific method of investigation? Are we required to reduce reality to the findings of science?”

I have a problem when science becomes “scientism,” just like I have a problem when religion becomes “fundamentalism.” I reject scientism and I reject fundamentalism.

The so-called “battle” between science and religion is bogus and is based on a misunderstanding of both. Science is one mode of knowing, and religion is another mode of knowing. Science and religion represent two valid ways of knowing, but they are different in their goals and methods.

Science deals with data of the observable, natural world, and tries to explain why things happen according to the laws of causality—cause and effect. Think of modern medicine. I’m glad that science has discovered how to relieve pain and cure diseases. I’m thankful for the many inventions of science that have made our lives better compared to centuries ago.

Yet religion deals with other questions, ultimate questions. Where did we come from? Why are we here? What is the meaning of truth? What are the sources for ethics and morality? What is our destiny? What happens when we die? Why should we care about the world and each other? To what or to whom are we ultimately accountable? How do we deal with meaninglessness, condemnation, guilt, and fear?

None of the above questions are scientific questions. They deal with spiritual realities. Such questions cannot be put into a test tube, but they are essential to what it means to be human.

Yet religion makes a huge mistake when it tries to be scientific! For example, when religious persons try to use the scientific method to “prove” that God exists or to “prove” that the earth was created in six days . . . this is when religion oversteps its bounds.

Let science do what it is meant to do, and let religion do what it is meant to do. But don’t try to turn science into religion or religion into science. Science is one valid mode of knowing; religion is another valid mode of knowing. As long as we remember this, the battle between science and religion is bogus.