American culture currently has a fascination in reported sightings of mysterious lights and objects in the night sky. Who is to say whether UFOs exist? Some believe they have seen evidence that extraterrestrial life is visiting earth with their own eyes, while scientists try to disprove this evidence as ridiculously false, such as swamp gases or weather balloons. I have heard some argue that alien life is impossible and other planets do not contain intelligent life because their religion tells them that God created humans on earth and nowhere else. However, the search for the truth behind the mysteries of the world around us, lead by science and reason, is supported by hard evidence and fact. Yet, religion does not need any evidence on its side to make its claims, therefore extreme adherents to some religions may refuse to agree with scientific claims. This discrepancy perpetuates the battle between faith and fact. It will continue as long as religious beliefs are not quantified or substantiated by any scientific findings.
Religion attempts to answer those questions which are not easily discovered by the human mind observing the world. Science answers questions pertaining to what the world contains yet is mostly limited to the
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Though many theories in science are not yet proven or are so abstract that they are simply too difficult for the common person to understand, those who do should be respected in their own right. Charles Darwin wrote “The Origin of the Species by Natural Selection” based on his evidence that species had evolved over time based on such seemingly agreeable claims as survival of the fittest. Thus there is no middle ground between scientists and religious persons because they back their claims up with different types of proof. Science can explain that some people have social disorders which drive them to hurt others, commit horrible crimes such as murder.
How many more cases similar to this debate will it take before science and religion can agree? Or more importantly, when will religion allow science to decide its own actions and not be so critical of the work done in labs and in the formulation of new ideas? I conclude that there might never be common ground between faith and fact, and as long as there is not, both sides will suffer for it. Richard Dawkins refers to this phenomena as “God as Anti-Depressant” iii.
The clash between science and religion is even damaging to the advance of society. Joseph Runzo discredits physics as being “simply too limited methodologically to ask, much less answer, questions of morals, of ultimate metaphysics, and of ultimate values” ii. While natural law and morality show that murder is wrong in the context of human compassion, Christianity labels the murderer a sinner who will be eternally tormented in hell. There is infinite knowledge in the world around us, all we have to do is be inquisitive and patient. It is far easier to believe what can be concretely proven in fact and science when it can be seen and understood without the leap of faith in religion. In the most troubling of times, even people who have strayed from their church will fall to their knees in prayer and ask for assistance and comfort. A key issue raised here is not why science cannot prove these things, but rather what drives people to seek the answers in the first place.
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