• Question: why are religion and science so controversial?

    Asked by to Daren, Lynne, Phillip, Simon on 23 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Daren Fearon

      Daren Fearon answered on 23 Jun 2014:

      For most people science and religion are incompatible because they sometimes disagree on things like the origins of life. That said, I have a few friends who are scientists and believe in god and they find a way to justify both for themselves. I am an atheist and don’t believe there is any god as there is no evidence for one.

    • Photo: anon

      anon answered on 23 Jun 2014:

      Science encourages you to question everything you get told and not to take anybody’s word on things until you’ve seen the proof for it yourself.
      Religion, on the other hand, often requires you to have faith that what a religious leader is telling you is true, and you’re discouraged from doubting anything you’re told and making your own opinion.

      As Daren said, religion and science can work well together – there’s no reason you can’t be a religious scientist, it’s just important to keep an open mind about things.
      I’m a brownie leader and the new brownie promise now has a line in it that says “I promise to be true to myself and develop my beliefs.” I think that developing your beliefs means that you should keep questioning, but if you still believe in it after questioning, you shouldn’t let anybody tell you your wrong. After all, everything is just a theory!

    • Photo: Lynne Thomas

      Lynne Thomas answered on 23 Jun 2014:

      Science and religion often conflict with one another as a lot of the traditional beliefs in religion are based on our understanding of the world thousands of years ago. I think as a species we have always wanted to know why we are here and so most religious texts came up for an answer for this which was based on their knowledge at the time. Obviously we now have a much better understanding of the world and so our theories have evolved. I think whilst some religions hold onto these stories as facts, there will be a conflict between religion and science. There are a lot of liberal religious people out there who can find a happy middle ground in which religion and science can go side by side with one another and who don’t believe the stories that are written down in religious texts word for word. It is more the ideas behind the stories that are important to them.

    • Photo: Phillip Manning

      Phillip Manning answered on 25 Jun 2014:

      There is no controversy. The two systems do not compare or mix…given one is an evidence based system (science) and the other faith based (religion). Science is a verifiable and testable construct.

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