Science vs Religion

The need to believe in something greater than ourselves is an inherent quality of humanity. It doesn’t matter whether it’s faith, science or the universe; a belief is always there. So, it’s not surprising that over seven billion believe in a religion of some kind. 

However, something that has troubled scholars over the years is the debate between science and faith. Both of these concepts seek to explain and guide humanity in some way. Still, the question on everyone’s mind is can they co-exist?

What is science?

The study of the world as we know it is science. This study is rooted in observation, experimentation, and empirical evidence. You can see science everywhere, and we all practice it in one way or another. So, you don’t have to be a stereotypical white lab coat-wearing person to take part in it. Science exists in our cooking, washing, planning, writing, breathing, reading etc. In fact, the fact you are reading this work is proof of science. 

Major branches of science include biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, earth science and many more. Physics aims to understand the natural world as it is, biology tries to delve deep into living organisms, morphology, physiology, behavior and origin, and chemistry is concerned with the investigation of matter. It’s the pursuit of more knowledge that has brought us to where we are today bringing about technological advancement and innovation in every sphere of life. 

The core of science is objective evidence. This means that science only bases itself on what we can see, feel smell, and measure. So, if you can vouch for its presence, it’s not science. 

What is faith?

Many people ask, Is God real or fake? Let’s start with faith. Faith is a strong belief in something or someone. However, for the sake of this work, we would be talking about faith based on religion and spirituality. 

The belief in a god, doctrines of religion or spirituality is faith. One can call faith the evidence of things not seen. You can’t measure, control or experiment on faith. One has to simply feel it. It’s either there or not. People’s faith and belief in God are important to them. It helps them navigate complex emotions and serves as a crutch. Since most people don’t have faith in isolation, it can be a really good source of community. 

There are different kinds of faith people have, such as Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism etc. The belief in a god can either be monotheistic like Christianity or polytheistic like Traditional African Religions. However, some people don’t base their faith on an organized concept like religion but on things like the cosmos, universe or nature. 

One thing that stands out for faith is that it’s personal. Everyone’s experience of it differs even within the same religion.

Similarities between science and faith

The most significant similarity between science and faith is that they both rely on core beliefs to operate. Also, they are used to explain the complexities of our world. Science tries to use belief to explain the natural order of the world we live in and faith needs that belief for the existence of a God or Gods. 

Another similarity between the two is that faith and science bring people together. They both offer a sense of community for people. For faith, this community is found in mosques, places of worship, churches, shrines, etc. For science, this community is found in labs, schools, hospitals, professional organizations, etc.

Finally, both science and religion offer to give meaning to the world we live in. Science does this through observation, experimentation and theorizing and creating laws that govern natural order. Faith gives meaning to the world through teaching, prayers, and worship. Science and religion exist to drive away our fear of chaos and uncertainty.

Differences between science and faith

The main difference between science and faith is that science is objective, and faith is subjective. Science relies on observable facts and logic, while faith religion deals with belief in things one cannot see or explain— a supernatural divine entity. 

Also, science doesn’t claim to be absolute. In fact, a core principle of science is that it is subject to change. Everything is based on testing, analyzing, researching and validating. If new information is found, science dumps the old and focuses on the new. Faith, on the other hand, doesn’t have this feature. There’s no testing and validating of any kind. You either believe, or you don’t. 

Another major difference is the use. Science focuses on developing and creating new technology. Faith doesn’t; instead, it focuses on giving people hope and motivating them. Finally, unlike faith, which dwells a lot on morality, science doesn’t dwell on it.

The intersection between science and religion

Since science was a thing, its relationship with faith has been frayed, causing hostility and conflict in many cases. Time may have changed, but the core differences are still there. But when you look deeper at both science and faith, you can only ask yourself: Why have science and faith been at loggerheads for so long? Especially when they’re both used as a crutch for humanity to navigate the world. For science, it’s facts, but for faith, it’s a subjective belief, but they intersect at one particular part—humanity’s understanding of themselves and the universe.

Science and faith do not shy away from these topics. In science, we’ve heard of the big bang theory and biological evolution. For faith, the stories of creation vary based on belief and religion but still share the same sense of wonder that science has. 

Even with the vast amount of understanding science has brought, there are a lot of things it hasn’t yet explained. For instance, how did consciousness arise? How did we evolve from simple organisms? Are there extraterrestrials? The list goes on, and added to that list is the million-dollar question— is there a God?

Does science disprove the existence of God?

No, science doesn’t disprove the existence of a God. In fact, some scientists leave space for the existence of a divine creator. This is not because science doesn’t want to do so but because a core tenet of science is one cannot know all. Science can only stand on what it knows, not what it cannot even investigate. Since faith involves supernatural forces, science cannot prove or disprove the existence of a God. Thus, pitting them against each other is unnecessary. 

Conclusion

The world is too multifaceted and complex to be close-minded on science and faith. No matter what you believe about any of them, these two concepts make the very fabric of society. So, science and faith work together to give humanity a sense of purpose despite how negative either can be.

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