Science and Religion (originally published in Immrama magazine, June 2006)
From In the modern world the scientific and religious view of the world would
appear to be at opposite ends of the spectrum, however it was not always thus
and the divide between these views points is decreasing.
In ancient times the idea of subdividing knowledge as we do now was not common.
Pre-Christian peoples of Europe (at least among the higher strata of their societies)
were acquainted with knowledge – the Greeks, Romans, and Celts plus further
afield the Persians, Egyptians and Sumarians had an understanding of astronomy,
mathematics, architecture, medicine and engineering and even electricity (eg
the ‘Baghdad battery’) yet they were also highly religious societies.
As late as the renaissance people of learning were often versed in all the ‘arts’
by which I mean knowledge in a wider sense; two very famous examples of this
are Leonardo Davinci who was an accomplished artist and scientist, and Michel
de Nostradame (Nostradamus) who was an excellent physician and also a seer.
In medieval times and earlier all aspects of knowledge were studied in a more
holistic approach to life, as such the work of the magus or alchemist was as
much a scientific undertaking as it was a spiritual one. It was mainly the prohibition
of scientific thought by the Roman Catholic church that forced a gradual change
of view, those who wished to acquire a better understanding of the physical
nature of the universe had to pursue their studies in secret or openly reject
the Church. In addition to this, the wide acceptance of the ideas of 16th century
philosopher Rene Decartes served to widen the gap between religion and science.
Decartes believed that the mind was divisible from the physical world and that
physical matter is more or less clay to be manipulated as we see fit. In essence
Decartes divorced the natural physical world from divinity, connecting only
the mind or soul with higher powers, i.e. God, this idea has evolved to create
a purely rational way of life that denies the relevance of spirituality in the
apparent world.
The logical conclusion of this process of rationalism is where we have arrived
at today - human society with scant regard for the physical universe and a very
weakened sense of interconnectedness or equilibrium between the physical and
spiritual planes of existence.
One might think that the schism between science and religion is complete but
recent events (by that I mean the last few decades) have caused a remarkable
turnaround. Quantum leaps in physics have lead to a complete reconstruction
of physicists’ view of the universe and a more complete picture shows
an indefinable factor at work in much of the laws of nature, what is often referred
to as ‘the hand of God’. Such facts as light being both a wave and
a particle (which is supposedly impossible), water being able to retain information,
the change in nature of sub atomic particles that occurs as a result of observation
etc. defy human logic but have been scientifically proven.
This shift in understanding has prompted many hardened atheist scientists to
declare that God actually does exist being that there can be no other explanation
for some of phenomena that exists in the universe. Their ideas of what God is
may differ greatly from that of the common concepts, however there is a growing
acknowledgement in the scientific community of a greater force at work that
is as yet beyond human understanding.
It is my hope that the two strands of human understanding of the world around
us – science and spirituality will unite again once more to give a more
complete picture of the nature of existence; perhaps in order for science to
develop as it has, it was necessary for this schism to occur. Unfortunately
because of this schism many scientists have rejected religion in the past, as
a parallel to this religious people often have a tremendous scepticism and fear
of science as if it were innately dangerous or somehow wrong.
In my experience many of the pagan community have a blind faith in their religion
and a distrust of science, a perfect mirror of the scientist’s rejection
of God and blind faith in science. As spiritual beliefs become stronger, this
is often coupled with an absolute rejection of science and all that it has brought
us – a perfect example is the person who will consult an untrained sales
assistant in a health food shop but refuse the advice of a Doctor who probably
underwent 5-7 years training before being able to practice. I’m not saying
that natural therapies are inferior, they are after-all the foundation on which
modern medicine was built, what worries me is the supersticious fear of knowledge
derived from science - which I see as akin to fear of voodoo. (Note: Voodoo
or Voodun is an African/Afro-American earth based religion not to be confused
with Hoodoo which is an American magical system based on African, European and
Native American magic).
Some philosophers have argued about the moral aspects of science and technology
(eg. Futureshock by Alvin Tuffler discusses this in detail), and many people
believe it to be morally suspect. I believe that science is neutral, to me it
is the gift of the Gods and may be used both to benefit or bring harm as we
see fit. The Greek god Prometheus was credited with giving man the gift of fire,
perhaps the very first technology we possessed, for which he suffered eternal
torment. However, we possess an ability to learn and manipulate the physical
world far beyond any other creature, surely that is a gift of knowledge that
the divine meant us to possess. It is the application of our knowledge that
is the crucial factor – for example a sharp knife in the hands of a chef
is a useful tool, in the hands of deranged criminal that same knife becomes
a deadly weapon.
As a person trained in scientific methods, whilst also practicing my religious
beliefs as a pagan I attempt to marry the two ways of thinking to obtain a balanced
and hopefully better understanding of the world around me.
One of the greatest problems facing the human race is to learn how to live in
balance, both science and religion indicate that the universe attempts to maintain
an equilibrium – a state of perfect balance. Unfortunately living within
that state of harmony has proved to be very difficult for us as a species, we
live at odds with the natural world, dominating and destroying it but at the
same time hopelessly weak before it when it unleashes its raw power. Within
our own sphere of human interaction we are still horribly off kilter, unable
to live in peace, unable to accept different modes of thought, religion, lifestyle
or even minor differences of physical appearance.
It will take every ounce of all that we possess spiritually and intellectually
if we are to survive our own inadequacies and evolve beyond the dangerous semi-savage
state that we are currently in.
Learning to throw aside our preconceptions but at the same time drawing on all
the vast resource of physical and metaphysical knowledge that humanity has accumulated
might be a way forward for us. Most essential of all is that we regain some
humility and realize that to the Gods we are like foolish children in need of
help, only when we accept how little we really know will we begin to learn the
true meaning of our existence.