• Question: There's a quote that says that religion without science is lame, but science without religion is blind. How far do you agree with this statement and why?

    Asked by Eve to Angeline, Catherine, Luke, Philip, Shona on 10 Mar 2015.
    • Photo: Angeline Burrell

      Angeline Burrell answered on 10 Mar 2015:

      It makes sense to me.

      For the first part of the quote:
      Science is a way of looking at the world, and if you are religious, a way of learning more about God from the things that God has created. If you don’t do that, you are limiting yourself to only a few of the possibilities that God has put before you.

      For the second part of the quote:
      Science will reveal realities you might have never imagined as being possible. It’s important to have a sense of ethics to guide how you apply these realities. Atomic energy is a good example. It can be used to provide heat and energy, or to wipe entire cities off the map. Ethics and morals (often associated with religion), provide the vision needed to “properly” apply science to real life.

    • Photo: Philip Moriarty

      Philip Moriarty answered on 10 Mar 2015:

      Totally disagree, I’m afraid. Religion is not at all a good model for ethical behaviour. Many of the advances we’ve had towards a more ethical and just society have involved kicking against bigotry which is too often bolstered by religious beliefs — homophobia is a key example. Religion didn’t help move us towards a more tolerant society in that case – it actively impeded (and *still* impedes) progress. Much the same can be said for women’s rights, LGBT rights in general etc…

      The level of unethical behaviour throughout the Bible is truly shocking. (Having been raised in a very Catholic environment, including five years at a secondary school which was an ex-seminary, I am rather too familiar with both the Old and the New Testament). Aspects of scripture which align with what we now consider ethical behaviour are generally cherry-picked and the rather nastier elements of scripture brushed under the carpet. (Here’s just one example, of very many, from Numbers: “..And they warred against the Midianites, as the Lord commanded Moses, and they slew all the [adult] males. And the children of Israel took all the women of Midian captives, and their little ones…And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, unto Moses…And Moses was angry with the officers of the host And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Ba’laam, to commit trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord. Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. But all the female children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves” ). This type of immorality is particularly prevalent in the Old Testament but then Jesus didn’t exactly say that we should ignore Old Testament teachings…

      Quite why we should think that Bronze Age/Iron Age stories can provide a moral/ethical framework for our lives is something I’ve never understood.

      Religion and science are diametrically opposed. Religion is based on faith. (See John 20:29 — what better example is there of the value placed on unquestioning belief by Jesus?). Faith is anathema to science.

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