Free Soviets wrote:Tuthina wrote:Or people just attribute physical laws to be guided by divine beings, like pretty much every religious who do not reject science entirely. Is it unnecessary for a scientific theory? Yes. However, at least personally I do not think it is too big a problem, and it fits the existing values systems if we do not take the holy texts and lores by face values. An omnipotent being that looks like a gigantic middle-aged white man? Maybe not, but an omnipotent being that is the manifestation of all universal laws tend to appear like something we can relate with in our mind and perception? Seems more likely.
my point is that this whole way of dealing with religious texts and gods as metaphors is a result of science undermining religion's old position in the world. that sort of thing used to get you in quite a bit of trouble in most religions.
Mu'tazili Sunni Islam comes to mind, as do some branches of some eastern religions (depending on how you define religion) like Neo-Confucianism (the old one, confusingly enough) that actually require you to analyse how the world works in the name of divine figures. Hell, even the Catholic Church had its time for divinely-guided science.