NationStates

Francis Collins, former head of the human genome project and an an evangelical Christian, recently made the following statement:

"Although there is clearly an overlap between science and religion, neither is an exhaustive source of truth. That is, there are still certain questions that should only be addressed by science or religion."

This is a relatively common idea that I've heard many times before, yet nobody ever seems able to tell me WHICH questions are the ones that religion is better at answering. I can't think of any.

So I put it to the forum.

Name one question that religion can answer that science cannot.

What is the cube root of Jesus expressed in the form of intrepretive dance? I don't think science can get that one

Well the classic is "Why are we here?"

I think you're looking at it from the wrong angle :

There's no question at all that religion can answer to a satisfactory scientific standard.
But then, neither can philosophy, really. Or art.

Well, a scientific standard cannot really be applied to things outside the realm of natural science.

You are thinking about it the wrong way, religion is what answers the "why" questions and science answers the "how"

I got another. Why didn't God make gravity so we fall upwards?

Fictions wrote:You are thinking about it the wrong way, religion is what answers the "why" questions and science answers the "how"

Not really... the question "Why do apples fall to the ground" is something that all major religions so far have struggled with.

"What is a good pretext I can use to kill brown people in far off lands?"

Last Hope wrote:Well the classic is "Why are we here?"

Science has answered that question far more thoroughly, and with far more testable evidence, than every religion in the history of this planet put together.

It's just that Science doesn't include "because some magical being really loves us a whole bunch" in the answer. Also, the scientific answer to that question is long and dry and requires years of study to understand, and most people would rather hear a story about some naked people taking dietary advice from a snake.

Well, I know a question to which not even religion can answer:

Why did someone put together something as absurd and mad as the Zeitgeist film?

Lunatic Goofballs wrote:"What is a good pretext I can use to kill brown people in far off lands?"

Ding! Thats the correct answer. You win a taco flavoured pie! To the face! Splat!

Bottle wrote:

Last Hope wrote:Well the classic is "Why are we here?"

Science has answered that question far more thoroughly, and with far more testable evidence, than every religion in the history of this planet put together.

It's just that Science doesn't include "because some magical being really loves us a whole bunch" in the answer. Also, the scientific answer to that question is long and dry and requires years of study to understand, and most people would rather hear a story about some naked people taking dietary advice from a snake.

I think you're mistaken. Science has answered how we are here; it hasn't and simply cannot answer the why. Unless you can show me a link as to how science explains this.

Allanea wrote:Well, a scientific standard cannot really be applied to things outside the realm of natural science.

True. But, remember, we're talking about ANSWERS. Not guesses, not assumptions, but actual answers.

I can ask, "Why are we here?" and any idiot can make up a story about gods or fairies or giant turtles to tell me about why humans exist. But that's not an ANSWER, that's just a story, a guess, a shot in the dark. Their reply does not have anything to do with reality, and it provides me with precisely zero useful information to help me better understand myself and my universe.

Religions can give "answers" in that regard, but really, what is the point of such "answers"?

Lunatic Goofballs wrote:"What is a good pretext I can use to kill brown people in far off lands?"

Actually, that's been answered by both :

Science : Because the European (Caucasian, white, pick your favourite) race is superior to all others, and it's therefore its responsibility to conquer and rule those inferior races. For their own good.

Religion : Because they've never heard of (insert favourite deity here), and we need to tell them so they can save their souls by obeying our book. For their own good.

Cabra West wrote:

Fictions wrote:You are thinking about it the wrong way, religion is what answers the "why" questions and science answers the "how"

Not really... the question "Why do apples fall to the ground" is something that all major religions so far have struggled with.

Depends how you look at god, its easy to answer if you think of god as a creator who then went off to watch from a distance and does not interfere, you know the type who created all the science bits like forces, evolution ect. if that is the case why do apples fall from the ground becomes, because god made gravity as a way of keeping stuff from drifting away, then science goes on to explain how gravity works.

(I am an Atheist by the way XD)

Bottle wrote:Name one question that religion can answer that science cannot.

There's certainly some questions that science cannot answer; 'what is good?', being the obvious example.

Now, I'd contend that religion couldn't answer this either, but some would.

Chumblywumbly wrote:

Bottle wrote:Name one question that religion can answer that science cannot.

There's certainly some questions that science cannot answer; 'what is good?', being the obvious example.

Now, I'd contend that religion couldn't answer this either, but some would.

Hmm... if you consider it on an evolutionary basis, and taking into account social dynamics in groups of social animals, I think science can come up with a fairly satisfactory answer...

Kadagai wrote:

Bottle wrote:

Last Hope wrote:Well the classic is "Why are we here?"

Science has answered that question far more thoroughly, and with far more testable evidence, than every religion in the history of this planet put together.

It's just that Science doesn't include "because some magical being really loves us a whole bunch" in the answer. Also, the scientific answer to that question is long and dry and requires years of study to understand, and most people would rather hear a story about some naked people taking dietary advice from a snake.

I think you're mistaken. Science has answered how we are here; it hasn't and simply cannot answer the why. Unless you can show me a link as to how science explains this.

See, again, you're looking for a "why" that includes some kind of conscious purpose. But that's just an assumption on your part; you want to hear that there is one objective purpose for our existence, whether or not that is actually the case.

You clearly don't want to know why we came to be, because if you did then you'd have long since familiarized yourself with the centuries of scientific information on that subject, most of which are currently covered in introductory biology classes. Science has long since explained why humans exist, and indeed has explained a ton about why we have the form we do, down to why we have fingernails and why we can't see a large portion of the light spectrum. The fact that you either don't understand or don't like these answers doesn't change the fact that they exist.

Chumblywumbly wrote:

Bottle wrote:Name one question that religion can answer that science cannot.

There's certainly some questions that science cannot answer; 'what is good?', being the obvious example.

Now, I'd contend that religion couldn't answer this either, but some would.

You're right, religion can't answer that question either.

I ask, "What is good?"

A Christian can answer, "Well, according to my interpretation of the faith I have chosen to follow, this is the nature of good."

Of course, Science can provide that EXACT SAME ANSWER. "According to X faith, this is the nature of good." Ta-da.

In neither case, however, are you provided with any reason why that particular definition of Good is any closer to the truth than any of the millions of other definitions. You're just expected to take it on faith, which is NOT an answer.

Kadagai wrote:

Bottle wrote:

Last Hope wrote:Well the classic is "Why are we here?"

Science has answered that question far more thoroughly, and with far more testable evidence, than every religion in the history of this planet put together.

It's just that Science doesn't include "because some magical being really loves us a whole bunch" in the answer. Also, the scientific answer to that question is long and dry and requires years of study to understand, and most people would rather hear a story about some naked people taking dietary advice from a snake.

I think you're mistaken. Science has answered how we are here; it hasn't and simply cannot answer the why. Unless you can show me a link as to how science explains this.

Why are we here? Obviously, we're a cosmic accident. There is no greater purpose. We're just a bunch of chemicals that got complex enough to think.

Gee, I wonder why many people like religions answers better?

"Why does God appear to hate us?".

Religion could answer that. I hear it's because we're all filthy sinners who make Jesus cry.

Land of the Trolls wrote:
Why are we here? Obviously, we're a cosmic accident. There is no greater purpose. We're just a bunch of chemicals that got complex enough to think.

Gee, I wonder why many people like religions answers better?

Of course this answer isn't very scientific; it belongs in the realm of philosophy.

Khadgar wrote:"Why does God appear to hate us?".

Religion could answer that. I hear it's because we're all filthy sinners who make Jesus cry.

He's just jealous of our tacos.

Lunatic Goofballs wrote:

Khadgar wrote:"Why does God appear to hate us?".

Religion could answer that. I hear it's because we're all filthy sinners who make Jesus cry.

He's just jealous of our tacos.

I figured it's because it's been two millenia since He got laid.