Can You Separate Your Religious and Scientific Beliefs?

[dogsgod]

Originally Posted by ChristineES

I respectfully disagree. There are plenty of people who can separate allegories, parables, etc from that is what in physical life. Just because something is written in a way that it cannot be taken literally doesn't mean that it isn't true to a certain degree. Even myths have their basis in truth. Truth isn't the same thing as facts. Science deals with facts, while for most people, faith and religion deals in truth for the individual.

That said, there are some people who can't separate their faith from what science tells them- so they need to reject either one or the other. And there are those, like myself, who can accept both.

I wouldn't say myths have their basis in truth but I would say some truths are better expressed through mythology than by merely presenting a list of facts, but the sort of truth within our mythologies is subjective and might appeal to just some and not others.

People act on how they believe the world works so religious beliefs can play a role as to how the religious behave compared to those that rely on science and reason.

[BruceDLimber]

Greetings!

There's no need whatever to "separate" religion and science because my religion explicitly endorses science and stresses the essential harmony of the two (as well as the need for both)!

Indeed, this is one of our basic principles!

Best, :-)

Bruce

[DarkSun]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

Is Sam Harris right to argue that religious beliefs cannot be kept separate from scientific beliefs? Why or why not?

I disagree that religion and science cannot be reconciled.

However, I do agree that it is often easier to favour one thought-system in light of the other.

[ThereIsNoSpoon]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

Is Sam Harris right to argue that religious beliefs cannot be kept separate from scientific beliefs? Why or why not?

Strange .. .I found the same video just yesterday and added it to my channel as well.
Anyway ... i think Harris is not completely correct. there are some incidences where you can seperate the two namely when a religious belief doesnt interfere with the science.

If for example you are a literal bible believer then of course you cant possibly be a geologist, cosmologist, bioloigist etc.

But if for example you are a "liberal" bible believer with a belief in "theistic evolution" like Kenneth Miller, then it could work. God has become so abstract and so distant to the world here that his "existence" doesnt automatically equate to his active participation as a supernatural being. It becomes kind of deistic.

If the belief is more distant from the science then of course if works.
For example you can be a mathematician without trouble.

If your belief doesnt speak about lets say minerals then of course you could be a mineralist. If it doesnt state anything about the age of earth then you could be a biologist.

On the other hand i do agree with Sam Harris in that of course your belief does shape your perspective and it is crucial to have a scientific perspective when assessing data.

[Kerr]

I can´t seperate religion from science. For example I cannot believe that the world was created in 7 days (or whatever the Bible say), because to me those would go against science. But I know people that can, so I guess it is an individual matter.

[Beaudreaux]

Originally Posted by DarkSun

I disagree that religion and science cannot be reconciled.

However, I do agree that it is often easier to favour one thought-system in light of the other.

If God ever affects the physical world in a miraculous way, then He is irreconcilable with science since science postulates an ordered and 100% predictable world.

[painted wolf]

I don't seem to have a problem... but then Harris only really addresses a particular type of faith. (of which I don't belong)

I admit that I can't not look at the world without the influence of my faith, but in this case I don't see that being a problem. Respect for the Earth and other living things isn't exactly a detriment to scientific inquiry.

wa:do

ps... it always make me feel fuzzy inside when atheists insist that I have a mental/social illness that could be cured... if only I learned the proper application of "reason".