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Science is a false God

Polymath257

Think & Care
Staff member
Premium Member
Anyone who 'worships' science misses the point. Science is a method for gaining knowledge. Knowledge gives us the power to do things we want, but not the wisdom to decide what is good to do.

Religion, however, tends not to do either very well. By taking the attitudes of those from thousands of years ago as our own, we fail to meet the challenges of modern societies. But adhering to the immoralities of our past, we fail to make moral progress. And, too often, it is religion that is standing in the way of such advancement: from slavery, to the rights of women, to the rights of those with different sexual preferences, religion tends to be on the wrong side of morality and wisdom.
 

sooda

Veteran Member
Anyone who 'worships' science misses the point. Science is a method for gaining knowledge. Knowledge gives us the power to do things we want, but not the wisdom to decide what is good to do.

Religion, however, tends not to do either very well. By taking the attitudes of those from thousands of years ago as our own, we fail to meet the challenges of modern societies. But adhering to the immoralities of our past, we fail to make moral progress. And, too often, it is religion that is standing in the way of such advancement: from slavery, to the rights of women, to the rights of those with different sexual preferences, religion tends to be on the wrong side of morality and wisdom.

Great post...…….
 

Audie

Veteran Member
*Preacher uses figurative language in sermon to say that for all it's successes, science doesn't provide us with values so we need to remember our (Christian) moral principles*

*People interpret figurative language literally and argue about it*

Better say that again for our OPstr, make sure he gets it.
 

Earthling

David Henson
Any paradigm having established some specific god as being true would naturally result in any other god being false. So to Jews, Christians and Muslims science may be a false god, but be a true god outside of those religions. So saying science is a "false god" from the perspective of one of those religions is sort of counter productive.
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
Hygiene does not equal cure to illnesses.

Yes it does, good hygiene is not only about not using the hand you wipe your backside with to eat.

It reduces the spread of infection so illness is not only cured more easily but it saves lives.
 

Earthling

David Henson
This is silly. Science isn't a god at all.

Why not? Your saying that likely comes from not having a very good understanding of what a god is. God knows most people, believer and unbeliever alike don't seem to have much of a grasp on the concept of gods.
 

sealchan

Well-Known Member
Many who say there is no God because science can't prove it actually worship science.

"Let us notice this morning how modern man has made a god of science. It was quite easy for modern man to put his ultimate faith in science because science had brought about such remarkable advances, such tangible and amazing victories. He realized that man through his scientific genius had dwarfed distances and placed time in chains. He noticed the new comforts that had been brought about by science, from the vast improvements in communication to the elimination of many dread plagues and diseases. And so after noticing these astounding successes modern man ushered in a new god and a new religion. Individual scientist became the high priests, chemical and biological instrumants became sacramental agencies through which the invisible grace of the scientific god became visibly manifested, and scientific laboratories became the sanctuaries. And so modern man dutifully worshipped at the shrine of the god of science.

But today we are confronted with the tragic fact that the god of science which we so devoutly worshipped has brought about the possibility of universal annihilation, and so man today stands on the brink of atomic destruction aghast, panic-stricken and petrified. He realizes now that his greatest need is not science which is power, but wisdom which is control. Doubtless some one has been saying, but is it not right to devote ourselves to scientific adventure? Is not science important for the progress of civilization? To this I would answer yes. No person of sound intelligence could minimize science. It is not science in itself that I am condemning, {but it is the tendency of projecting it to the status of God that I am condemning.} We must come to see that science only furnishes us with the means by which we live, but never with the spiritual ends for which we live. And so we must turn back and give our ultimate devotion to the God who integrates the whole of life, to the God in whom we live and move and have our being, to the God who has been our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home.6 Preached July 5, 1953"

False Gods We Worship | The Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute

Nice quote and a good way to understand the different roles that science and faith play in our lives.

But God is also maligned by literalistic religions that seem to aim to create earthly power authorities as well. A religious organization which promotes an earthly power structure where one person has power over another to enact involuntarily consequences for spiritual reasons is not morally well grounded and most certainly psychologically inept.
 

sooda

Veteran Member
Yes it does, good hygiene is not only about not using the hand you wipe your backside with to eat.

It reduces the spread of infection so illness is not only cured more easily but it saves lives.
Yes it does, good hygiene is not only about not using the hand you wipe your backside with to eat.

It reduces the spread of infection so illness is not only cured more easily but it saves lives.

Religion didn't give us soap or anti-biotics or refrigeration.
 

Earthling

David Henson
How is science a god, false or otherwise?

This is s false premise though. Science does not attempt to prove or disprove god or gods because there is no scientific evidence for gods.

How about this: A god is a thing accorded the supreme importance appropriate to a god, by definition, which is just saying that a god is a god. What is a god isn't decided by atheists or theists, it's decided by anyone who wants to make something . . . anything . . . a god. Including science. Science doesn't need to prove or disprove god or gods because it doesn't need to.

For example:
  • Don't make money your god
  • Don't make science your god
  • Don't make food your god
You can fill in the blank with anything or anyone.
 

Earthling

David Henson
God didn't do much about polio or smallpox or malaria... science is not 'worshipped'.

God didn't do much about those things? He brought them about, in effect, but that has nothing to do with being a god. If there were a litmus test on being a god it wouldn't have anything on it except for being worshiped, venerated or attributed a might greater than the one attributing it. That's it, and if you will notice none of those things are actions of the supposed god. A god is in the eyes of the beholder.

Science doesn't need to be worshiped to be a god, though whether or not it is worshiped is certainly debatable.
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
How about this: A god is a thing accorded the supreme importance appropriate to a god, by definition, which is just saying that a god is a god. What is a god isn't decided by atheists or theists, it's decided by anyone who wants to make something . . . anything . . . a god. Including science. Science doesn't need to prove or disprove god or gods because it doesn't need to.

For example:
  • Don't make money your god
  • Don't make science your god
  • Don't make food your god
You can fill in the blank with anything or anyone.

You definition of god is?

Oh and circular reasoning doesn't count
 
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