Why are some religious people "afraid" of science?

RestlessSoul · May 18, 2021

I am not afraid of science. I’m a bit daunted by my own ignorance sometimes, and awed by the brilliance of Einstein, Hawking, Carlo Rovelli, Peter Higgs etc. But I’m excited not afraid, by what scientists may uncover about our universe.

The Big Bang, Quantum Mechanics, astronomy, cosmology, evolution - I see God in all of that. There is no need, imo, to prove that God either does or does not exist. To me, everything is miraculous; to others, nothing is. It’s the same universe we’re looking at.

In my experience, those who claim science can be used to invalidate the existence of God, and those who claim scripture can be used to reject science, have a fairly limited, two dimensional conception of both, and are probably best left to their own agenda.

Faith in God, like faith in science will never fall away. Because the human spirit inclines naturally to both, and because both contribute to meeting our needs and making lives more tolerable. I suspect that what will fall away over time is the conviction that the two are somehow mutually exclusive.

It’s 400 years since Galileo was persecuted by the Roman Catholic Church; time to move on.

RestlessSoul · May 18, 2021

Conscious thoughts said:
Do you think the pope do poppin

I like the Pope
The Pope smokes dope

Was a slogan often seen on T-Shirts in the 80s

RestlessSoul · May 18, 2021

Shadow Wolf said:
Or I make my point that without sin there is no fear of hell and divine retribution.

There’s still fear of death though. No escaping that dark shadow looming over us all.

Shadow Wolf · May 18, 2021

RestlessSoul said:
There’s still fear of death though. No escaping that dark shadow looming over us all.

What of it? That doesn't inherently entail being tortured forever and ever without end.

RestlessSoul · May 18, 2021

Shadow Wolf said:
What of it? That doesn't inherently entail being tortured forever and ever without end.

No, death is certainly less scary if you don’t believe in hell. Does anyone still believe in hell though? No one I’ve ever met.

People are still scared of death, this last 15 months have shown us that, if nothing else.

whosetosay... · May 18, 2021

Conscious thoughts said:
Maybe this question comes as a "shock" to someone that i ask since i am known for not trusting science
(meaning i am not afraid of science, just not see it as a valid way to answer certain questions)

But here we go...
1: Why are some religious people "afraid" of science?
2: Is there truly a way for science to disprove God or deities?
3: IF there is no "verifiable" proof of God, does that means God can not exist?
4: If science one day did discover Gods existence, does all religions fall away then? or does this part of science fall away?

Sometimes people ask questions and the answers are not always straightforward.

1, SOME religious people are not " afraid" of science. Since science has mostly theories when it is anything related to God.

2.We all know that Science cannot and will not disprove God or deities. Why? Because to do so they would have to prove that beyond a shadow of a doubt answering the most difficult questions scientist cannot answer.

3. The bible says God created man. Who created God? What is verifiable proof of God and what proof do you understand than man was created an adult? We exist and so far there has been no verifiable answer other than God created life as to where it came from.

4. Science in itself cannot prove or disprove the existence of God. When mankind finally realizes that God exists it will be too late for most. Which is sad.

viole · May 18, 2021

Hej

Conscious thoughts said:
1: Why are some religious people "afraid" of science?

If that religious person believes humans and dinosaurs coexisted, like in the Flintstones, then he is right to fear science.

Conscious thoughts said:
2: Is there truly a way for science to disprove God or deities?

Nope, since theistic claims are not falsifiable, in general.

Conscious thoughts said:
3: IF there is no "verifiable" proof of God, does that means God can not exist?

Of course not. Same for other beings who enjoy the same ontological state, for what we know. Mother Goose and the Blue Fairy, for instance.

Conscious thoughts said:
4: If science one day did discover Gods existence, does all religions fall away then? or does this part of science fall away?

That is unlikely to happen, even if God existed, since the epistemic tools of science work only under the assumption of naturalism.

Ciao

- viole

King Phenomenon · May 18, 2021

RestlessSoul said:
I am not afraid of science. I’m a bit daunted by my own ignorance sometimes, and awed by the brilliance of Einstein, Hawking, Carlo Rovelli, Peter Higgs etc. But I’m excited not afraid, by what scientists may uncover about our universe.

The Big Bang, Quantum Mechanics, astronomy, cosmology, evolution - I see God in all of that. There is no need, imo, to prove that God either does or does not exist. To me, everything is miraculous; to others, nothing is. It’s the same universe we’re looking at.

In my experience, those who claim science can be used to invalidate the existence of God, and those who claim scripture can be used to reject science, have a fairly limited, two dimensional conception of both, and are probably best left to their own agenda.

Faith in God, like faith in science will never fall away. Because the human spirit inclines naturally to both, and because both contribute to meeting our needs and making lives more tolerable. I suspect that what will fall away over time is the conviction that the two are somehow mutually exclusive.

It’s 400 years since Galileo was persecuted by the Roman Catholic Church; time to move on.

There are some ideas that if science could prove would make a lot of things untrue but that’ll never happen. Thank god.
Gods cool
Science is cool
It’s all good

loverofhumanity · May 18, 2021

Conscious thoughts said:
Maybe this question comes as a "shock" to someone that i ask since i am known for not trusting science
(meaning i am not afraid of science, just not see it as a valid way to answer certain questions)

But here we go...
1: Why are some religious people "afraid" of science?
2: Is there truly a way for science to disprove God or deities?
3: IF there is no "verifiable" proof of God, does that means God can not exist?
4: If science one day did discover Gods existence, does all religions fall away then? or does this part of science fall away?

Hi friend.

Science is about the reality of material existence and religion is about the love and knowledge of God. Both are valid and true. Science without a moral compass creates that which can be destructive to the human race such as weapons for mass destruction while religion without science and reason descends into superstition and fanaticism.

Science and religion are like two wings of a bird. With only one wing the bird cannot fly.

Shadow Wolf · May 18, 2021

RestlessSoul said:
No, death is certainly less scary if you don’t believe in hell. Does anyone still believe in hell though? No one I’ve ever met.

I grew up with them.

Shadow Wolf · May 18, 2021

whosetosay... said:
Since science has mostly theories when it is anything related to God.

Such as?

whosetosay... said:
Why? Because to do so they would have to prove that beyond a shadow of a doubt answering the most difficult questions scientist cannot answer.

Which is?

whosetosay... said:
We exist and so far there has been no verifiable answer other than God created life as to where it came from.

This is verified how?

whosetosay... said:
When mankind finally realizes that God exists it will be too late for most. Which is sad.

Too late? What is too late? What happens that makes it too late?

firedragon · May 18, 2021

Conscious thoughts said:
Maybe this question comes as a "shock" to someone that i ask since i am known for not trusting science
(meaning i am not afraid of science, just not see it as a valid way to answer certain questions)

But here we go...
1: Why are some religious people "afraid" of science?
2: Is there truly a way for science to disprove God or deities?
3: IF there is no "verifiable" proof of God, does that means God can not exist?
4: If science one day did discover Gods existence, does all religions fall away then? or does this part of science fall away?

My question would be first, "who is afraid of science"? I know there are some theists who make truly stupid scientific statements but even they are not afraid of science. They are so unafraid, that they think they know science better than the educated scientists. Some of them are absolute frauds pretending to be some Phd like Hovind who got his Phd from an institution registered to a house. Maybe his classroom was in the living room.

All that said and done,

1. if there is anyone who is afraid of science, maybe they have a vested interest in their particular institution where they live off it. Like in the ages where people like Galileo was persecuted for saying the earth revolved around the sun.
2. There is no way for science to "disprove God".
3. It depends on what you define as "verifiable proof". You or anyone has to explain his epistemology.
4. Nothing will fall away. The information will be absorbed and everyone will move forward. Like the church absorbed the fact that the earth is revolving around the sun and moved forward with their theology and adherence in tact.

joelr · May 18, 2021

Conscious thoughts said:
What do you think would happen if Science and religion worked more together to find answers both were satisfied with? (maybe this is already happening? )

One obvious answer would be a scientific study of prayer. They spent 2.5 million on this.It just ended up making religious people angry. It's not likely people are going to be satisfied.
Long-Awaited Medical Study Questions the Power of Prayer (Published 2006)

"Prayers offered by strangers had no effect on the recovery of people who were undergoing heart surgery, a large and long-awaited study has found.

And patients who knew they were being prayed for had a higher rate of post-operative complications like abnormal heart rhythms, perhaps because of the expectations the prayers created, the researchers suggested.

Because it is the most scientifically rigorous investigation of whether prayer can heal illness, the study, begun almost a decade ago and involving more than 1,800 patients, has for years been the subject of speculation."

sayak83 · May 18, 2021

Conscious thoughts said:
Maybe this question comes as a "shock" to someone that i ask since i am known for not trusting science
(meaning i am not afraid of science, just not see it as a valid way to answer certain questions)

But here we go...
1: Why are some religious people "afraid" of science?
2: Is there truly a way for science to disprove God or deities?
3: IF there is no "verifiable" proof of God, does that means God can not exist?
4: If science one day did discover Gods existence, does all religions fall away then? or does this part of science fall away?

1. There is an expectation in some believers that science should validate some cherished religious beliefs from their faith (spirits, life after death, special creation of Man through an original pair, rebirth, telepathy, young earth etc.). When science fails to find evidence for these claims and sometimes says things which conflict with these beliefs.... then they turn hostile.
2. No. Unless the faith is making specific predictions that can be tested. For example, there was an expectation that performing prayers for someone (even a stranger) causes God to intervene and aid in recovery. Studies has shown such prayers have no statistical effects on the recovery rate of patients. On the other hand there is expectation that faith improves a person's life. Studies have shown this to be true quite convincingly... but irrespective of the faith tradition involved. So on.
3. Again depends on the faith. Are we expecting scientifically verifiable proofs?
4.We would then have a department of God dynamics and God kinetics in the university and lots of papers and journals will be published on the topic. We would be happy as we will have new funding opportunities... viz the churches and temples and the mosques. Contrary to popular expectation we get no funding from any atheist or communist organization. They are not very rich... alas.

Valjean · May 18, 2021

whosetosay... said:
2.We all know that Science cannot and will not disprove God or deities. Why? Because to do so they would have to prove that beyond a shadow of a doubt answering the most difficult questions scientist cannot answer.

Can not and will not? Science would love to study deities, it's just that none have been detected; no evidence of any has been found.
What are these most difficult questions?

3. The bible says God created man. Who created God? What is verifiable proof of God and what proof do you understand than man was created an adult?

Huh?

We exist and so far there has been no verifiable answer other than God created life as to where it came from.

First, Goddidit is not an answer to anything except who did it. Second, we have a pretty good idea of how life may have arisen, and many of the steps in the process are observed in the lab every day. Third, not understanding something is not evidence that Goddidit.

Science in itself cannot prove or disprove the existence of God. When mankind finally realizes that God exists it will be too late for most. Which is sad.

When will mankind realize that God exists? Are you expecting some trove of evidence suddenly to be discovered?
Too late? What does that mean?[/quote]

ChristineM · May 18, 2021

Conscious thoughts said:
Why are some religious people "afraid" of science?

Science keeps filling in gaps in knowledge that have traditionally been killed with "i don't know so god did it". The fear is that science will eventually do away with the need for religion completely

Conscious thoughts said:
Is there truly a way for science to disprove God or deities?

No
Science does not deal in proof but in verifiable evidence
But if such a evidence comes to light no doubt certain religions and religious people will deny/attempt to suppress it.

Conscious thoughts said:
IF there is no "verifiable" proof of God, does that means God can not exist?

No, it just means that given the evidence ir is unlikely

Conscious thoughts said:
If science one day did discover Gods existence, does all religions fall away then? or does this part of science fall away?

If a god is discovered by science then faith in that god ends. As for science, such a discovery would open up a new field of science.

ChristineM · May 18, 2021

whosetosay... said:
Since science has mostly theories when it is anything related to God.

Wrong, science does not deal in woo and supernatural.

whosetosay... said:
We all know that Science cannot and will not disprove God or deities. Why? Because to do so they would have to prove that beyond a shadow of a doubt answering the most difficult questions scientist cannot answer.

Such as?

whosetosay... said:
We exist and so far there has been no verifiable answer other than God created life as to where it came from.

That is not verifiable, it is simply opinion based on bronze age ignorance.

whosetosay... said:
Science in itself cannot prove or disprove the existence of God. When mankind finally realizes that God exists it will be too late for most. Which is sad.

?

SalixIncendium · May 18, 2021

Conscious thoughts said:
1: Why are some religious people "afraid" of science?

I don't think religious people fear science. I think those that dismiss it are ignorant of it. Sometimes it's ignorance resulting from a lack of education, others it's willful ignorance.

Conscious thoughts said:
2: Is there truly a way for science to disprove God or deities?

No. And I don't think it has any interest in doing so.

Conscious thoughts said:
3: IF there is no "verifiable" proof of God, does that means God can not exist?

No.

Conscious thoughts said:
4: If science one day did discover Gods existence, does all religions fall away then? or does this part of science fall away?

Neither.

Some claims about God might be discarded, but I doubt that would change people's relationship with God.

I see no reason for science to fall away, as science does not conflict with God. It's typically beliefs about God that conflict with science.

blü 2 · May 18, 2021

Conscious thoughts said:
1: Why are some religious people "afraid" of science

Anyone who takes the bible to be inerrant in matters of fact is already seriously at odds with science, which specialized in matters of fact.

Conscious thoughts said:
2: Is there truly a way for science to disprove God or deities?

In the realms of fact the question has no meaning, since to the best of my knowledge there's no definition of God appropriate to a being with objective existence, and God therefore appears to be entirely conceptual / imaginary.

Conscious thoughts said:
3: IF there is no "verifiable" proof of God, does that means God can not exist?

If God is purely conceptual / imaginary then there are countless gods, having in common that none of them is real, has objective existence. If God is said to be real, to have objective existence, then the question can't be answered till there's a satisfactory definition of a real God, such that if we find a candidate, we can determine whether or not it's a real God.

Conscious thoughts said:
4: If science one day did discover Gods existence, does all religions fall away then? or does this part of science fall away?

No, science won't discover God unless God is indeed real, but should a real God show up, science will be extremely interested to study him/her/it/they/other. Basic questions like description, habitat, food, breeding habits, physical processes, and so on will be of great interest.

SalixIncendium · May 18, 2021

blü 2 said:
Anyone who takes the bible to be inerrant in matters of fact is already seriously at odds with science, which specialized in matters of fact.

You do realize that only about half the world's religious people recognize the Bible as their scripture?

Why are some religious people "afraid" of science?

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