If our religious teachings are contrary to science and reason should we reject them?

[Dawnofhope]

A fundamental teaching of the Baha’i Faith is the harmony between science and religion. Abdu’l-Baha whose passing 100 years ago was commemorated by Baha’is worldwide this year, went even further.

“If statements and teachings of religion are found to be unreasonable and contrary to science, they are outcomes of superstition and imagination.”

Superstition | Bahá’í Quotes

Religion is often criticised on the basis of making claims that contradict reason and science. Some religions even celebrate claims where Divine Revelation is upheld over science. Other religions attempt to move away from literalism in their religion by considering allegorical interpretations and the like.

Each religion including the Baha’i Faith grapples with similar dichotomies, finding the balance between faith and reason. How do we deal with statements made by our religious founders that contradict science and religion? Is their guidance within your religion that better enables you to negotiate such dilemmas.

I’ve put this in the Interfaith discussion section as I’m interested to hear from practitioners from different religions and how they respond to such dilemmas. I’m disinterested in hearing from one group who simply wants to bash another.

 

[danieldemol]

A fundamental teaching of the Baha’i Faith is the harmony between science and religion. Abdu’l-Baha whose passing 100 years ago was commemorated by Baha’is world this year, went even further.

“If statements and teachings of religion are found to be unreasonable and contrary to science, they are outcomes of superstition and imagination.”

Superstition | Bahá’í Quotes

Religion is often criticised on the basis of making claims that contradict reason and science. Some religions even celebrate claims where Divine Revelation is upheld over science. Other religions attempt to move away from literalism in their religion by considering allegorical interpretations and the like.

Each religion including the Baha’i Faith grapples with similar dichotomies, finding the balance between faith and reason. How do we deal with statements made by our religious founders that contradict science and religion? Is their guidance within your religion that better enables you to negotiate such dilemmas.

I’ve put this in the Interfaith discussion section as I’m interested to hear from practitioners from different religions and how they respond to such dilemmas. I’m disinterested in hearing from one group who simply wants to bash another.

To answer the question posed in the title, I think it is preferable to follow science and reason as closely as possible.

However it is worth noting that some humans are not strictly rational creatures.

Perhaps this explains why some groups hold to science and reason slogans purely for marketing purposes, but do not apply them to their own beliefs.

Having become somewhat of a devotee of science and reason myself, I find it preferable to acknowledge where my beliefs do not accord with science and reason where I'm unwilling or unable to jettison those beliefs as it seems to me a more honest approach than simply making the tall claim that all my beliefs are strictly scientific and reasonable.

In my opinion.

 

[Spirit of Light]

A fundamental teaching of the Baha’i Faith is the harmony between science and religion. Abdu’l-Baha whose passing 100 years ago was commemorated by Baha’is world this year, went even further.

“If statements and teachings of religion are found to be unreasonable and contrary to science, they are outcomes of superstition and imagination.”

Superstition | Bahá’í Quotes

Religion is often criticised on the basis of making claims that contradict reason and science. Some religions even celebrate claims where Divine Revelation is upheld over science. Other religions attempt to move away from literalism in their religion by considering allegorical interpretations and the like.

Each religion including the Baha’i Faith grapples with similar dichotomies, finding the balance between faith and reason. How do we deal with statements made by our religious founders that contradict science and religion? Is their guidance within your religion that better enables you to negotiate such dilemmas.

I’ve put this in the Interfaith discussion section as I’m interested to hear from practitioners from different religions and how they respond to such dilemmas. I’m disinterested in hearing from one group who simply wants to bash another.

To me it isn't a problem.
My focus is not on science anyway, the people who want to include science in their beliefs do that, others don't

 

[EtuMalku]

A fundamental teaching of the Baha’i Faith is the harmony between science and religion. Abdu’l-Baha whose passing 100 years ago was commemorated by Baha’is world this year, went even further.

“If statements and teachings of religion are found to be unreasonable and contrary to science, they are outcomes of superstition and imagination.”

Superstition | Bahá’í Quotes

Religion is often criticised on the basis of making claims that contradict reason and science. Some religions even celebrate claims where Divine Revelation is upheld over science. Other religions attempt to move away from literalism in their religion by considering allegorical interpretations and the like.

Each religion including the Baha’i Faith grapples with similar dichotomies, finding the balance between faith and reason. How do we deal with statements made by our religious founders that contradict science and religion? Is their guidance within your religion that better enables you to negotiate such dilemmas.

I’ve put this in the Interfaith discussion section as I’m interested to hear from practitioners from different religions and how they respond to such dilemmas. I’m disinterested in hearing from one group who simply wants to bash another.

Science attempts to explain the physical universe, religion attempts to explain the spiritual aspects of man.
If we take the soul for instance, science for the most part doesn't get involved because there isn't anything objective about the soul. However, spiritual philosophies have debated what the soul or is not for centuries.
So, there are avenues of both science and spirituality that may never meet, yet that doesn't negate either one.

 

[Truthseeker]

A fundamental teaching of the Baha’i Faith is the harmony between science and religion. Abdu’l-Baha whose passing 100 years ago was commemorated by Baha’is world this year, went even further.

“If statements and teachings of religion are found to be unreasonable and contrary to science, they are outcomes of superstition and imagination.”

Superstition | Bahá’í Quotes

Religion is often criticised on the basis of making claims that contradict reason and science. Some religions even celebrate claims where Divine Revelation is upheld over science. Other religions attempt to move away from literalism in their religion by considering allegorical interpretations and the like.

Each religion including the Baha’i Faith grapples with similar dichotomies, finding the balance between faith and reason. How do we deal with statements made by our religious founders that contradict science and religion? Is their guidance within your religion that better enables you to negotiate such dilemmas.

I’ve put this in the Interfaith discussion section as I’m interested to hear from practitioners from different religions and how they respond to such dilemmas. I’m disinterested in hearing from one group who simply wants to bash another.

Thanks for reconnecting me to Susan Gammage's site. I changed from Edge to Chrome for reasons I won't go into here, and Baha'i Quotes is a valuable resource I had forgotten about and I am technologically challenged and didn't know how to transfer bookmarks from Edge to Chrome.

I have grappled at times with statements made by Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha that seemed contrary to science. At heart I am a skeptical thinker. For a time I resolved some problems by supposing that 'Abdu'l-Baha wasn't infallible in everything, just His interpretations of scriptures. More recently, I examined this more closely and changed my mind, with a caveat. I came across this quote from 'Abdu'l-Baha:

“Certain matters are in reality just stories, but the Divine Manifestations bring them out as though it were truth and discourse upon them.” (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Amr va Khalq Volume 2, p. 211, provisional translation from the Persian)

Baha'u'llah said, and I already knew this quote, but it looks different now:

“All that I have revealed unto thee with the tongue of power, and have written for thee with the pen of might, hath been in accordance with thy capacity and understanding, not with My state and the melody of My voice.” (Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, #67 Arabic)

This is true of both Bahau'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha. This is my understanding now, and I believe it is final.

 

[sun rise]

Science attempts to explain the physical universe, religion attempts to explain the spiritual aspects of man.

That's my belief as well. And I know that there are religious scientists who also see no contradiction in essence.

 

[Viker]

If my beliefs were dependant on science then yes. I enjoy and delve into science whenever I can. I typically agree with scientific discoveries and facts. But it doesn't have to explain everything and never will. It's not it's job. Science and religion have always coexisted harmoniously.
.

 

[TransmutingSoul]

I see the biggest issue is that both science and religion need to progress together, each need to be embraced.

At this present time I see the tide turned from religions rejection science to where a lot of science has abandoned religion.

Regards Tony

 

[Valjean]

Rejecting science and reason is.... unreasonable.

 

[Samael_Khan]

To answer the question posed in the title, I think it is preferable to follow science and reason as closely as possible.

However it is worth noting that some humans are not strictly rational creatures.

Perhaps this explains why some groups hold to science and reason slogans purely for marketing purposes, but do not apply them to their own beliefs.

Having become somewhat of a devotee of science and reason myself, I find it preferable to acknowledge where my beliefs do not accord with science and reason where I'm unwilling or unable to jettison those beliefs as it seems to me a more honest approach than simply making the tall claim that all my beliefs are strictly scientific and reasonable.

In my opinion.

Well, it isn't that some humans are not strictly rational, it is that all humans are partially rational and partially irrational. We are irrational in the sense that we have emotions which guide us as well, and they are so unmeasurable that a lot of the time we do not know how much they affect our decision making.

 

[Samael_Khan]

A fundamental teaching of the Baha’i Faith is the harmony between science and religion. Abdu’l-Baha whose passing 100 years ago was commemorated by Baha’is worldwide this year, went even further.

“If statements and teachings of religion are found to be unreasonable and contrary to science, they are outcomes of superstition and imagination.”

Superstition | Bahá’í Quotes

Religion is often criticised on the basis of making claims that contradict reason and science. Some religions even celebrate claims where Divine Revelation is upheld over science. Other religions attempt to move away from literalism in their religion by considering allegorical interpretations and the like.

Each religion including the Baha’i Faith grapples with similar dichotomies, finding the balance between faith and reason. How do we deal with statements made by our religious founders that contradict science and religion? Is their guidance within your religion that better enables you to negotiate such dilemmas.

I’ve put this in the Interfaith discussion section as I’m interested to hear from practitioners from different religions and how they respond to such dilemmas. I’m disinterested in hearing from one group who simply wants to bash another.

To me, religion serves the same purpose as the arts do. They are the product of deep seated human desires and intuition rather than science (well at least when it comes to the ancient religions. Modern religions tend to be suspect in many cases as often they are created as money grabbing ploys). Therefore the two cannot be compared. In fact the arts serve as the basis of religion, considering that paintings, literature and dramatic reenactments and rituals play such a heavy role in religion. And art is what makes us human, which would then stem to religion as well. So religion is wholly separate to science as it serves a purpose that science is impotent in and vice versa.

 

[Valjean]

Well, it isn't that some humans are not strictly rational, it is that all humans are partially rational and partially irrational. We are irrational in the sense that we have emotions which guide us as well, and they are so unmeasurable that a lot of the time we do not know how much they affect our decision making.

We're not wired to be rational. We're wired to make quick, knee-jerk decisions.

For 99% of our evolutionary history, evidence gathering, analysis, and rational planning were fast tracks to being a smilodon's lunch.

Rationality and logic are modern affectations, and most people are not good at it. It takes special training.

 

[Samael_Khan]

We're not wired to be rational. We're wired to make quick, knee-jerk decisions.

For 99% of our evolutionary history, evidence gathering, analysis, and rational planning were fast tracks to being a smilodon's lunch.

Rationality and logic are modern affectations, and most people are not good at it. It takes special training.

I 100% agree.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I see the biggest issue is that both science and religion need to progress together, each need to be embraced.

At this present time I see the tide turned from religions rejection science to where a lot of science has abandoned religion.

Regards Tony

Science and religion should never be together.

It's simply a matter of being two completely different things with no existing relationship or connection.

 

[osgart]

Established science where the evidence is plain as day, I believe religion should be rejected as true when it runs contrary.

There's still tons of room for religion to continue on though. There's still tons of speculative science as well. Not every truth is going to fall under the observation of science.

There's truth within the human experience. There's truth in objective science as well.

Religion has very good uses if read for what it is and not making the mythology out to be real.

I don't think people should ever stop searching for the divine. We should avoid religious delusions about it though. Science helps in that area.

 

[amorphous_constellation]

I think maybe what we might consider, is to consider the third thing in the bunch: there is religion, there is science, and then the third thing is us. We, or you or me, the human point that serves as the gate that mediates all of these things. What is that. Surely, that is a bias point when trying to decide, when trying operate successfully in the world.

We sense science and religion, maybe only as part of the environment, but the mind or soul, or self, the human center point, cannot fully subsume either religion or science. It cannot do that, because it can't even fully understand itself, or other human selves around it. Science and religion are just qualities of the human environment, and the organism treads there, comparable to environments that other animals tread, and sense only with something like an implicit skill within sense

The only thing to do, seems to be to struggle with it, and grapple with it as best we can, knowing that no piece of wisdom or knowledge will sew it together perfectly. Every living human does this, some only enough to get by, and others more extensively.

 

[Audie]

A fundamental teaching of the Baha’i Faith is the harmony between science and religion. Abdu’l-Baha whose passing 100 years ago was commemorated by Baha’is worldwide this year, went even further.

“If statements and teachings of religion are found to be unreasonable and contrary to science, they are outcomes of superstition and imagination.”

Superstition | Bahá’í Quotes

Religion is often criticised on the basis of making claims that contradict reason and science. Some religions even celebrate claims where Divine Revelation is upheld over science. Other religions attempt to move away from literalism in their religion by considering allegorical interpretations and the like.

Each religion including the Baha’i Faith grapples with similar dichotomies, finding the balance between faith and reason. How do we deal with statements made by our religious founders that contradict science and religion? Is their guidance within your religion that better enables you to negotiate such dilemmas.

I’ve put this in the Interfaith discussion section as I’m interested to hear from practitioners from different religions and how they respond to such dilemmas. I’m disinterested in hearing from one group who simply wants to bash another.

So what in that religion is contrary to science

 

[Audie]

To me it isn't a problem.
My focus is not on science anyway, the people who want to include science in their beliefs do that, others don't

Obvious falsehoods dont concern you?

 

[Audie]

I see the biggest issue is that both science and religion need to progress together, each need to be embraced.

At this present time I see the tide turned from religions rejection science to where a lot of science has abandoned religion.

Regards Tony

What use is any religion in research

 

[Samael_Khan]

What use is any religion in research

Well the Bible has proven useful in archaeology considering that it is, imo, historical fiction. Especially when it comes to guiding us to historical information regarding certain civilisations.