Is science a religion?

[Ormiston]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051126/ap_on_sc/evolution_lawsuit


Wow. So, are there any religious teachings in science? What about math, typing, or auto shop? We know cooking is religious thanks to the good old FSM, but what about science?

 

[Steve]

Science isnt a religion, evolution is.

Take for example what Michael Ruse (professor of philosophy and zoology at the University of Guelph, Canada) said regarding this point.

"Evolution is promoted by its practitioners as more than mere science. Evolution is promulgated as an ideology, a secular religion—a full-fledged alternative to Christianity, with meaning and morality. I am an ardent evolutionist and an ex-Christian, but I must admit that in this one complaint—and Mr Gish is but one of many to make it—the literalists are absolutely right. Evolution is a religion. This was true of evolution in the beginning, and it is true of evolution still today.
‘… Evolution therefore came into being as a kind of secular ideology, an explicit substitute for Christianity.’"

 

[Sunstone]

Science isnt a religion, evolution is.

Take for example what Michael Ruse (professor of philosophy and zoology at the University of Guelph, Canada) said regarding this point.

"Evolution is promoted by its practitioners as more than mere science. Evolution is promulgated as an ideology, a secular religion—a full-fledged alternative to Christianity, with meaning and morality. I am an ardent evolutionist and an ex-Christian, but I must admit that in this one complaint—and Mr Gish is but one of many to make it—the literalists are absolutely right. Evolution is a religion. This was true of evolution in the beginning, and it is true of evolution still today.
‘… Evolution therefore came into being as a kind of secular ideology, an explicit substitute for Christianity.’"

This seems to confuse ideologies spun off from evolution with the science of evolution. The two are not necessarily the same thing.

 

[JerryL]

Science isnt a religion, evolution is.

I suppose you have something other than an appeal to authority (actually, it's more of a random appeal as your cite isn't an authority. hes not a historian).

Shall I grab Webster an post the definition of "religion" to give you a hand?

 

[michel]

BERKELEY, Calif. - A California couple has sued the operators of a University of California-Berkeley Web site designed to help teachers teach evolution, claiming it improperly strays into religion.

I couldn't go past that........lol.

You guys have a real problem with religion - I don't envy you.

 

[Sunstone]

You guys have a real problem with religion - I don't envy you.

It seems we're still struggling with just how secular of a society we want on this side of the Atlantic. I used to think that question was settled, but it seems to have been reopened in recent years. What fun!

 

[Scuba Pete]

Those who think that evolution disproves God make it into a religion. It's a shame that they subvert science to back their claims. Its also a shame that many will discount science to back their flawed understanding of the Scriptures.

 

[Nick Soapdish]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051126/ap_on_sc/evolution_lawsuit


Wow. So, are there any religious teachings in science? What about math, typing, or auto shop? We know cooking is religious thanks to the good old FSM, but what about science?

I wouldn't go so far to say it is a religion, but there is no doubt that science is heavily politicized.

 

[JerryL]

I wouldn't go so far to say it is a religion, but there is no doubt that science is heavily politicized.

It is now, at least in America... the Bush administration has seen to that.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

It's a shame that they subvert science to back their claims.

Who are they ... specifically?

 

[Fatmop]

there is no doubt that science is heavily politicized.

It doesn't want to be. A new book came out recently, called "The Republican War on Science" by Chris Mooney. If you aren't averse to reading something that rails on Republicans a bit, you really should check it out.

 

[Scuba Pete]

I saw that Fatmop and almost bought it.

 

[A. Leaf]

Imagine another planet just 250,000 years more advanced on an Intelligent level that us, would they bother with us all the time their was wars, famine, corruption, murders, no repect for the Intelligence of life on earth and yet while all this is going on SETI is searching for them?
God, well old and more advanced than we can comprehend. respect and love the Intelligence of life.

 

[Fatmop]

I saw that Fatmop and almost bought it.

It chronicles recent abuses of science by the far Right. Everything from Gingrich's 'sound science' reforms to the global warming denial movement is exposed, and with incredible attention to detail.

Imagine another planet just 250,000 years more advanced on an Intelligent level that us, would they bother with us all the time their was wars, famine, corruption, murders, no repect for the Intelligence of life on earth and yet while all this is going on SETI is searching for them?
God, well old and more advanced than we can comprehend. respect and love the Intelligence of life.

What?? Is that... is that a response to the topic at all? I don't get it.

 

[A. Leaf]

Religion= the Teaching of pure Love / Science=Looking for the equation for pure love

 

[Fatmop]

Science=Looking for the equation for pure love

Bull. Show me a single scientific study looking for the 'equation for pure love.' Certainly, there are neurologists looking for the chemical causes of emotions - and they've hit on quite a few - but nobody plans on reducing love to an equation, and certainly not all of science deals with emotions at all. I don't think astrophysicists, paleontologists, etc. are searching for love.

 

[Bea Ond]

I so wanted to find something of substance here, something to actually get upset about. I have been arguing I.D. on another site and have been telling people that I would be just as opposed to the teaching of materialism or atheism in the classroom. And I hoped that I would find evidence of this so I could rage against it and prove that I am not a hypocrite. But I haven’t found anything like that. It is actually a pretty good site, a lot of detailed information in an easy to understand format. Check it out – Understanding Evolution.

 

[Fatmop]

I so wanted to find something of substance here, something to actually get upset about.

The two aren't always the same thing...

So, you said you had been arguing ID. Does that mean for teaching in the classroom, or against?

 

[Ormiston]

Science isnt a religion, evolution is.

Take for example what Michael Ruse (professor of philosophy and zoology at the University of Guelph, Canada) said regarding this point.

"Evolution is promoted by its practitioners as more than mere science. Evolution is promulgated as an ideology, a secular religion—a full-fledged alternative to Christianity, with meaning and morality. I am an ardent evolutionist and an ex-Christian, but I must admit that in this one complaint—and Mr Gish is but one of many to make it—the literalists are absolutely right. Evolution is a religion. This was true of evolution in the beginning, and it is true of evolution still today.
‘… Evolution therefore came into being as a kind of secular ideology, an explicit substitute for Christianity.’"

This is rediculous. Evolution came into being, in the beginning, as a kind of OBSERVATION. Not a secular ideology. There are plenty of substitutes for Christianity (all of which I recommend) and I don't think evolution is one of them.

 

[ladylazarus]

One who actually adheres to the principles of the scientific method does not have beliefs, he has conclusions. Because of this, science is not a religion. Religion requires belief.

Atheism as a belief that god does not exist (gnostic atheism) is a religion, atheism as a lack of belief in god (agnostic atheism) is a scientific conclusion.

"Evolution is promoted by its practitioners as more than mere science. Evolution is promulgated as an ideology, a secular religion—a full-fledged alternative to Christianity, with meaning and morality. I am an ardent evolutionist and an ex-Christian, but I must admit that in this one complaint—and Mr Gish is but one of many to make it—the literalists are absolutely right. Evolution is a religion. This was true of evolution in the beginning, and it is true of evolution still today.
‘… Evolution therefore came into being as a kind of secular ideology, an explicit substitute for Christianity.’"

Evolution by natural selection is a scientific theory. There is nothing to debate. It in no way gives meaning or morality to life, it simply explains an aspect of the natural world.