• Question: what are your religious views in relation to science?

    Asked by to Edward, Ian, Mathew, Naomi, sakshisharda on 17 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Mathew Piasecki

      Mathew Piasecki answered on 17 Jun 2014:

      Another good question. Personally I am not at all religious, I’m an atheist so I believe there is no evidence or requirement for any kind of deity. I think it would be difficult for me as a scientist to believe in one as everything we do relies upon evidence, and the 2 views would conflict. It’s not enough for me to sit back and think ‘oh well God did it’, it’s much more interesting to question it and try and find answers, that’s essentially what science is, a process of finding evidence. However I do know some very good scientists who have strong religious beliefs, so it isn’t unheard of.

    • Photo: Naomi Osborne

      Naomi Osborne answered on 17 Jun 2014:

      Like Mathew I am also an atheist but have scientist friends with religious beliefs. Science and religion are definitely compatible 🙂

    • Photo: Ian Stephenson

      Ian Stephenson answered on 17 Jun 2014:

      They shouldn’t clash because they deal with different things. Science can tell you how something works, but its a moral choice what to do with that information. Science can build a bomb, it can’t (generally) tell you should use it.

      However religion and science clash when religion starts talking about how planets formed, or how animals evolved. Inteligent Design/Creationism isn’t science. Evolution is about as much a certainty as it can be, but some religious groups disagree because the bible says otherwise. The bible isn’t evidence its opinion and advice.

      “Murdering people is bad” – is good advice, and its religious. Science doesn’t have an opinion on that, because it doesn’t deal with good and bad. Science doesn’t deal in moral issues, and religion shouldn’t deal in issues of fact. Then we’d get along fine…

    • Photo: Sakshi Sharda

      Sakshi Sharda answered on 17 Jun 2014:

      I completely agree with Ian. I too think that one cannot mix science and religion. It’s like having a big house and having a separate living room and a bedroom. Each has it’s own utility and one cannot replace another.

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