VS
RELIGION
One of the oldest intellectual
debates ever conceived In human history. Who are we? Where do we come from? Why
are we here? What is death? Is there life after death? Is there a heaven or
hell? If not then what happens to us when we die?
These are some questions that
humans have been asking since the dawn of existence. And in an effort to answer
them and explain other world phenomenon humans came up with supernatural theories,
which later became folklore, which became myths, which became legends, which
invariably became religions.
There are many systems of beliefs
that exist in the world, and there are many that have existed in the past and
are now extinct.
Current Belief Systems (and origins)
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Extinct Belief Systems (and origins)
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Hinduism (India)
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Ancient Egyptian (Egypt)
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Jainism (India)
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Ancient Greek (Greece)
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Sikhism (India)
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Ancient Roman (Italy)
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Buddhism (India)
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Mayan (Mexico)
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Judaism (Israel)
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Aztec (Mexico)
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Christianity (Israel)
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Inca (Latin America)
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Islam (Mecca – Saudi Arabia)
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Norse (Scandinavia)
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Zoroastrianism (Persia – Modern day Iran)
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Babylon (Present day Iraq)
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Baha’i (Persia – Modern day Iran)
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Confucianism (China)
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Thinkers from every civilization have
tackled the question of our origins and the heavens. While religions developed,
scientific thought also developed. And for centuries they co-existed peacefully
with each other. Scientific advancements yielded newer technologies and
advanced maths, which resulted in prosperity for the kingdoms and its people. EVERY civilization made great
advancements in astronomy, metallurgy, construction, maths, science, medicine,
navigation, military, economics and civics to name a few.
So when did the rift between
Religious Doctrine and Science happen? If we look at every individual
religion’s relationship with science, we end up with a very strange result.
With the exception of a few faith-based belief systems, all others are quite
compatible with Science and fully endorse it!
A fundamental principle of the
Baha’i faith is the harmony of religion and science. Baha’I scripture asserts
that true science and true religion can never be in conflict. Abdu’l- Baha , the son of the founder
of the religion, stated that religion without science is superstition and that
science without religion is materialism. He also admonished that true religion
must conform to the conclusions of science.
Buddhism and science have
increasingly been discussed as compatible. Some philosophic and psychological
teachings within Buddhism share commonalities with modern Western scientific
and philosophical thought. For example, Buddhism encourages the impartial
investigation of nature (an activity referred to as Dhamma Vicaya in the Pali
Canon)—the principal object of study being oneself. A reliance on causality and
empiricism are common philosophical principles shared between Buddhism and
science. Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, spends a lot of time
with scientists. In his book, "The Universe in a Single Atom"
he wrote, "My confidence in venturing into science lies in my basic belief
that as in science, so in Buddhism, understanding the nature of reality is
pursued by means of critical investigation." and "If scientific
analysis were conclusively to demonstrate certain claims in Buddhism to be
false," he says, "then we must accept the findings of science and
abandon those claims.”
From an Islamic standpoint,
science, the study of nature, is considered to be linked to the concept of Tawhid
(the Oneness of God), as are all other branches of knowledge. In Islam, nature
is not seen as a separate entity, but rather as an integral part of Islam’s
holistic outlook on God, humanity, and the world. Unlike the other Abrahamic
monotheistic religions, Judaism and Christianity, the Islamic view of science
and nature is continuous with that of religion and God. This link implies a
sacred aspect “to the pursuit of scientific knowledge” by Muslims, as nature
itself is viewed in the Qur'an as “a compilation of signs pointing to the
Divine.” It was with this understanding that science was studied and understood
in Islamic civilizations, specifically during the eighth to sixteenth
centuries, prior to the colonization of the Muslim world. According to most
historians, the modern scientific method was first developed by Islamic
scientists, pioneered by Ibn Al-Haytham, known to the west as
"Alhazen". However, the colonizing powers of the western world and
their destruction of the Islamic scientific tradition forced the discourse of
Islam and Science in to a new period. Institutions that had existed for
centuries in the Muslim world were destroyed and replaced by new scientific
institutions implemented by the colonizing powers and suiting their economic,
political, and military agendas. This drastically changed the practice of
science in the Muslim world, as Islamic scientists had to interact with the
western approach to scientific learning, which was based on a philosophy of
nature completely foreign to them. From the time of this initial upheaval of
the Islamic scientific tradition to the present day, Muslim scientists and
scholars have developed a spectrum of viewpoints on the place of scientific
learning within the context of Islam, none of which are universally accepted or
practiced. However, most maintain the view that the acquisition of knowledge
and scientific pursuit in general is not in disaccord with Islamic thought and
religious belief.
Hinduism maintains two primary schools of thought regarding
Facts and Rationale. Samkhya and Nyaya. From a Hindu perspective, modern
science is a legitimate, but incomplete, step towards knowing and understanding
reality. Hinduism views that science only offers a limited view of reality, but
all it offers is right and correct.
Samkhya, the oldest school of Hindu philosophy prescribes a
particular method to analyze knowledge. According to Samkhya, all knowledge is
possible through three pramanas (means of valid knowledge)
- Pratyakṣa or Dṛṣṭam – direct
sense perception,
- Anumāna – Logical inference and
- Śabda or Āptavacana –
verbal testimony.
Nyaya, the Hindu
school of logic, accepts all these 3 means and in addition accepts one more -
Upmana (comparison).
Also Hindus find support for, or foreshadowing of evolutionary ideas in
scriptures, namely the Vedas: The incarnations of Vishnu (Dashavtara) is almost
identical to the scientific explanation of the sequence of biological evolution
of man and animals. The sequence of avatars starts from an aquatic organism (Matsya),
to an amphibian (Kurma), to a land-animal (Varaha), to a humanoid (Narsimha),
to a dwarf human (Vamana), to 5 forms of well-developed human beings (Parashurama,
Rama, Balarama/Buddha, Krishna, Kalki) who showcase an increasing form of
complexity (Axe-man, King, Plougher/Sage, wise Statesman, mighty Warrior). In
India, the home country of Hindus; educated Hindus widely accept the theory of
biological evolution. In a survey, 77% of respondents in India agreed that
enough scientific evidence exists to support Charles Darwin’s Theory of
Evolution, and 85 per cent of God-believing people said they believe in
evolution as well. An exception to this acceptance is the International Society
for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), which includes several members who actively
oppose "Darwinism" and the modern evolutionary theory.
Many modern day
Jews accept the science of evolution and do not see it as incompatible with
traditional Judaism. However some conservatives still maintain the Judeo-Abrahamic
Creationist theory, that God made the world in 6 days, rested on the seventh
and made ADAM and EVE (the first humans) from Clay and they populated the
Earth.
In Christianity the
rift is very pronounced. After establishing the Roman Catholic Church in the
Vatican, a lot of adjustments were made to make the conversion of the people of
the vast Roman Empire as easy as possible, such as shifting the birthday of Jesus
Christ to December 25 (Winter Solstice - an auspicious time for Romans). Though
there is no historical evidence of his exact date of birth, astronomical
evidence points to April 3. Also the name Jesus Christ is not the original
name. CHRIST (from GREEK christos,
means “the anointed one”) while JESUS is the Hellenised version of Joshua.
Moreover Creationist theories are Church sanctioned and as such MUST be
followed by the faithful, regardless of scientific evidence, which is labelled
as devilry and is as such, frowned upon by many conservatives. They also
maintain that the earth is no more than 6000 years old, and dinosaur fossils
are God’s methods of testing their faith (actual testimony, believe it or not).
Interestingly ISAAC NEWTON was a Creationist, and spent all his life trying to
prove the Bible by using Maths. Mechanics and Gravity were pure accidents.
However these days more people are opening up to the idea of Scientific Method;
Even Pope John Paul II was known to have a soft stance concerning Science.
It can thus be concluded that while many religions are present in the
world, very few of them have any real trouble regarding science. In fact, most
of them are compatible with modern science, while others are in the process of
transforming.
SUMANT AGNIHOTRI
CIM INDORE
