“Faith vs Fact”- Can Science and Religion Co-exist?

Ever since the dawn of civilization, there has been much debate on the worth and dignity of science and religion; the intellectuals, thinkers, philosophers are divided even today on the conflicting belief in the matter of supremacy of one over the other.

Science is Objective, Religion is Subjective 

With the rapid progress made by science and technology in the recent past, the conflicts between the two widen further. Science, on one hand, concludes theories on the basis of experiments and analytical logic, while religious theories are based on experience, meditation, and blind faith. 

Science deals with things objectively, while religion is a subjective matter. In the present age of rapid growth in scientific advancements in all walks of life., further history would depend on the way of living of the new generation to reconcile the conflict between science and religion. 

Religion is mainly a phenomenon of faith, a purely subjective topic while science is based totally on reasoning and analytically proving the concepts based on laboratory or mechanical experiments. 

Science always speaks the truth in crude language and in absolute terms, while religion speaks in poetic and touching sentiments.

Science has the credit for all the material progress made in the world, religion enjoys the credit of providing mental peace and solace in the world, where everyone is mortal.

Through science one can amass uncountable wealth, unimaginable luxuries, all material and physical things, that one needs to make oneself more efficient, quick, important in the eyes of others, but not the mental solace, the self-respect, the internal peace he can secure through religion.

Hence, science gives luxuries and materialistic living to a man while religion gives him peace of mind. 

The Deep Connection Between Science & Religion

Many great scientists and scholars have given the credit of their achievements to the Almighty, a supernatural being, it shows that religion is not an unimportant concept to throw away. 

There is no weightage for moral and ethical values in the world created by scientific inventions and discoveries, but without the former, the world becomes a self-destructive entity.

By pushing a button of nuclear warhead the whole world or the whole civilization may face destruction; science is not going to tell you the consequences of the act of pushing a button but it is the values imbibed in a man because of his faith in a religion, which prevents him to push a button which unfortunately has the power to destroy the beautiful creature created by the will of Almighty. 

The approach of science towards life is crude, monotonous, devoid of emotions whereas religion approaches life with animation, faith in self, and the Omnipotent.

According to religion the existence of man is by the will of ‘God’, all good and bad happens by his will while science rejects all these concepts and believes that the birth of a child is the result of sexual relations between man and woman. 

Science has been able to cure several incurable diseases but unable to conquer the inevitable death. Science can’t tell the reason behind the re-birth of a soul.

It’s All About Finding Answers ...

All the mysteries which aren’t or can’t be solved by science today because they can’t be proved are satisfied by religion somehow because people get their answers on the basis of faith in universal power. 

Swami Vivekananda in his speech in Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893 said that science is nothing but finding unity, once it reaches perfect unity it would stop further progress because the goal would be reached.

Chemistry would not progress further when it discovers that one element out of which all others could be made. 

The day when science and religion are able to discover ‘Him’ who is the one living in a Universe of Death, ‘Him’ who is the constant basis of an ever-changing world, one who is the only soul of which all souls are but delusive manifestations. After this discovery, Religion won’t go further hopefully but science has to prove that first. 

However, the never-ending war between science and religion has enabled one to maintain a balance in the world as too much belief in religion is indeed harmful to us and if we totally believe in science then human beings tend to become emotionless and feelingless. 

When science and religion are busy finding and proving their points, appreciate, accept and acknowledge the bond between existence and non-existence.

Written by- Devika Thapar