This is my first post, and my first ever formal writing paper. Feed back would be greatly appreciated. I struggle with grammar, so any grammar corrections would be wonderful.
Some people believe that science and religion are harmonious with each other; however, reason should dictate to the prudent person that religion is incompatible with science. Science can be defined as the study of the physical and natural world and phenomena, especially by using systematic observation and experiment. Whereas religion can be defined as people's beliefs and opinions concerning the existence, nature, and worship of a deity or deities, and divine involvement in the universe and human life. A scientific theory is based on concrete evidence supported by verifiable data, while religion is riddled with superstitions, myths, and intolerance. Is it any wonder why ninety-five percent of the scientific community rejects any and all forms of religion?
Science adheres to a strict interpretation of facts using the scientific method, while on the other hand religion adheres to metaphysical claims of faith and personal experience.
The scientific method starts with a specific question such as, how can the distance of a star be measured? Scientists conduct background research that allows them to form hypotheses that are tested by conducting an experiment. The scientific method then calls for empirical data to be vigorously analyzed before the scientist finally communicates his or her results, and these results are tested and refined repeatedly. Religion has no such factual method to test its claims regarding metaphysical things such as souls, angels, demons, and prayer. The method that guides religion is subject to each individual person's interpretation. This evidence is bared out by the fact that there are so many thousands of different religions that claim to know the truth. As one preacher once said, "All religions are either true or all religions are either false, "they cannot all be true unless there is only one true religion."
Religion is a mater of faith, while science is based on reason. An Orthodox Pastor once listed several detailed reasons as to why he believed in religion, and he summed them up by saying this "My personal reasons are adequate and sufficient for me and I believe the Bible by faith because the Holy Spirit has shown me that it is the Word of God". A religious person must appeal to faith regardless of how intellectual their arguments may sound, and once faith is appealed to it is nearly impossible to counter that proposition. Faith can be used to justify all manner of absurd and uncanny claims, rather it be a Muslim suicide bomber justifying his act of terror or a Christian that believes that it is possible for a virgin to conceive a child. Science tells us a different story, for science is based on fact and reason not faith. Newton was not guided by faith when he gave us physics, nor was Einstein receiving direct revelation from God when he put forth the theory of relativity. As was once commented by an atheist that used to be a pastor, "Scientists do not join hands every Sunday and sing "Yes gravity is real! I know gravity is real! I will have faith! I believe in my heart that what goes up, up, up must come down, down, down. Amen!" If they did, we would think they were pretty insecure about the concept."
Nothing contrasts the incompatibility of science and religion better than the theory of evolution. Excluding a small minority of religions that believe in theistic evolution, (the theory that God used evolution to create the universe and human beings) the vast majority of religious people believe in divine creation as well as the earth is only six-thousand years old .Science has proven through the fossil record that simple animals and plants existed on earth long before complex ones, for example, invertebrate animals were on earth way before vertebrate animals. Pictures of human babies being born with tails that needed to be surgically removed have been documented in countless books on evolution. Through methods like radio metric dating and vast quantities of other scientific methods, it has absolutely been proven that the earth is older than six-thousand years. Despite this overwhelming proof, subscribers to religion persistently hold to such false beliefs. Science tells us how things are possible, not why things are possible. Religious persons want to know why the earth was created, so they insert God into the gap of the unknown.
Christianity clearly conflicts science in such major areas as the origins of mankind, the theory of evolution, and the age of the earth. The principals of reason consistently, through empirical observation and data that can be tested and proven, show that science is incompatible with Christianity. If we are going to subscribe to any faith, let us subscribe to the faith that compassionate human beings using science can work toward solving this planets critical crises to come. No religion needed.
