The Conflict between Science and the Bible
I've been working for a while now on the question of Science and Christianity. I've learned some very interesting key points that I'd like to share.
1)Christianity and ancient Greece created Science
The first key step was taken in Greece by the creation of theoretical science. The Greeks were the first to formulate general explanations of how the world works (theories). The second key step was taken by Christian monks in Medieval Universities. They tested theories with observations, which the Greeks had all rejected.
2)The Chinese rejected the possibility of Science for religious and atheistic reasons
All of the religions of the intellectual elite of China were explicitly atheistic. They taught some sort of impersonal essence behind everything. Of course the common people remained polytheists and still are today. But they rejected science because they believed the universe cannot be comprehended by rational intellect. They proposed it was too complex for the human brain to possibly understand and that words could never express the complexity of the universe. These same objections apply to atheism still today. While atheists accept current science, as efforts march into new territory, they could easily lose faith in the possibility of progress. Christians had faith in such progress because they believed the universe was the creation of a rational mind. And being created in the image of this being, humans also had rational minds. Furthermore, Christians had long used reasoning to better understand God in Theology. To be clear, the Greeks had faith in human reason as well. But the Christians believed that a rational God had created the universe, which Greeks did not believe. Thus Christians thought observation of this world could unlock better and hidden scientific theories.
3)Muslims rejected science and theology on religious grounds.
Muslims first rejected theological debates. These debates led to violence just as in Christianity earlier. But in the Muslim world, a certain political power was able to gain widespread authority and literally banned all debate. Rather he took one side and said it was a sin to question it. Later on, Muslims said the idea of laws of Science were sins because they restricted the freedom of Allah's will. The exact same ideas were proposed in Christianity. But in Christian circles the debate continued and the side favoring laws of science won the argument.
4)The conflict between the Bible and science isn't as bad as it seems.
First of all, Christianity created science. Second, there were no conflicts with religion for centuries. The first conflict was over the question of whether the Earth orbits the Sun or vice versa. So the question is often raised today. Why is the Bible filled with so much scientific nonsense? But more importantly, there is the question of diving accommodation. Look at the options from God's perspective.
option A)The original receivers of the Bible are totally blown away and have no idea what God is talking about. So they learn nothing.
option B)God is successful in teaching ancients scientific truths. But even the simplest knowledge in the hands of Nero or Sargon would have resulted in destruction on such a scale that humanity may have been exterminated. Think of the level of horror in the first World Wars BEFORE the creation of the atomic bomb. Now imagine the world of 2000 BC, when Genesis was soon to be written. Nobody had the slightest hint that slavery was wrong. Children were considered the property of fathers and could be executed at will. Wars of conquest and massacre weren't considered immoral in the slightest anywhere on the planet. A brutal ruling elite took all excess wealth and kept the massive population barely above starvation. For example, the Roman empire probably declined the population of Europe simply by it's brutal excesses.
1)Christianity and ancient Greece created Science
The first key step was taken in Greece by the creation of theoretical science. The Greeks were the first to formulate general explanations of how the world works (theories). The second key step was taken by Christian monks in Medieval Universities. They tested theories with observations, which the Greeks had all rejected.
2)The Chinese rejected the possibility of Science for religious and atheistic reasons
All of the religions of the intellectual elite of China were explicitly atheistic. They taught some sort of impersonal essence behind everything. Of course the common people remained polytheists and still are today. But they rejected science because they believed the universe cannot be comprehended by rational intellect. They proposed it was too complex for the human brain to possibly understand and that words could never express the complexity of the universe. These same objections apply to atheism still today. While atheists accept current science, as efforts march into new territory, they could easily lose faith in the possibility of progress. Christians had faith in such progress because they believed the universe was the creation of a rational mind. And being created in the image of this being, humans also had rational minds. Furthermore, Christians had long used reasoning to better understand God in Theology. To be clear, the Greeks had faith in human reason as well. But the Christians believed that a rational God had created the universe, which Greeks did not believe. Thus Christians thought observation of this world could unlock better and hidden scientific theories.
3)Muslims rejected science and theology on religious grounds.
Muslims first rejected theological debates. These debates led to violence just as in Christianity earlier. But in the Muslim world, a certain political power was able to gain widespread authority and literally banned all debate. Rather he took one side and said it was a sin to question it. Later on, Muslims said the idea of laws of Science were sins because they restricted the freedom of Allah's will. The exact same ideas were proposed in Christianity. But in Christian circles the debate continued and the side favoring laws of science won the argument.
4)The conflict between the Bible and science isn't as bad as it seems.
First of all, Christianity created science. Second, there were no conflicts with religion for centuries. The first conflict was over the question of whether the Earth orbits the Sun or vice versa. So the question is often raised today. Why is the Bible filled with so much scientific nonsense? But more importantly, there is the question of diving accommodation. Look at the options from God's perspective.
option A)The original receivers of the Bible are totally blown away and have no idea what God is talking about. So they learn nothing.
option B)God is successful in teaching ancients scientific truths. But even the simplest knowledge in the hands of Nero or Sargon would have resulted in destruction on such a scale that humanity may have been exterminated. Think of the level of horror in the first World Wars BEFORE the creation of the atomic bomb. Now imagine the world of 2000 BC, when Genesis was soon to be written. Nobody had the slightest hint that slavery was wrong. Children were considered the property of fathers and could be executed at will. Wars of conquest and massacre weren't considered immoral in the slightest anywhere on the planet. A brutal ruling elite took all excess wealth and kept the massive population barely above starvation. For example, the Roman empire probably declined the population of Europe simply by it's brutal excesses.
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