Reading Connections #2

For centuries religion has been there to explain the world around us and to give us a feeling of reassurance that everything happens for a reason. A so called “divine plan” put together by a supernatural force. Religion is a way of answering all of lives mysteries which cannot be solved with common knowledge. Within the last couple hundred years the development of scientific ideas has brought up many questions regarding the confidence in previous religious beliefs. This has brought lots of tension between the church and science since each side’s beliefs cancel out the others.
The articles “God vs. Science” by Dan Cray http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1555132-1,00.html and “How to Teach Science to the Pope” by Michael Mason discuss the ongoing joint existence between religion and science and how they are working together to bridge the gap between the two. “How to Teach Science to the Pope” talks about the Vatican Observatory and how it assumes a large role in determining the facts and fictions of science. Consolmagno is quoted in this article saying “The idea that the universe is worth studying just because it’s worth studying is a religious idea.” This is because the church believes that understanding the universe is a way to worship Gods creation. The Academy of Science is made up of the best scientists in the world, some religious and some not. Father George Coyne has said there are no adequate reasons to believe in God, he believes that you only need to believe that there is a “mysterious unknown at the root of the universe.” In the article “God vs. Science” I found something that I thought was interesting. It discussed the Multiverse hypothesis which says that our universe may be one in a cascade of universes which negates the idea of divine intervention and significantly increases the odds of a universe containing human life.
After reading these two articles I think that the use of the Vatican Observatory to link religion and science is a great idea. Both can be used together to come to a conclusion on many complicated questions. Sometimes science cannot deliver any reasoning as to why things exist, this is a perfect time to apply religious ideas.

Works Cited

Cray, Dan. “God vs. Science.” Time Magazine. November 5, 2006. October 23, 2008 http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1555132-2,00.html

Mason, Michael. "How to Teach Science to the Pope." Discover Magazine. August 18, 2008. http://discovermagazine.com/2008/sep/18-how-to-teach-science-to-the-pope