Witchvox Article

Author: Disciple of Oghma
Posted: February 3rd. 2008
Times Viewed: 2,078

Science. Philosophy. Religion. Why do people insist that these three tools of human understanding be divorced from one another?

Science is the human attempt to wrap our senses around a concept. We are trying to quantify it so that we can have and understanding of it and in some small way have mastery over it. We want to know it and possess it to understand its relationships with the world and its relationship with itself. We want to be able to neatly label it and understand how it works.

Science is the domain of the senses.

We want to apply our sight, touch, taste, smell, hearing to each part and parcel of the world and its elements. Why must this be separated form philosophy and religion?

Modern popular religions have come to try integration with science. Things they have just accepted as truth because their holy scripts say it is so, they have begun applying science to try to prove.

Archeologists apply the science of modern forensics to dig sites to try and credit the old assumptions of people, places and events in the historical sections of their holy writs.

The debate of Evolution has taken on an ironic twist. More and more Creationists are using science and fossil records, that were once used against them, to try and prove their theories.

What was once a platform of faith has taken to using science to try and credit it. While the Evolutionist standpoint has taken on a platform of, some say, faith based science.

They have, to me at least, failed to fully explain the origin of existence. It requires a great deal of faith to believe both in the Law of conservation of mass and energy and to believe in the spontaneous generation of the cosmos. Even the Big Bang doesn�t explain where the original mass of compressed matter came from.

So while the Creationists have turned to science the Evolutionists have become a faith. So why still do they insist on divorcing the two?

As an example of the schism, lets consider a matter that is in debate that touches all three areas: The Soul.

There is the theory of the "Ghost in the Machine" that philosophers, scientists, and religious leaders discount. The theory of the ghost in the machine is that the indefinable "soul" which has eluded human attempt at definition may have a scientific recognition at last.

While still not entirely accepted by the scientific community there are members that are advancing the idea that the electromagnetic cloud generated by most life forms may be the soul.

Religious leaders scorn it because they feel the idea that scientists using equipment to sense the soul as a blasphemous thing. They believe that the soul is only the domain of god. And most scientist tend to shy away from the "paranormal" even though they are able to pick up distinct electromagnetic signatures that are so distinct that each and every life form has its own fingerprint uniqueness.

Philosophers have endlessly debated the reality of the soul and chatter endlessly about it. Now I am only writing my opinions for humans, in their wealth of knowledge are still largely ignorant of the mechanics of the universe. But science even in its own, limited way is merely an attempt to understand the cosmos and our place in it.

Religion as well is merely a tool of human understanding. We try to take the unexplainable events in the world and our lives and come up with a human explanation. We take the Force that created us and try to place a human face and personality upon it in order to give ourselves a positive human goal to our lives and try and find an acceptable purpose to live.

We wrap our hearts and hope blindly around these ideas of who our creator (s) is and how we should relate to it and ourselves. Religion is supposed to be a positive tool. It is not supposed to be a lash or chain. It is the domain of the human heart. Lost floating in space trying to form a template in which to better understand itself and the universe.

It is belief. It doesn�t rely on facts and logic. Just creative inspiration, intuition, and the questing spirit of man.

Why must it be on bad terms with science?

Science is the quest for truth. Religion is a quest for hope.

Philosophy is the art of human conjecture. A logical path of thought and reasoning where man considers every action and every though an experiment. It is raw intellect and logical understanding.

It is not as refined as science. Nor is it as existentially wide a view as religion. But rather it is alike to both its brethren. It attempts to understand both the physical and spiritual aspects of the world, the soul, and the divine.

It is a logical course but it is not as restrictive and restrained as science. It�s a formal fumbling attempt to understand oneself and your surroundings, your world, your origins, and your place in it. It has both the openness and empowerment of religion and the thirst for understanding of science.

So these three aren't opposing sides of a Life Path. They are tools that can be used or disregarded at your leisure.

A science is an ordered pursuit of understanding.

A religion is a template, which you use to understand your world and your place within it.

And a philosophy is merely a pursuit to understand and grasp your existence and the relationship you have with the cosmos both physically and spiritually.

So one may conjecture that a Religion IS a Philosophy and a Philosophy IS a Science. A Science is BOTH a Religion AND a Philosophy.

As Fatalistic creatures we tend to seek the ends of our journeys. We want Blacks and Whites in this colored world. Extremes help us to measure our world and ourselves. But often we seek these extremes so that we lose sight of balance.

We become fanatics seeking hope or seeking truth. They are acceptable paths but often we overlook the path of balance.

Can we not be spiritual, set within an edifying religion, acting upon a positive unassuming philosophy, seeking truth with our science? Can we not seek both Truth and Hope?

As long as we, who are responsible for our choices master ourselves, and we are not blind slaves to any science, faith, or philosophy. As long as we are free, we can find balance.

Instead of trying to separate and divorce these paths I suggest marrying and blending them. Wise use of them in sync balances them.

Science balances religion. Science is tempered by philosophy. Philosophy blends logic of the mind with the heart of religion.

Perhaps we can use and celebrate all the tools at our disposal and forge a world worthy of the children that will inherit it?

Footnotes:
http://www.ebonmusings.org/atheism/ghost.html Ghost in the machine musing

ABOUT...

Disciple of Oghma

Location: Lafayette, Indiana

Author's Profile: To learn more about Disciple of Oghma - Click HERE

Bio: I am 26 male. i was raised in Christianity and activetly studied and pursued it. The las Year I have met a Pagan friend and he has shown me things about myself and my beliefs that after actually looking at them I find ugly and repulsive. I consider myself a pagan now and follow a different path from my friend but we are brothers none the less. I am pursuing a religious philosophy of Balance and Mastery of myself while I am seeking the teachings and dogma of Oghma. I am learning and my philosophy changes daily but i am pursuing an acceptance of all paths (even the one I left) . I welcome any and all opinions to my email. Thank you for your time.

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