Dialectic Two-Step – Has Science Killed God?

Dialectic Two-Step  is an ongoing series of my thoughts on questions that come my way.

Wisdom lies neither in fixity nor in change, but in the dialectic between the two. - Octavio Paz  

Has Science Killed God?

I think that Religion (and to qualify, I am religious) MUST reckon with the facts that science has demonstrated about our world. American Christianity has been something of a poster child for what can go wrong with religion. At the turn of the twentieth century, there was a surge in religious fervor that was capitalized upon by what I would characterize as snake oil salesman. The product of this period was a religious fundamentalism that has been accepted all the way up to the Presidents of our great country. This phenomenon has led to

• Characters like Pat Robertson presuming to speak on behalf of God.
• People speak familiarly of Gods intentions, plans, preferences, and so on.
• Armageddon is predicted regularly.
• Corruption and justification of sinfulness are found in twisted interpretations of the Bible. God wants you to be prosperous! God wants your preacher to own 3 cars.
• Religion has typically stood in the way of social progress. Scripture has been quoted from the pulpit to justify racism, sexism, homosexuality, banning intermarriage, so on and so forth.
• Religion has consistently stood in opposition to science (from Galileo to the Scopes monkey trial)

But this phenomenon isn’t restricted to Christianity. I’m Buddhist and we have our own demons; corruption, sexual predators, and hate mongers all live within the fold. The institution of religion is one of society’s most efficient incubators for death, destruction, and darkness. This is quite a contrast to the hope that people look for when turning to a faith tradition. Richard Dawkins and his pack of friends don’t have to work very hard to develop a cogent and appealing argument for anti-theism.

There are decent people, strongly dedicated to carrying out the message of wisdom and love that Moses, Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, Krishna, all proclaimed. These people find a home and support in the temple, church, and mosque. In this way religion offers hope and great promise. But the church also harbors and abets the demons, hate mongers, and criminals.

People have two choices when it comes to dealing with the problems associated with religion in the US. They can stand up and fight within the church. Or they can vote with their feet. The decline of religiosity in the US is a testament to the latter.

Perhaps the nobler cause would be the former – taking up the fight. But its hard work and the institutions of religion are designed to repel such reform. The charges of heresy and blasphemy await those willing to take on this mantle. To enter the door of faith we’re conditioned to lower our guard and suspend disbelief in ideas that would otherwise be considered contradictory to what we know is true about the world. Religion can have the effect of intellectually disarming us.

Now despite my tone, I do believe there is some mystery to be explored here. I feel strongly that religious exploration is worth the effort. But ignorance is not a viable path in this endeavor. The world is what it is, whether it was created by God or not. Through our curiosity, we have discovered that buried within the inner workings of the universe lay clues to its origin. The most effective tool in the history of mankind to do this work has been the scientific method, not religion.

However, religion harbors some wonderful and important questions. But until the current collection of faith traditions get out of their own way, they are going the end up like Atenism, Mithraism, and Tengriism (religions that are now extinct).

I see a future where a collaboration of science and seekers of the divine will produce a much deeper and richer religious experience. In fact, there are many who have probably enjoyed this experience already. My hope is that religion will not stand in our way.

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