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Religion versus Science

Feature Article Religion versus Science
MAR 7, 2011 LISTEN

Man is prisoner of his belief systems and thought process. More than man's struggle for his biological existence, man struggle to ensure that he has followers for his beliefs. The beliefs can be the beliefs he has inherited from the previous generation or beliefs that are synthesized by him. From the prehistoric time, man has never allowed any one to challenge his/her belief system and those who made an attempt to challenge had met with severe consequences. Depending up the might and authority one had, decided the fate of the challenger/rebel.

With time, the belief system of man would have transformed into religious faith or group faith. The group faith or religious faith was the total faith of every individual in the given group and hence a disorderliness or discord would have happened in the course of time. This discord would have created the need for a leader whose voice could be treated as final and sacrilege was never tolerated. In the course of time, the religious institutions conquered the domain of man's thinking and independence. Man has become a mere product of the thought process that was taught to him and asked him to follow without raising any question.

How science would have found its place in the kingdom of autocratic religious institutions? Perhaps, science would have begun as new observation and new interpretation of nature. When rare interpretations were made out of some of the popular beliefs and accepted meanings, the existing belief system and dogmas started loosing their root. This was not well tolerated by the then 'decision makers' or those who were perpetuating the above believe system.

The question was not questing the believe system that had affected the religious institutions, but the 'identity crisis' of such institutions due to the arrival of new beliefs that had bothered much.

Science bowed to the religious institutions in the earlier days. To prove and accept science by the society, approvals of the religious institutions become necessary. Slowly science grew.

But today, the religious institutions are seeking science and its support to prove the ancient religious practices and beliefs. To bring the faith and conviction of people in religious rituals, science is much sought after by religious institutions. This is what is happening today.

If science becomes our ruler, man will be ruined by anarchy and greed as everything become 'science' and no place for sentiments or values and if religion become our ruler, man will be ruined by primitivism and fear as religion should not be questioned.

Our younger generation should be taught science with religion and religion with science otherwise the value system in man may perish and decay forever.

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