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Religion

In reply to the discussion: Is religion a science? [View all]

longship

(40,416 posts)
37. Yup. Science is not about belief.
Tue Apr 7, 2015, 03:48 PM
Apr 2015

It is about methodology. Self-checking; self-correcting; no authority except the data.

Religion is something other than those things. Not sure quite what, except that it seems to include none of them.

And I am not an advocate of Gould's NOMA (non-overlapping magisteria). That argument is rubbish, given religion's centuries old trampling down of science. Witness Galileo, Ken Ham, and today's GOP.

But there are grey zones where the demarcation becomes blurred. E.G., so-called string theory which has decades of advancement in mathematics that I cannot even grasp (in spite of my years of math and physics education) but has next to nothing to show for itself in physics after all that rather intense study.

I leave it to believers to argue their side. There are some who I rather like. But somehow those people seem to never claim that they know the mind of the god that they believe in. I am fine with that because those same people seem to not want to push their beliefs on others. That is the crux of the religion problem, IMHO.

I don't give a fuck what people believe or not believe. Just let me believe or not believe what I want, or not. That is one lesson which would make this whole world an awesomely better place. However, the extent to which pushing ones religious beliefs on others is an essential characteristic of religion, I must proudly and militantly stand up against it all.

Sadly, in the 21st century, this seems to be the case. I wish it was not so.

Is religion a science? [View all] Fumesucker Apr 2015 OP
Are you talking about Theology, the study of religon, or Catholicism, Islam, Baptists, Budhism? Agnosticsherbet Apr 2015 #1
The folks who keep announcing okasha Apr 2015 #2
Well, there are really too many different religions and definitions for "religion" to answer this... NYC_SKP Apr 2015 #3
Is it allowed to love them both? guillaumeb Apr 2015 #7
No Kidding! I'm a lover not a hater and you know what they say.... NYC_SKP Apr 2015 #13
but many haters hate it when you do not reciprocate the hate guillaumeb Apr 2015 #14
I KNOW!!! NYC_SKP Apr 2015 #15
Hmm... I see somewhat less hypocrisy in science than religion... Fumesucker Apr 2015 #22
Incorrect phil89 Apr 2015 #27
Several things I would ask that you clarify. cbayer Apr 2015 #4
easy one guillaumeb Apr 2015 #8
You have it correctly and backwards. cbayer Apr 2015 #10
thank you, I think guillaumeb Apr 2015 #11
Which was Descartes' argument for the existence of God. longship Apr 2015 #35
That was my intent. guillaumeb Apr 2015 #39
I was merely attempting to frame the quote in its context. longship Apr 2015 #42
I took no insult guillaumeb Apr 2015 #43
Plus my Latin is mostly limited to "cogito ergo sum" longship Apr 2015 #44
nice picture guillaumeb Apr 2015 #45
A great statement of the demarkation problem. longship Apr 2015 #33
This comparison always seems to boil down to some kind of dog fight as cbayer Apr 2015 #36
Yup. Science is not about belief. longship Apr 2015 #37
They are completely different things. cbayer Apr 2015 #46
For what it's worth, I think you are overstating the historic conflict between science and religion, LTX Apr 2015 #70
Thanks LTX. longship Apr 2015 #73
Science enables technonogy that allows for the creation of entities with powers... stone space Apr 2015 #5
Good point... Fumesucker Apr 2015 #23
Some people are idiots. RandySF Apr 2015 #6
Yes, and proximate, to boot. n/t. bvf Apr 2015 #19
! beam me up scottie Apr 2015 #20
no n/t handmade34 Apr 2015 #9
No!!! onecaliberal Apr 2015 #12
Awkward proposition. pinto Apr 2015 #16
There is a thread about "is science a religion?", some posters on that thread seem to think so.. Fumesucker Apr 2015 #21
Ah, your logical equation has a weak point. cbayer Apr 2015 #24
I just wanted to see people deny that religion was a science Fumesucker Apr 2015 #25
Can you point me to where someone has said that science is a religion? cbayer Apr 2015 #29
Seriously? skepticscott Apr 2015 #47
Good question. bvf Apr 2015 #17
"God did it." ret5hd Apr 2015 #28
There is no religious method. Explain scientific faith? cbayer Apr 2015 #30
Cute. bvf Apr 2015 #34
Like science, religion probably has lots of methods. stone space Apr 2015 #40
No... uriel1972 Apr 2015 #18
Not to be unnecessarily obstreperous, but LTX Apr 2015 #71
In most cases, No. DetlefK Apr 2015 #26
Science is a method. Maedhros Apr 2015 #31
Yet we have religious "scholars" who bvf Apr 2015 #38
Indeed nil desperandum Apr 2015 #41
Religious "scholars" do not live tax-free. cbayer Apr 2015 #48
Okey dokey. bvf Apr 2015 #49
No. okasha Apr 2015 #50
There may be more truth in that statement. rug Apr 2015 #51
Oh, indeed. okasha Apr 2015 #54
I see the problem. bvf Apr 2015 #52
Now find the other one. okasha Apr 2015 #55
Ah! Thanks. bvf Apr 2015 #56
Keep trying. okasha Apr 2015 #57
Um, your elision of an opening quotation mark bvf Apr 2015 #58
Keep trying. okasha Apr 2015 #59
That pretty much can be applied to everyone in academia. cbayer Apr 2015 #60
Glad you are able to distinguish bvf Apr 2015 #61
Yes, I did exactly that because they are distinct things which you cbayer Apr 2015 #62
Get thee a fucking dictionary, will you? bvf Apr 2015 #63
Do you disagree with my definitions? What are yours? cbayer Apr 2015 #64
Yes, to you, words mean whatever you want them to. bvf Apr 2015 #65
So what are your definitions of cleric and religious scholar and how do they differ from mine? cbayer Apr 2015 #66
You lose. bvf Apr 2015 #67
Okay, congratulations! See you around. cbayer Apr 2015 #68
That's exactly what you've posted. okasha Apr 2015 #69
If religious beliefs are "not subject to change," LTX Apr 2015 #72
Jesus is the Son of God, who died for our sins so that we may have everlasting life in Heaven. Maedhros Apr 2015 #74
So in your world, everyone is a trinitarian christian? LTX Apr 2015 #75
Religions interpret the world to match their tenets. Maedhros Apr 2015 #76
Then why have so many religious groups changed their position on GLBT rights? cbayer Apr 2015 #77
I wouldn't consider that to be a fundamental tenet. Maedhros Apr 2015 #79
Well, no, they wouldn't engage in the scientific method when it comes to fundamental tenets. cbayer Apr 2015 #81
It appears that you've developed your own set of "revealed truths." LTX Apr 2015 #78
I have a purple crayon. n/t Binkie The Clown Apr 2015 #32
Be careful. rug Apr 2015 #53
No. They are opposites. immoderate Apr 2015 #80
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