Two crucial forces, science and religion, helped shape Western civilization and continue to interact in our daily lives. What is the nature of their relationship? When do they conflict, and how do they influence each other in pursuit of knowledge and truth? Contrary to prevailing notions that they must perpetually clash, science and theology have actually been partners in an age-old adventure. This course covers both the historical sweep and philosophical flashpoints of this epic interaction.
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Click Here for ==> Science and Religion
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Professor Lawrence M. Principe unfolds a surprisingly cooperative dynamic in which theologians and natural scientists share methods, ideas, aspirations, and a tradition of disputational dialogue.
St. Augustine warned that it is dangerous for religious people to ignore science: “Many non-Christians are well versed in natural knowledge, so they can detect vast ignorance in such a Christian and laugh it to scorn.” He added that interpretation of biblical passages must be informed by the current state of demonstrable knowledge.
On the other hand, Sir Isaac Newton freely discusses the attributes and activities of God in Principia Mathematica, which sets forth his theory of gravity and laws of motion.
These examples represent the traditional relationship of science and religion that is too often obscured by the divisive, hot-headed rhetoric and the gross oversimplifications we often see in today’s headlines. Long before the shouting and the sloganeering, scientists and theologians pursued a unity of truth, and most theologians have agreed with the advice of Galileo’s colleague, Cardinal Baronio, that the Bible “tells us how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go.”
Once we understand this, we have a new perspective on many present-day controversies. The current anti-evolution furor, for example, centers on the fixation that Genesis 1 should be taken literally, an issue that had been resolved by theologians long ago. Professor Principe deems it “astonishingly trivial” and guides you through far more interesting arguments of advanced theology about powers and limits of human knowledge—the difficulty of identifying causation, and the means by which God acts in the world. He shows how science gives theologians powerful tools for enriching, not contradicting, their understanding of ultimate truths.
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Dr. Principe goes a long way in disavowing the erroneous view that there exists an inherent and necessary conflict between the disciplines of Science and Religion as is often portrayed by atheists’ writers can be expelled if and when one takes an unbiased look at the history of science. What it reveals is that modern science both grew out of and is an invention of medieval Christianity. As a kind of precursor in considering the way in which science evolved out of the medieval and Christian worldview we would invite you to consider a sample written by Dinesh D’Souza taken from his →What’s So Great About Christianity which we find in the chapter titled → Christianity and Reason.
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We invite you to take a look at our James Tour, and Hugh Ross and Stephen Myers pages.
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