Religion vs. Science, Why?

I find that some people like to explain religion in terms of science and scientific thought or fact. I think there are very real limits as to how much this can and should be done. I once heard them contrasted as to how they are used to perceive Reality and pursue knowledge (God?). The scientific method is based upon empiracle proof. The scientist makes a hypothesis and conducts experiments to demonstrate or disprove that hypothesis. The results are written and distributed for other scientists to reproduce. Once the results are reproduced and it is generally accepted that they mean what they imply, then it is added to general model of how things work. An excellent example of this is the notion of the Doppler shift as a means of measuring the distance that a given galaxy is away from us.

Quantum theory on the other hand is simply a model of observed behavior at a sub-atomic level. It is not Reality Itself. Ask any physicist. Physics in particular, is about developing models that accurately predict observed behavior. This does not begin to say that this is what stuff really is. Photons equally have nature as both particles and waves. But you can't stop one. All you can really do is to conduct experiments which demonstrate their observed behavoir. And to say that they have a wave nature, I ask you, a wave nature of WHAT? What is it that they are waves OF? The Michaelson/Morley experiments of the late 1800's convincingly disproved the notion that light was an expression of the ether theory. What is it that light is a wave of? Yet light definitely has a wave nature.

Science is about modeling and describing the behavoir of physical nature. It is not about saying precisely what nature is.

Religion on the other hand is primarily about knowing God, ourselves and what is the best way to lead our lives. It has to do with the principles of living and love. It has to do with the why of Life.

I think that people like to mix science and religion because of the faith they have in science. It has a basis in unemotional empiracle experiment and evidence. On the other hand religion has been practiced though the ages as a means of control by a priesthood over everyone else. If science can explain things, then faith becomes a lot easier.

Sorry. It doesn't work that way. We use electricity in many ways in our lives, but I guarantee that nobody on this forum can precisely explain what an electron is, or for that matter, what magnetisim is. But we're all using this stuff in abundance just reading this forum.

I think that religion is best practiced as a personal method of learning about yourself and your relationship to the rest of Life. To know Self, to know God and beyond. This does not need to conflict with science, nor does it need to be validated by science. If you wish to be truly free, then you must be fully responsible for your own state of mind and heart. It is up to you to validate your own truths.