kriadydragon (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
kriadydragon) wrote2012-11-20 09:17 pm
kriadydragon) wrote2012-11-20 09:17 pm
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No, it doesn't have to be one or the other
Okay, so maybe this is simply a matter of me being a lot more aware of certain issues than I used to be but I feel like there's been a steady increase of the attitude that "All religious people are superstitious idiots who think science is evil." I mean, I know the debate of science vs. religion and you either believe in science or you believe in God has been around forever, but I've always considered it one of those incredibly stupid and pointless arguments because while, yes, granted, you do have your religions who totally reject science, as usual it is not the case with every single religion out there.
My faith, for example. We don't see God as some magician who waved his hand and, poof, there was the Earth. We believe he works in natural ways just as much as mysterious ways (as a religious teacher of mine once put it, God has a Ph.d in everything). For us, science doesn't disprove anything, instead it explains a lot. There are scientists out there who believe in God, and instead of their faith being diminished by science, it's increased. Speaking for myself, I adore shows that explore how the Earth might have been made, or the moon, or the galaxy, because it's so fascinating and reminds me just how awesome God's creations are. As for those bits and tiddles of science that I don't agree with... for one, I just don't worry about it. For another, come on, scientists disagree about stuff all the time, and what's fact today may be disproved by tomorrow. Thus why I don't worry about it.
So, yeah, don't give me this crap about it's either science or religion and you can't be a scientist and be religious, or that being religious stifles the need to ask questions and make discoveries. It's sort of like with that Baptist church who protests funerals - they do not represent religion and religious people as a whole. So just because someone says they're Christian don't even assume that means they reject science. And just because someone's a scientist does not automatically mean they don't believe in God.
I've been on this major "don't judge a religion by the fanatics" kick lately. Or, more accurately, "quit it with the religious-shaming" kick. I feel like anti-religious feelings (and I mean really nasty anti-religious feelings) have been sky-rocketing, lately. Then again, I feel there's been a drastic increase of having no respect for other people's opinions and beliefs, period. That it's gone from let's agree to disagree, to you don't agree with me therefore you're stupid, to you don't agree with me therefore you are evil and must be verbally ripped to shreds and shunned (something our family had a personal experience with just last month, thank you very much politics :P I won't go into it except to say that something hurtful and insulting had been said, simply because our political opinions differed from that of someone else).
My faith, for example. We don't see God as some magician who waved his hand and, poof, there was the Earth. We believe he works in natural ways just as much as mysterious ways (as a religious teacher of mine once put it, God has a Ph.d in everything). For us, science doesn't disprove anything, instead it explains a lot. There are scientists out there who believe in God, and instead of their faith being diminished by science, it's increased. Speaking for myself, I adore shows that explore how the Earth might have been made, or the moon, or the galaxy, because it's so fascinating and reminds me just how awesome God's creations are. As for those bits and tiddles of science that I don't agree with... for one, I just don't worry about it. For another, come on, scientists disagree about stuff all the time, and what's fact today may be disproved by tomorrow. Thus why I don't worry about it.
So, yeah, don't give me this crap about it's either science or religion and you can't be a scientist and be religious, or that being religious stifles the need to ask questions and make discoveries. It's sort of like with that Baptist church who protests funerals - they do not represent religion and religious people as a whole. So just because someone says they're Christian don't even assume that means they reject science. And just because someone's a scientist does not automatically mean they don't believe in God.
I've been on this major "don't judge a religion by the fanatics" kick lately. Or, more accurately, "quit it with the religious-shaming" kick. I feel like anti-religious feelings (and I mean really nasty anti-religious feelings) have been sky-rocketing, lately. Then again, I feel there's been a drastic increase of having no respect for other people's opinions and beliefs, period. That it's gone from let's agree to disagree, to you don't agree with me therefore you're stupid, to you don't agree with me therefore you are evil and must be verbally ripped to shreds and shunned (something our family had a personal experience with just last month, thank you very much politics :P I won't go into it except to say that something hurtful and insulting had been said, simply because our political opinions differed from that of someone else).
no subject
(Anonymous) 2012-11-21 07:31 am (UTC)(link)Anyways, I just wanted to say that, as both a biologist and a christian myself, I really like your post! I was a biologist before I was a Christian (I got interested in religion in college, and was somewhat surprised that I came to believe), but I've never felt like there was any conflict between the two, for me. The natural world has always filled me with a sense of awe. Now I tend to think, how cool is it that God came up with the laws of nature/physics/etc, and created a world that follows them?! ;) And I get *paid* to study this stuff and try to figure it out! ;)
But like you, I'm not a fan of the stereotypes about scientists and christians. Of the people I've personally encountered, the vast majority of christians have no problem with my research, and many think it's cool or interesting (even though I'm studying early embryo development, which could potentially be a little controversial, if someone *wanted* to create controversy). And the vast majority of scientists have no problem with my religion, even if they don't agree with my beliefs, or just don't care. Maybe I've just been lucky, but I think there are a lot more tolerant people out there than the news would have us believe. ;) It's just that the fundamentalists tend to make better (more flashy, more controversial) news. I think it's just so much easier to stereotype a religion (or a country, or a culture, or a political party, or lifestyle) and set them up as some scary "Other" who's nothing like us, than it is to understand or convey how complex everyone and everything is. Okay, I think I may be rambling now, so I'm gonna stop. I just wanted to say that I appreciate what you posted. --Mrohr.
no subject
I do think most people are pretty tolerant. Problem is the intolerant ones tend to be "louder" about things, and by being loud it stirs up all kinds of knee-jerk reactions that leave people defensive rather than willing to talk things out. There are sites I used to go to that I don't anymore because too many people were doing things that were insulting as their way of getting their point across (which it didn't) and I got tired of it.
I really don't get why some people don't realize that religion and science go hand in hand for a lot of people. There was this one thing on the news where this celebrity scientist was calling for parents to stop teaching their kids religion because he thought it was getting in the way of these kids asking questions and learning how the world works. Now, granted, there are some faiths that are pretty much "No questions, just accept!", but not every faith is like that. So for this person to say it's either science or religion but it can't be both is just insulting and narrow-minded. It can be both.