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Science and Religion 1/26/2009 1. What is religion? 2. How do you justify religious claims? 3. What is science? 4. Is ―scientific creationism‖ science? 5. What are the possible relationships between science & religion? 6. Positions within the evolution/creation continuum A set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a supernatural what is religion? agency (or agencies), usually involving devotional and ritual observances and often having a moral code for the conduct of human affairs. Belief in supernatural beings Belief: Confidence, faith or trust in the truth A distinction between the sacred and the profane or existence of something not immediately Ritual acts focused on sacred objects susceptible to rigorous proof. A moral code believed to be sanctioned by supernatural being or beings Characteristic feelings of awe, adoration, and sense of Supernatural: something above or beyond mystery what is explainable by natural laws. Prayer or other forms of communication with the supernatural being or beings A worldview with an overall specification of purpose and place Total organization of ones life based on this worldview A social group bound together by the above Stephen J. Wykstra, Osiris 16: p. 34 (2001) 1 1/26/2009 How do you justify religious claims? Justification of Religious Belief Justification of Religious Belief Experience Revelation Revelation (a posteriori) (a priori) (a priori) Allegorically True Literally ―Simply A True Story‖ Revealed Text 2 1/26/2009 1. The waters above the firmament 2. Storage of snow 3. Storage of hail ―The LORD is king, robed with majesty; the LORD is robed, girded with might. The world will surely stand in place, never to 4. Rooms for the winds be moved.‖ [Psalms 93:1] 5. The firmament ―The LORD is king. The world will surely stand fast, never to be 6. Cataracts moved.‖ [Psalms 96: 10] 7. The Pillars of Heaven 8. The Pillars of Earth ―You fixed the earth on its foundation, never to be moved.‖ [Psalms 104: 5] 9. Fountains of the Abyss 10. Center of the Earth ―Tremble before him, all the earth; he has made the world firm, 11. Subterranean waters not to be moved.‖ (1 Chronicles 16: 30] 12. Rivers of the ―So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to Underworld go down about a whole day.‖ [Joshua 10:13] 600 year old Noah warned by God, builds ark for family and pair of each animal, flood lasts 40 days / 40 nights, comes to rest at Mountains of Arrarat. ―If it happens that the authority of sacred Scripture is set in opposition to clear and certain reasoning, the person who interprets Scripture does not understand it correctly.‖ 3 1/26/2009 God Traditionally Moses Necessary Nature Scripture Nineteenth Century preoccupation with Agreement authentication ◦ Witter, Alstruc & Eichhorn - discovery of ―doublets‖ based on linguistic style and repetition. Science & Potential Theology & Lead to the ―Documentary Hypothesis‖ Philosophy Conflict Philosophy Reference to God Book of J Deuteronomy - D E ◦ ‗YHVH‘ - JHWH – D Jehovah - J ―Redactor‖ – R ◦ ‗Elohim‘ – E Concerned with rites, duties and genealogy P ◦ Priestly – P J account P account ◦ Older, Reign of King Solomon. ~1000 BCE ◦ Younger, Exile in Babylon, 6th C BCE Imagery of Creation of wandering shepherds universe Water / barren earth Order over chaos Concerned with man Lush environment Splitting of water Anthropomorphic God Transcendent, unknowable, god 4 1/26/2009 Justification of Religious Belief Belief in God must be Basic beliefs can be supported by objective held without objective, evidence. rational evidence. Any belief is rational if Fideism: religious and only if there is belief must be based sufficient evidence to on faith alone. support it, and rationality Faith: Firm belief in is in direct proportion to something for which Experience the balance of evidence. there is no proof. (a posteriori) Evidentialism Non-Evidentialism i. One and only one (i) and (ii) accepted ―If all the evidence in the all-powerful God based on reason, but universe turns against ii. who created the (iii) not accepted creationism, I would be Universe the first to admit it, but I iii. and remains immanent in his would still be a creationist creation because that is what the Word of God seems to indicate.‖ Theism Deism Justification of Religious Belief Cosmological ◦ The universe and everything in it depends on something [God] for its existence. Teleological ◦ The natural world appears to have been designed by a creator. Natural Ontological Theology ◦ Existence is entailed by the concept of God. 5 1/26/2009 Converted Platonic demiurge into Christian God. Summa Theologica Five proofs for the existence of God (―The Five Ways‖) There exists things that are caused (created) by other things. Teleological argument Nothing can be the cause of itself (nothing Common sense tells us can create itself.) that the universe works in such a way that one There can not be an endless string of objects can conclude that it causing other objects to exist. was designed by an intelligent designer. Therefore, there must be an uncaused first cause called God. “In crossing a heath, suppose I pitched my foot against a stone and were asked how the stone came to be there, I might possibly answer that for anything I knew to the contrary it had lain there forever; nor would it, perhaps, be very easy to show the absurdity of this answer. But suppose I had found a watch upon the ground, and it should be inquired how the watch happened “Were there no example in the world of to be in that place, I should hardly think of the answer which I had before given, that for anything I knew the watch might have always been there. contrivance except that of the eye, it would be alone sufficient to support the conclusion which we draw from it, as to the necessity of an intelligent Creator” William Paley Natural Theology, 1802 Analogy: Discovery of watch on ground A designer is the most probable explanation for the universe. 6 1/26/2009 A: X is intricate and well suited to a task T Many of the things we observe are complicated, intricate and work well together. This cannot W : X is a product of intelligent design have arisen by chance and therefore must have 1 arisen by design. W2: X is a product of random physical forces Design implies a Designer. ◦ Argument to Design Paley claims that the likelihood of W1 given A exceeds that of W2, i.e. P(A|W1) >> P(A|W2) Good, perfect and benevolent design implies a good, perfect, benevolent designer God. (This is abduction to the best explanation) ◦ Argument from Design Contrivance shows presence of designing ―The hinges in the wings intelligence whose attributes ―must be adequate to of an earwig and the joints of its antennae, are the magnitude, extent, and multiplicity of his as highly wrought, as if operations‖ the Creator had nothing else to finish. We see no signs of diminution of ―Uniformity of plan observable in the universe‖ care by multiplicity of reflects the unity and wisdom of God. objects, or of distraction of thought by variety. We have no reason to fear, Goodness is proven by therefore, our being ◦ Beneficial nature of contrivances forgotten, or overlooked, ◦ Pleasure added to animal sensations or neglected.‖ 7 1/26/2009 Is God willing to prevent Are God and Nature evil, but not able? Then then at strife, He is not omnipotent. Is He able, but not willing? That Nature lends Then He is malevolent. such evil dreams? Is He both able and willing? So careful of the type Then whence cometh evil? she seems, Is He neither able nor willing? Then why call So careless of the Him God? single life; In Memoriam A.H.H 1849 „So careful of the On Miracles (1748, vs. revealed type?‟ but no. religion) ◦ It is never reasonable to believe in violations of natural law From scarped cliff and quarried stone Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1750‘s / 1779, vs. natural religion) She cries, „A thousand types are gone: Natural History of Religion (1757) ◦ We are only left with ―vulgar religion‖ - the religion of the masses, emotions and instincts. I care for nothing, all ◦ This religion has its origin in fear of shall go. the unknown A priori arguments A posteriori arguments Design argument is a flawed analogy ◦ The world contains an ◦ Machines are produced infinite sequence of by intelligent design Limits of our experience contingent facts ◦ The universe resembles a of the vast universe ◦ An explanation is needed machine which cannot reside ◦ Therefore, the universe No definitive proof of the within the sequence was produced by unity, powerfulness, or ◦ This is God as it needs to intelligent design presence of the creator be the explanation for its own existence. ◦ ―a total suspension of judgement is here our only reasonable resource.‖ Demea Cleanthes Philo Hume 8 1/26/2009 Design was apparent and did not imply a designer. Natural mechanisms were What is science? sufficient to explain good (and bad) design ―Evil‖ is a meaningless concept when considering the natural world. Moral evil (i.e. human evil) has natural roots. Methodological A systematic method ◦ Science can only study nature using natural laws. for understanding the Supernatural entities, while they may exist, are not natural world with allowed as scientific explanations of phenomena. reference to natural law. Philosophical Deals in proximate (vs. ultimate) ◦ The supernatural does not exist. causation. A unified collection of hypotheses that have been tested and (at least provisionally)
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