Baha’i Perspectives

elliott February 24th, 2009

In “Addressing Discrepancies – Part I,” we discussed one of the major obstacles to the unity of religion and science. Science seems to have incorrectly invalidated religious longings. In this post we investigate a second major obstacle.

This one may seem more obvious. To many, religion itself is the main reason why it cannot exist in harmony with science. Every day, acts of religious dissention take spotlight in the media. How can religion possibly stand for truth, with all its various sects and orthodoxies which are clearly not in agreement with one another?

Science, on the other hand, keeps its composure. Disagreements occur and conflicting theories arise, but these are investigated, and eventually, when scientists have sufficient faith in a common idea, textbooks are written and the rest of the world tends to jump on board. How can such a logical approach to the investigation of truth possibly be in accord with the farce associated with assertions of religious truth?

Dr. William Hatcher, in his essay “The Unity of Science and Religion” explains that the characteristic feature of science and the basis of its unity is scientific method. Scientific phenomena are systematically investigated by use of our mental faculties.

Abdu’l-Baha asserts that this is also necessary to arrive at an understanding of religious truth:

God has endowed man with intelligence and reason whereby he is required to determine the verity of questions and propositions. If religious beliefs and opinions are found contrary to the standards of science they are mere superstitions and imaginations; for the antithesis of knowledge is ignorance, and the child of ignorance is superstition. Unquestionably there must be agreement between true religion and science. If a question be found contrary to reason, faith and belief in it are impossible and there is no outcome but wavering and vacillation.

(Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith – Abdu’l-Baha Section, p. 239)

If mankind took a more objective, scientific approach to religion, it would arrive much more quickly at a common understanding of the fundamental verities religion presents. Rather than resorting to weapons, people should turn to elevated discourse, consultation and independent study. With this standard of investigation of the truth, the notion that scientific concepts and religious ideals can exist in harmony won’t seem so far-fetched.

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elliott January 28th, 2009

Following the spirit of Negin’s article “Religion or Science: Do we have to choose?”, we tackle specific points regarding science and religion to reinforce an understanding of their harmony with one another.

The conventional view of science is that it is rational knowledge about the physical, visible, or observable world. Religion, on the other hand is commonly viewed as irrational belief about the imaginary, insubstantial and unseen world.

Abdu’l-Baha has said:

Religion and Science are inter-twined with each other and cannot be separated. These are the two wings with which humanity must fly.

(Abdu’l-Baha, Abdu’l-Baha in London, p. 28)

Also:

Religion must agree with science, so that science shall sustain religion and religion explain science. The two must be brought together, indissolubly, in reality.

(Abdu’l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 26)

For many, including myself, the ideas presented in the above quotations are difficult for the mind to wrap around, especially given the context of dominating ideas regarding what science and religion are. It is in the spirit of independent investigation of the truth that I have trying to understand better the dynamics between these two pillars of reality. I should mention that many of my studies are based on the essays of Dr. William Hatcher, who is regarded by many as the most prolific writer on the subject of science and religion. I would encourage anyone interested in the pursuing an understanding of this topic to read his papers.

There are three central points or “discrepancies” which give rise to the notion that science and religion do not agree. Within the scope of this post is merely one of them: People now attribute to science what was once attributed to God. In past years, when people did not understand scientific concepts as much, a lot was merely attributed to God (why the Sun seems to be moving around the Earth, etc). As scientific and technological discoveries are made, however, the “need” for God or religion to help us understand mysterious forces in the world is diminishing. People are turning to scientific answers, and these answers make sense. How does religion even figure into anything when helpful explanations are coming from elsewhere?

A closer look reveals that the position of “science replacing God” is not fully justified. Rather than science simply filling in answers to the world’s mysteries, day by day, as more scientific discoveries are made, a greater number of questions arise. Scientists are in a constant state of learning and discovery. Even the greatest of scientists, including Einstein and Newton, had constant profound questions regarding the reality they were living in. The more one learns about science, the more in awe that person is of the world they live in. They understand how little they actually “know” and how humble they should actually be. Socrates said it well: “The only thing I know is that I know nothing.”

More specifically, if one looks at science, it is found that “fact” is simply a hypothesis that has been experimented with, based on a set of universal yet invisible forces which scientists are still continually trying to understand. Gravity explains why the cat fell out of the tree, but now we seek answers to the reason for gravity. While the effects and behavior of heat might be visible, what heat actually is continues to be a mystery. Finally, many scientific “facts” have been disproven, even in recent times.

All of this is not to say that scientific investigation is flawed, but merely to point out that in no way can science be regarded as an absolute source of definite explanations of the reality we live in. Religion accompanies science in a balanced search for knowledge, as we will continue to investigate in future posts.

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negin January 15th, 2009

Evolution or creationism? Neuroscience or spirituality? Body or soul?

Historically, the clashes between science and religion have been many. Still to this day, they are often regarded as two opposing worlds. Some of the typical incidences we remember are the medieval scientist Galileo who, to the horror of the Catholic Church, discovered that the earth revolves around the sun, and not vice-versa. Or more recently, Darwin’s theory of evolution, which in the mid-nineteenth century caused revolt among religious communities. In modern times, the opposition revolves around such hot topics as stem cell research, in-vitro fertilization and abortion.

Working and studying in the world of natural science and medicine, this opposition is not always easy to deal with. Facts and theories about the human nature are often presented without paying any attention to the spiritual/metaphysical aspect of creation. Most people, however, find it difficult to accept that we are strictly under the control of signal substances and chemical reactions. Even within the world of science, people are open to alternative theories.

An article published in “The Independent”, in October 2008, describes alterations in the conflict between science and religion, and comes to the conclusion that most people today prefer not to identify themselves with any of the extreme viewpoints. The author states:

Academic discussion on the relationship between science and religion is genuinely exploratory, not polarized… The danger is that between the strident secularists and the fanatical fundamentalists some important middle ground is being squeezed out.

However, within previous religions it has been rare to find principles or attitudes that support modern scientific progress, hence opposition has arisen. Many recent developments in world affairs and the scientific field have put religion — and its moral and ethical standards — to the test, and meeting those demands has not been an easy task for religious communities.

The teachings of the Bahá’í-Faith on the harmony between religion and science provide a comprehensive, as well as logical, viewpoint on the relationship between the two. Abdu’l-Baha, in the early 20^th century, said:

Religion and science are the two wings upon which man’s intelligence can soar into the heights, with which the human soul can progress. It is not possible to fly with one wing alone! Should a man try to fly with the wing of religion alone he would quickly fall into the quagmire of superstition, whilst on the other hand, with the wing of science alone he would also make no progress, but fall into the despairing slough of materialism.

For me, being a part of this modern society and trying to make a career within a scientific field, having a sound attitude toward science and religion has been indispensable. Leaning on the words of Abdu’l-Baha, and studying the lessons from His great work “Some Answered Questions“, I have been able to say:

Evolution and Creationism. Neuroscience and spirituality. Body and soul.

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