Science And Religion:The Debate Continues

Rabbi Irwin Wiener, D.D.

“Science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind.”
Albert Einstein

I was thinking of this expression of faith and exploration when viewing the movie “Angels and Demons.” Putting side the fictional aspect of the movie, and not attempting to be a film critic, I found the message both stimulating and provocative. It illustrates the conflict between faith and understanding.

History is replete with visions of what is right and wrong and how we fit into the concept of good and evil. We are constantly questioning the very existence of God as we witness all kinds of horror both natural and unnatural. The world, we are told, is a ticking time bomb waiting for the ultimate explosion which will send us all to oblivion. And we are left to wonder about our mortality and the next phase in our journey of life.

We are caught up in the quagmire of guilt and superstition because when we don’t understand something our minds begin to imagine all sorts of things that, if you really think about, have no basis in reality. I guess in a way this could be called faith. But I rather think that faith is not some mystical adventure, some unimaginable ride to a destination no one has returned from or is in a hurry to venture to. Rather faith is the expression of longing for answers to complex situations to help us deal with just everyday living without worrying about the “next place.”

Science, on the other hand, is the fulfillment of that expression, that desire to make sense of all that we know and don’t know. Creation is described in terms that boggle the mind because we can’t, and never will, truly understand the Divine. The outline given us is a description of the results not the method. That is where science and religion come together.

Religion is the blueprint of everything we are and have and science is the means that was used to complete the task of bringing us to this point in time. Both are complementary, not in opposition of each other. One explains the purpose and the reasoning for our existence and the other contributes to the knowledge of how that was brought about.

Perhaps this is too simplified. But if you think about it you surely will understand that you can’t complete the work or even continue it without a road map, or plan. The design is there to bring the creation to life and even improve upon it as we search for answers to make life as enhancing as possible.

I watched with amazement at the conflict that religion has with science because it was made very clear that zealousness is dangerous. Open minds are required to absorb the knowledge brought about by the foundation that was created in the original document, the original plans for the universe and all that we are amazed to see continually as we gaze into the sky or reach out our hand to touch another. God didn’t promote connection with the intention of separation. That we were formed in the image of God is an indication that we are all different as is God. Each of us has the ability to reason and think and use this to partner with God in the ever continuing saga called life.

We reach for the stars because we must know that keeping our feet firmly planted on the ground will get us no where. We search for the impossible because we comprehend that progress comes form experimentation. We dream in order to make life more real through imagination.

Science and religion gives us both: The ability to dream and the talent to enhance that dream through knowledge and perception. Can we truly believe that the two are incompatible? Some of the greatest minds in the world were filled with faith in reasoning and the power to overcome mistrust to reach that ever present moment of truth and belief.

Only closed minds, as depicted in the movie, prevents us from reaching for the moon and even beyond. Only closed minds will destroy that which we are building and continue to build as each generation moves forward in its quest for that ultimate connection between God and science.

“Science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind.” Why? Because they bring the two elements of life together: Faith and reasoning. Instead of looking for ways to continue the separation we should be trying to determine how we can bring them closer together. We must have faith that our reasoning will complete the process of creation. Only then will we get to that place in time which was originally designed in the master plan and completed by our rationality.