Do science and religion contradict each other?
MANY challenges faced by humanity today are because we either use religion without science, or science without religion.
In fact, there have been conflict between advocates of science and those of religion for centuries. Many believed, and remain convinced, that science and religion are contradictory, and one has to choose between being a religious person and following God’s teachings, or a scientist and being a follower of reason.
According to the Bahá’í Writings, there is no conflict between science and religion, and that on the contrary, the two need each other. The advantages of both science and religion need to be used together if we are to build progressive and peaceful communities.
The Bahá’í Writings state: “Religion and science are the two wings upon which man’s intelligence can soar into the heights, with which the human soul can progress.”
Religion without scientific reasoning and investigation can degenerate into superstition and fanaticism, while science without religion becomes the tool of crude materialism.
The scientific method is our tool for understanding the physical side of the universe and is the key to new technologies. It is this knowledge system that studies the material universe and teaches us how to generate material means for the advancement of humanity. Religion is the knowledge system that studies the powers of the human spirit and is concerned with the demands and the desires of our higher nature. Religion offers humanity a basis for values and provides answers to moral questions, human purpose, and our relationship to God, which science does not provide.
The Bahá’í Writings state: “Religion and science are the two indispensable knowledge systems through which the potentialities of consciousness develop. Far from being in conflict with one another, these fundamental modes of the mind’s exploration of reality are mutually dependent and have been most productive in those rare but happy periods of history when their complementary nature has been recognized and they have been able to work together.”
Science and religion have been abused at times; but true science which discovers the laws of the universe and helps our material and mental advancement, cannot be opposed to religion in its purest form, free from human misinterpretation and misrepresentation.
The Bahá’í Writings state: “When religion is upheld by science and reason we can believe with assurance and act with conviction” and “In divine questions we must exercise reason, analyze and logically examine the facts presented so that confidence will be inspired and faith attained”.
Of course, science does not have the answer to every question. In general, science provides us with tools and means, and religion teaches us how to use them to the best advantage of all humanity. For example atomic energy is useful, but without God’s guidance it can become one of the most destructive forces produced by science.
According to a statement of the Bahá’í International Community: “In the quest for truth, science and religion – the two systems of knowledge available to humankind – must closely and continuously interact.
“Taken together, science and religion provide the fundamental organizing principles by which individuals, communities and institutions function and evolve.”