Non-overlapping Magisteria???

Ok – I suspect that the majority of you, like me, are thinking… What’s that about!

Religion and Science have long debated where each belongs in relation to the other. It can be a very hot subject – I sometimes wonder if either community is capable of reasoned discussion when pitted against each other 😦 So, the Non-Overlapping Magisteria view is that each has its own field of influence and that ne’er the twain shall meet. I don’t doubt that I’ve got that wrong… There will have been an agreement somewhere that invalidates it 😉

All very nice but, I’m a Christian and I believe that Science has its place in explaining our world. I don’t see it as a challenge to my beliefs, rather a clarification of understanding. Much that I have read in scientific discovery suggests that there is a controlling influence somewhere. So where is the problem in bringing science into our churches as a means of explaining the world? It lies, sadly, with individuals. Athiests like the high profile Richard Dawkins, as an example, who will claim that there is no God but do so from the stance that it’s ok for science to extrapolate from evidence but not ok for religion to do the same. Equally, it comes from those who in the face of all the evidence of the fossil record insist on Biblical creation.

It’s ironic too, isn’t it, that some of the great early scientific discoveries were made by Muslims and Hindus… Clearly all human religions are favoured by ‘their God’ to make key discoveries… Even that could be construed as evidence that there may be an overall controlling influence! The mere fact that we describe our interpretation of God differently doesn’t mean that our God’s are different beings – in much the same way that our understanding of scientific principles does not differ, just the way that we like to put across our ideas!

So where is there no overlap? Religion and science have to embrace each other, even if at arms length. Believing in the Higgs Boson was a matter of faith, so even scientists have faith, it’s just that some of them have yet to discover it 😉 I look forward to a 2013 where I hope that there will be a more open debate between Human beings of all faiths, creeds, and scientific beliefs. And if it provides the first steps towards peace on our planet, that would be a great thing!