Exploration Essay 1
When one is trying to give the definition of religion, they find there are many definitions or understandings. As it has been stated by St. Augustine, “Most of us know perfectly well what religion is, until someone asks us to define it.”
Religion can be defined as the human quest for, experience of and response to the holy or sacred. It is said the universal human activity expresses itself in three ways: 1) in thought, 2) in action, and 3) in fellowship.
In contrast, science uses methods to gain knowledge by testing hypotheses to develop theories through interpretation of the facts or calculations by experiments and can only answer the infinite questions of the universe that can be observed and measured.
The relationship between religion and science has been a subject of study for centuries. It has been addressed by philosophers, theologians, and scientists. There have been many diverse perspectives from different regions, cultures and historical periods. Some state there is a conflict between religion and science, others disagree and others offer there is little interaction.
Science and religion generally pursue knowledge of the universe using different methodologies. Science acknowledge reason and evidence, while religions include revelation, faith and sacredness. Despite these differences, most scientific and technical innovations prior to the scientific revolution were achieve by societies organized by religious traditions. Much of the scientific method was pioneered by Islamic scholars and later Christians.
Regarding religion and science, Albert Einstein states: “For science can only ascertain “what is”, but not what should be, and outside of its domain value judgments of all kinds remain necessary. Religion, on the other hand, deals only with evaluations of human thought and action; it cannot justifiably speak of facts and