...Meghan Gilkey Professor Pryor November 12, 2013 Theology and Science Reflection The simple quote by Joey Lawsin, “The Duality of One is the Unity of two” says many things. There are many different ways we could relate this quote throughout our lives; but today I am choosing to relate it to science and religion. With this, Paul Davies is able to open up a dialogue of religion and science through his theoretical beliefs. Ian Barbour proposes four different positions throughout his typology. The first perspective he talks about is conflict. Those who fall under the conflict category are those who try to prove religion with science. Many people who fall under this category are atheists, biblical literalists, and the media. The next position he discusses is independence. Independence separates science and religion, but says they can coexist if they keep a safe distance from the other. The third position is dialogue, which compares science and religion. It shows similarities and differences. The fourth and final position is integration. Integration consists of all the outside perspectives. Paul Davies is a theoretical physicist, astrobiologist, cosmologist, and a best-selling author. Currently, he is the “Principle Investigator for the Convergence of Physical Science and Cancer Biology, all at Arizona State University.” ("ASU") Before this, Davies held academic appointments at many universities, such as Cambridge, London, and Newcastle Tyne located in the UK. In 1990...
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...Juliet Le THRS 200 Experiential Essay Suffering and Science: The Possibility of a Loving God Before enrolling in a theology course, I was biased about the views of the possibility of a Christian God. I’ve seen far too many people say that God is their savior and everything they do is because of him, or for him. It was always to some far-fetched point, where I was unable to comprehend where their views came from. I never had the evidence or background to fall back on for a reason to have a foundation for the belief in God. Taking into consideration the numerous contextual readings from the arguments for the pros and cons for the existence of God, I still come to a conclusion that God does not exist in the human experience. Denis Edwards is the most notable author that I was able to relate to. By beginning with the nature of experience, we first encounter an individual and then we have an interpretation and understanding of that individual. Therefore, experience involves both encounters and interpretation of that encounter. We can have similar encounters, but different interpretations. This is where I was able to understand that the interpretive stage of experience can be biased, whether it may be because of emotional blockages, or unconscious motives. Edwards’s claims made me understand why I was unable to grasp the possibility of a God. Throughout my childhood, I was brought up in a Buddhist religion, never having even heard one thing about the Christian God....
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...Is Religion and Theology Scientific? Religion and Theology are two terms that are often confused when it comes to their study. Religion is based on faiths and beliefs when it comes to the acceptance of superhuman powers in the form of God or gods. On the other hand theology is the study of God thought. This is especially true of Christianity. In short it can be said that theology works on religion. Theology is in fact based on religion. It is a system of studying about God especially Christian religion. Religion does not deal with any sort of rational analysis. On the other hand theology deals with the rational analysis of a religious faith. However there is no way we can separate the two. Theology is not science. Science is not theology. They are simply two different things. They are not even two similar kinds of things. Science is the pursuit of what you can know. Theology is the pursuit of what you, by definition, cannot know. Science can tell you how things in the world work and that can lead to technology: how to manipulate things to achieve a desired result. Theology cannot tell you how God works, nor can you ever manipulate God to achieve a desired result. Science deals with the study of nature, its forces, processes and development. It is based on the analysis of evidence. It assumes, as a working hypothesis, that processes and events happen due to natural causes, not through divine intervention. It rarely intrudes in matters of morality, the existence and nature...
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...God and Darwin can coexist. Mendel was interested in heredity and did major work in the development of the study of the genetics of plants before the science was even beginning to be developed. Historically issues of faith and science have collided and I would think that both theology and science have its place in the world as the search for knowledge continues. Religious Fundamentalism which requires a literal interpretation of the Bible as a substitute for science is bad theology and bad for science, and mistakenly puts the science and theology at war assuming that there is only one truth and it exists in one place and is not subject to any further interpretation. Simil arly mean spirited materialistic science which negates or belittles theology is similarly wrong headed and denies much of the basis from which it came. Historically I believe that both science and theology have their place in explaining man's and or women's place in the universe and their relation to other living beings. For much of history churches and religious orders have done much to support what has come to be known as a scientific study of the universe. Galileo explained that the Earth and the other planets revolved around the sun and that has come to be accepted. Earlier church teaching were eventually discarded as mistaken and both science and theology have moved forward. Good...
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...Explain the role of reason within theology as it seeks to deepen its understanding of the mysteries of faith. By: Carolyn Curry Rel: 123 Christian Spiritual Vision Jesus Christ – is the embodied Lord. However there are people who do not believe that he exist. Some people will say he is not even real. This must be found through context of the Bible and the understandings of theology, Scripture, God, Christ, man, sin and the Holy Spirit. This we know “Theology without experience is empty Experience without theology is blind.”(Kant’s) Let’s say theology would have had specific theological methods of demonstrations of scientific developments of growth in one’s Faith. Aristotle saw, many fields he inquired using a similar method for it. However it would be foolish to use other methods to try and disapprove the existence of God, for God must not be used for an experiment, however he is considered the first cause of all things. When demonstrating God’s existence there are two things there are needed in Philosophical and empirical methods. Having those two methods and combining faith and philosophical reason one can penetrate everything into the Revelation of God. Theology, is a simple science which is based on the Revelation of God, which uses reason to know what exactly God’s revealed. Empirical science and philosophy are both a different method of theology. In today’s society there are Christians and non-Christians that think theology is only used for rigorous or demonstrative...
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...JOURNAL ARTICLE CRITIQUE of VandenBerg, Mary L. "What general revelation does (and does not) tell us." Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith 62.1 (2010): 16-24 Introduction: The goal of this work is to exam and critique an article about Reformed theology, an area regarding the relationship between the physical world and the Bible, and discussing common misconceptions regarding the harmonization of the Bible and the natural world. This review will cover a quick summation of the article, followed by a critical analysis about its main ideas and points. The author, Mary Vandenberg, believes while the Reformed theological tradition’s basic idea of harmonizing the physical world and the Bible can be appreciated, there are some misconceptions about proper concordance between the two. Summary: The author begins with an explanation of what the Reformed Tradition is, and why it is important. She continues by explaining his main point, that while the idea of concordance physical world and the Bible is a good one, there are problems specifically with how the two are in concordance with regards to the natural world, and with regards to God. She explores these ideas by examining the words of many different Reformists over the years, back to John Calvin of the 16th century. Using the words of John Calvin, she examines the idea that the revelation of God, as represented through both the natural world, and the Bible, must be viewed from the perspective of the Bible. She concludes...
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...Experience with Theology When I hear the word theology I think of doctrines and religious studies. I think of the educational part of faith. However, after completing module 1 reading assignments I have learned that it is much more than that. Theology, of course, has a strong foundation on the educational aspect of it, but it is also the study of Jesus and what type of person he was here on earth and the legacy he left behind. Theology is a large umbrella that encompasses not only Jesus and who he was, but also everything about religions and faith you can think of. The word theology for me sounds much like trying to explain nursing by using the word science. Yes nursing is part of science, but there is much more to science than just nursing. The same can be said for Theology. I would like to learn more about Theology and many aspects of it during this short 8 week course. Though I know only a fraction of the surface can be scratched on such a short amount of time, I cannot wait to dive in. It has always fascinated me, and now I can try to learn as much as I can while getting graded for it. The life of Jesus and those that have been portrayed in the Bible were lives of those that had the kind of faith I want to build. I want this class to strengthen my knowledge of Jesus and Theology so that I may grow stronger and deeper in my own faith development. God has given me a hunger for knowledge, which I now want to use to learn what I can about his amazing life and how much he...
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...GOD-IS-DEAD THEOLOGY A RESEARCH PAPER SUBMITTED TO DOCTOR RICHARD ELLIGSON PROFESSOR OF THEOLOGY IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF CHURCH MINISTRY BY EL-FATIH J. AJALA (25927535) THEO 510 LUO LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA JULY 21, 2013 Introduction Paul Enns in his book The Moody Handbook of Theology states of theologians who profess this theology, “deny all forms of traditional ontology and allow for no sovereign and unconditioned Being but only a ‘God’ who at some point in the dialectic wills His own self-annihilation” and that, “man must learn to live without God.”[1] The lack of universal truth in our lives in this 21st century can be directly attributed to the lack of morals and moral values begun in the 19th century; and which took root in the 20th century; and might be the death of man in the 22nd century. In stating that God is dead, it has to be shown that: * Is God dead? * Science and technology can solve the world’s problems * God died as a transcendent God when Christ died * The Bible is narrative (i.e. myth) This review of the God-Is-Dead theology focuses on these four questions. Is God Dead? In an article written in the Chicago Tribune in 1963 it is stated that two men (Thomas Altizer and William Hamilton) experienced the death of God. Upon this statement, a “theology” was born...
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...introduction to the study of theology. What are the three presuppositions of prolegomena? ➢ 1) There is a God, 2) truth exists, & 3) person can know truth. What is the contemporary usage of the word “theology?” ➢ 1) Science of God and relations between God and the universe, and 2) essential being and His relationship to the universe as set forth in the Holy Scriptures. pg. 7 What is catechism? ➢ A scheme of questions and answers. What are five presuppositions for the task of theologizing? ➢ 1) there is a God and He has revealed Himself, 2) there are laws that are self-evident, 3) man has the ability to know things to the degree to which he directly observes them, 4) truth does not contradict itself, but is consistent and corresponds to reality, & 5) the mind accepts that which is logical and rejects that which is illogical. What are the tests used to verify theological truths? Explain. ➢ 1) test of consistency, 2) test of correspondence, 3) test of priority of data (what’s essential or irrelevant?), 4) test of cohesiveness, & 5) test of thoroughness (examine beliefs) pg. 12 What is the aim of Biblical theology? ➢ To arrange and classify the facts of revelation, confining itself to the scriptures for its material, and treating of doctrine only so far as it was developed at the close of the apostolic age. Where does Biblical theology get its material? ➢ Apostolic age What does historical theology study? ➢ The expression of theology in each age with an examination...
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...on What is the Relation between Science and Religion William Lane Craig Examines several ways in which science and theology relate to each other. Back in 1896 the president of Cornell University Andrew Dickson White published a book entitled A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom. Under White’s influence, the metaphor of “warfare” to describe the relations between science and the Christian faith became very widespread during the first half of the 20th century. The culturally dominant view in the West—even among Christians—came to be that science and Christianity are not allies in the search for truth, but adversaries. To illustrate, several years ago I had a debate with a philosopher of science at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver , Canada, on the question “Are Science and Religion Mutually Irrelevant?” When I walked onto the campus, I saw that the Christian students sponsoring the debate had advertised it with large banners and posters proclaiming “Science vs. Christianity.” The students were perpetuating the same sort of warfare mentality that Andrew Dickson White proclaimed over a hundred years ago. What has happened, however, in the second half of this century is that historians and philosophers of science have come to realize that this supposed history of warfare is a myth. As Thaxton and Pearcey point out in their recent book The Soul of Science, for over 300 years between the rise of modern science in the 1500’s and the late 1800s the relationship...
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... The author stated that all truth is God’s and everything that he made was good. Psychology is the study of human behavior and theology is the study of religion; both perspectives are disciplines that are learned. Integration will allow a better understanding of human behavior which neither perspective can do along. Since the Christian faith could not support man along, the mentally challenged suffered. Critics stated that the Christian faith did not keep Bible law concerning love and acceptance of homosexuality; the faith didn’t have the science or intellect to cure sickness, distorted perceptions and mental defects. Sin brought the fall of man and brokenness; yet, science through testings, assumptions, methods, experiments and discoveries were needed to fully care for humans; a holistic approach was needed to cure man. The Church was challenged to provide supreme knowledge to care for souls which lead to many new worldviews which were made up of disciplines that governed people’s lives. These worldviews have Enemies and Allies which were obstacles to integration. The Church accepted psychological perspectives to help the mentally ill; they vacillated in their belief and had attitudes towards the scriptures; this is why the work to restore man could not be done alone through the Church. Moreover, in order for psychology and theology to be combined, there must be experts to form combined disciplines. The question is, where do we find such capable and...
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...connection between psychology and theology. The connection between psychology and theology is a topic of great argument. (Entwistle, 2010) Some scholars believe it is a great idea to connect psychology and theology, while others believe it would be harmful to do so. Entwistle focuses on the similarities of psychology and theology, instead of their differences. Psychology focuses on finding the cause of behavior through biological and environmental methods as well as past experiences. Theology focuses on the cause of behavior being linked to sin. Psychology focuses on healing through theories. Theology focuses on healing through Christ. Even though psychology and theology have different methods they have similar goals to achieve overall wellness. Entwistle stated that both psychology and theology focus on the cause of behavior and healing. (Entwistle, 2010) Psychology and theology also both contain truth. Entwistle believes “All truth is God’s truth.” (Entwistle, 2010) Psychology and theology are not so different and both can be combined to help achieve overall wellness in the lives of others. Entwistle made a point that theology and science have been embattled throughout history. Entwistle explains that how a person views the world determines how they view the truth in their lives. Entwistle also emphasizes that a worldview is learned instead of selected. (Entwistle, 2010) Entwistle suggests that beliefs must be examined concerning theology and the world. Only when you examine...
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...his gatherings are what has lead him to believe such a theory. Moving forward, Bacon tends to divide theology into two categories: natural and revealed. Natural theology is knowing that God exist, we know this because of study of nature and the creatures God created. I am a follower of natural theology, I enjoy studying creations because it makes my faith for God a lot stronger. Anything other than the knowledge of God and his creations is labeled under revealed theology. As I read and read the New Atlantis, I am beginning to see that the society in the story is definitely a scientific society. Also, in the New Atlantis, the need for man to be driven does not exist, also the scarcity is demolished because there is no need for money. It is all based off of science. I can agree on some aspects of science and religion. However, there are a few points that I can make as a Christian as to why religion is not science. The first point is the creation of the world. I do not believe it was science that created the world, I believe it was God who created the heavens and the Earth and everything that lives on it. This can even go as far as believing in evolution, the science of believing man evolved instead of being created. I do not agree with evolution in any aspect of the science, not only have I been taught not to, but also my heart does not believe it. Don’t get me wrong, science and...
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...what you do not wish them to do to you.” Whereas the message of Jesus is to get involved as the Father has gotten involved with humanity, the rabbi cautions a more conservative approach. The rabbi wants us merely to keep from harming others. Jesus wants us to act, not just react. • Jesus further puts his own special seal on this maxim by stating the two greatest commandments: love God and love one another. To love someone is to seek to do good to them, and certainly, at the very least, to avoid doing them evil. • What is Christian Moral Life? • Misconceptions 1. Reduced to avoidance of sin 2. Reduced to a series of don’ts and dire punishment if we fail • What is Christian Moral Life? • Positive and Fuller Meaning 1. Moral theology should start with God and God’s love - JP II (Veritatis Splendor) : The moral life is a response to the many gratuitous initiatives taken by God out of God’s love - God always acts first: the moral life begins with God’s grace; we respond in freedom to our experience of God - If the moral life is a response to God, then our image of God is crucial because how we imagine God would affect how we respond to Him morally (e.g. the Parable of the Prodigal Son) Parable of the...
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...studies have been made possible with the increase social science methods, which are being applied by the researchers to indicate the theological knowledge that can be used in social dynamics, contexts and conditions related to the religious life. Pastoral works have these studies to thank as they help them in conducting their works effectively. Heimbrock also instigates that the there has been a growing interest for theological studies ever since the introduction of the scientific methodology in theological work. The methodologies have increased the criteria and the standards of theological studies that can be used in the empirical research. The aspect of religion can be understood through the implication of religious research that is being increased through the means of social scientific instruments. Different aspects on religious studies and scientific methods can be applied in these studies. However, this paper will scrutinize some of the methodologies that can be applied in understanding the empirical side of religion through the stimulation of the correct standards of discussions and researches. This is due to the dire need for the reflection of the consequences and theological impacts that are associated with research models and concepts that are connected to the humanities and those related to religious research. These research methodologies can be evaluated using numerous developments found in the empirical theology that are clearly noticed from a methodological point...
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