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Article Title: Science and Religion: a Humourous Approach
Author: James Burgess
Category: spirituality
Word Count: 821
Keywords: spiritual, coaching
Author's Email Address: [email protected]
Article Source: http://www.7wordsassociates.org/psychology_spotlight.php
The article is preformatted to 65CPL.
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Science and Religion according to the mythical mullah, Hoja Nasrudin.
Nasrudin is surprised to wake up one morning quite convinced he is from another
planet and finds what he sees of this one a little odd. He decides to
investigate and identifies that there are two basic explanations about the
operating system that governs this reality. He is told that they are absolutely
opposed and that he'll have to make up his mind which one he wants to believe
in. Undaunted by this challenge, he decides to set out on a mission of
enquiryand in advance he chooses 3 questions to put to the two spokespersons
that he has decided to interview.
How do you pursue knowledge?
What is the deepest mystery left unanswered in your method?
If I get ill will you heal me?
The religious person responds: `We have observed that the mystery of life is
beyond our general understanding and so we accept what we are taught by our
high priests and mystics. They have developed the basic ideas by which we live,
and most of these ideas seem to work rather well so we accept them until
something new is unfolded to us. When something happens that I don't
understand, I am willing to contemplate upon it until it becomes clear where it
fits in the pattern of things.'
Then the scientist retorts: `Our methods are much more clearly defined: We
observe; We hypothesize; We test; We accept the best hypothesis that satisfies
our tests. These specific processes are carried out by the great men of science
who uncover truths so that we technicians are able to know things and apply
them in practical terms.'
Nasrudin scratches his head and frowns as he tries to understand what the
differences are between the 2 answerswhich seem rather similar to him.
Now the religious person addresses the second question. `I am told that mystics
are constantly working with light. They can't explain it very wellthey say
that what we can see is only a tiny fraction of what there is. It takes on many
completely different forms, which even include particles of matter! Even
darkness is a form of light. To me it's a complete mystery.'
The scientist replies: `Much is known through quantum mechanisms of the
behaviour of particles of light as waves, which have frequencies below the
visible range from radio waves, television waves and heat waveswhich are
infrared, and aboveultra-violet, X rays, gamma rays and so on. There are one
or two questions as yet unanswered about certain properties of light, which are
satisfactorily dealt with only when we introduce scientifically proposed ideas
of probability. In a sense therefore since areas are left without deterministic
explanation, we could call this mystery.'
Having used up two of his questions, Nasrudin is starting to feel sick because
he hasn't been able to identify any significant difference between the
explanations of the shy religionist and the confident scientist. He decides to
deal with the third question in a more realistic way and will visit first a
doctor, then a religious healer. He is told the local Sufi sheikh has
occasional good luck when it comes to healing peopleanyway, first the doctor.
Unfortunately he is unable to deal with any more of these confusing words that
haven't done much to help him, so he switches off his universal translator and
goes to the doctor, happy to trust in non-verbal communication methods.
He sees a doctor's sign and enters into an office whereupon he is called upon
to wait a while so that the importance of the doctor's atmosphere can be
inhaled in preparation for the interview. He looks around at all the
certificates with indecipherable names and is duly impressed. A uniformed
underling with awesome authority instructs him to come with her. Into the
temple chamber he goes. The doctor is wearing a white gown and a strange rubber
necklace with two earpieces and a dangly bit with a metallic disc at the end.
He has a firm, gentle gaze, a silky voice and gives exquisite profound
attention, then he makes strange hieroglyphs upon a piece of paper. Taking a
bottle from a shelf he says some words that clearly obey some ritual quality
and offers Nasrudin the bottle of liquid to drink and sends him on his way.
The sheikh was also introduced by an assistant after a period of waiting in a
room bedecked with symbols of his calling. He also wore a gown and a strange
necklace (called a tasbih instead of a stethoscope); he also had good eyes,
soft voice and the power to give excellent attention. He also wrote out a charm
in hieroglyphs and delivered a formulaic message with a glass of holy water for
Nasrudin to drink!
Absolutely baffled and unable to perceive any significant differences between
the 2 systems, Nasrudin returned home and went to bed.
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