> But they do overlap--consider common interpretations of Biblical
> statements regarding childrearing, the roles of a man and wife, or
> homosexuality. Science may lead to conclusions that are contrary to
> religious teachings. What then, is the religious scientist to do?
>
>> The "religious scientist" must leave his/her belief system (religious or
>> otherwise) at the research door. He/she must be methodologically
>> atheistic. Conclusions must be based on empirical data and their findings.
>> I share this simplistic but nonetheless effective example when trying to
>> distinguish faith from science with my students. I BELIEVE I'm going to
>> make it home safely, but believing that doesn't necessarily make it so.
Great question from Mike!
I disagree with this response that the religious scientist must leave the
beliefs at the door. If you mean the methodology, that's fine. Yes, we
should be objective in how we collect and interpret data.
But, methods are often imperfect, and therefore if I come up with a finding
that contradicts my Christian beliefs, I am likely to attack the methods. A
professor once told me that we do this in psychology all of the time -- when
someone comes up with results we find intriniscally or innately contradictory,
we attack the method. After all, isn't that what people have done with the
Rind et al study? (It certainly worked in the OJ Simpson case!)
I haven't found many scientific findings that necessarily contradict my
religious beliefs. If I do, then I must look at my beliefs and the scientific
evidence. How was the evidence collected? Is it reliable? An example is
evolution. This seems to contradict religious teachings, yet there is currently
no solid proof of macro-evolution (people evolved from an earlier life form) but
lots of evidence for micro-evolution (people have evolved as a species). I find
nothing anti-biblical about micro-evolution.
If there is lots of evidence for macro-evolution, then I need to take another
look at my religious beliefs. One good question would be -- have I interpreted
my religious teachings correctly? One problem with religion is that it is an
instititution, and with anything run by men (and sometimes women), there is
bound to be lots of mistakes. For example, there are some churches that
teach that you must be baptized in THEIR church for salvation. There is
nothing in the New Testament that supports this teaching. There are some
churches that teach that if you commit suicide, you go to hell. Once again,
you cannot find a passage that supports this. So, as a religious person, I
must be very careful to distinguish what is biblical and what is someone's
interpretation (or just plain inaccuracy).
Cheers,
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Jim Guinee, Ph.D. Director of Training, Counseling Center
Adjunct Professor, Dept. of Psychology/Counseling
Dept. of Health Sciences
President-Elect, Arkansas College Counselor Association
University of Central Arkansas
313 Bernard Hall Conway, AR 72035
(501) 450-3138 (office) (501) 450-3248 (fax)
"Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
teach a righteous man and he will increase in learning."
Proverbs 9:9
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