Unexplained Experiences... and LOLghosts

[Mr.AJ]

Ghosts vs Science
"science am wrong!!1"
"Nu-Uh!"
"yu-uh! religion > science"
"NO WAI! Science > Religion"
*Fistycuffs*

Thats how! Sorry P. Kinda my fault!. Back to ghosts!

 

[Roy Munson]

Theology isn't a "true" science but I would say:Yes. I wouldn't say that Theology itslef is the science, but that science can/should be used in Theology. I understand what you mean by the different uses of the word theory though, but I mean that unless it is actually "proven" as fact, not just widely accepted as and most likely to be fact, it is still a theory in the layman sense.

The thing is that you can't throw around terms in different contexts, with different definitions, and have a meaningful discussion (say nothing about acheiving any sort of understanding). Let's keep the discussion scientific for a moment. Evolution is a fact. It has been observed, and it can even be demonstrated. The theory of evolution claims that the mechanism of evolution is natural selection and its variations. There is a vast amount of evidence across a number of scientific disciplines to support this scientific theory (not to be confused with the layman/vernacular use of the word theory that means "imperfect fact"). So evolution is a fact AND a theory.

Science doesn't seek to prove, only to disprove. Scientifically, "facts" don't need to be proved or disproved. A rock falls to the ground when released from the hand; the sun warms objects upon which its light falls; organisms change over time. These are facts. Science collects evidence in an effort to explain these facts. This evidence supports existing scientific theories, it demolishes them, or it's inconclusive until more evidence is collected.

 

[Roy Munson]

Ghosts vs Science
"science am wrong!!1"
"Nu-Uh!"
"yu-uh! religion > science"
"NO WAI! Science > Religion"
*Fistycuffs*

Thats how! Sorry P. Kinda my fault!. Back to ghosts!

I don't think we've gone that far off topic. I won't apologize...

 

[Mr.AJ]

Then my work here is not yet complete.

To the off-topic mobile!.

 

[jazzgeek]

If it's got an ology, it's just got to be scientifical! :rofl:

Theology isn't a "true" science but I would say:Yes. I wouldn't say that Theology itslef is the science, but that science can/should be used in Theology. I understand what you mean by the different uses of the word theory though, but I mean that unless it is actually "proven" as fact, not just widely accepted as and most likely to be fact, it is still a theory in the layman sense.

Well, if you want to get into the etymology of "ologies" and "ologists"....
(and how's that for recursion?)

the 'ology' suffix is derived from the Greek "logos" which translates to "words", "sayings", or "discourse". Thus, the snark in Janine's above quote is a thing of beauty.

Theology, even though an 'ology', is considered part of the "humanities" and not part of the "sciences" in academia. You can't construct an experiment to prove God's existence.

And yes, science can be, and is, used in theology. But they're the "soft" sciences, such as archaeology (as opposed to physics or chemistry); a member of my church graduated from Harvard Divinity School and is a leading authority in archaeological "digs" in the Holy Land; he's currently a Professor at a private college in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He's got credentials like we've got snakes, and he'll be the first to tell you that he doesn't take the Bible literally. One of his interests is the science/religion dialogue, specifically, "Origins: cosmology, evolution, and creation stories."

Note the word "stories" after "creation". Note the comma after "evolution".

On the other side, one of his brothers (who unfortunately died in a car accident this past summer), was a "hard scientist", a leading researcher in human genetics....and a devout member at his Lutheran church.

Both pursuits, imho, are vital and necessary for anyone with an iota of curiosity.....and they should "dialogue".

But both brothers knew that they don't overlap.

Stephen Jay Gould had it right:

"The purpose of religion is to find the Rock Of Ages. The purpose of science is to find the age of the rocks."

regards,
jazz

 

[ZoologyMajor]

I am a scientist. I believe in evolution. The evidence to support evolution is virtually irrefutable. If you think religion/creationism etc. should be taught in schools .. ok well take a separate class on it. But it has no place in a science class room. In fact the only time at all it should ever enter into discussion is when talking about the backgrounds of famous scientists. Science is based on observations, hypotheses, and experiments. Experiments are designed to try to prove a hypothesis is WRONG and not to try to prove it is right. Religion is based on faith. Nothing more. Some religions do have a written text but many do not. Ultimately it is still faith. Faith is not something based on observations and experiments therefore, it is not science and should not be involved with science. True many religious people attempt to use science to support their claims on one thing or another.... but the problem with this is that they are trying to prove it fits and they tend to ignore/disregard when it doesn't. I do have religious beliefs and my beliefs concur with what science as shown us. But my religion still doesn't belong in the class room dedicated to science.

My humor for today (from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy):

.Babel fish- A Babel fish is a little creature which feeds on brainwave energy and excretes into the mind of its carrier a telepathic matrix. If you stick a Babel fish in your ear, you can instantly understand any form of language


"I refuse to prove that I exist," says God, "for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing."
"But," says Man, "the Babel fish is a dead giveaway, isn't it? It could not have evolved by chance. It proves you exist, and so therefore, by your own arguments, you don't. QED."
"Oh dear," says God, "I hadn't thought of that," and promptly vanishes in a puff of logic.
"Oh, that was easy," says Man, and for an encore goes on to prove that black is white and gets himself killed on the next zebra crossing