Post #59 "Religion to Science"

If we could venture beyond the reality we have created, what would we see and what would we do? Could we ever admit to the possibility of Reality beyond our created reality? Could we take the chance that by Choosing to admit to that Reality we would destroy all that we have created? Would the Choice to admit to that which lies beyond our own creation destroy our efforts to fulfilling our desire to become Perefect, to become God? Can we admit to the reality of non-reality? What of religion and science? Can science extend beyond the walls of Creation-beyond the walls we have imaged? Are religion and science the very tools to satisfy our longings? Our longing to be what? Who we are or who we desire ourselves to be?

Let's begin by taking a look at religion. Dating back to the 16th century, the dualism between mind and body, or Faith and Reason, has become a controversy of enormous proportions. The church, with its long standing faith tradition condemned the ideas emerging from the new reason based philosophy of Rene Descartes and his followers in the Age of the Enlightenment. Now, in our present times it has become more common for the 'other side', that is the side of Reason or the scientific approach, to voice impatience with, and opposition to the traditional views of religion .The struggle traces back beyond the rationalism of Plato and Aristotle. Indeed, the struggle dates back to the beginning of Time.

The struggle can be witnessed in the unfolding of civilization. Is civilization, then, the offspring of religion as well; as the root of science? Does civilization rely on a trusting faith or does civilization rely on a testing and proving rational? Is religion built on faith and trust in a political, rational Mind? Is religion, religion for its own sake or is religion an enforced rationalism that dictates its tenets, beliefs, ritual, commandments and observances? Is religion faith and trust in Reason? Does not science depend on faith in trusting the expertise of those conducting the scientific tests? Certainly every scientist does not run the tests themselves on every question but relies to some extent on the expertise of their colleagues. Now the question arises.....are religion and science really opposed or are they 'two sides of the same coin'? Is religion a science and is science a religion? Do religion and science exist in Reality? Do religion and science exist in non-reality? Or..... could there be a third perspective? If so, where would it exist-Reality or Non-reality? And to what purpose?......Let's see what unfolds.