Science is Not a Religion

http://www.slayerment.com/science-vs-religion-which-right

I've got most of another long post ready to go, it's just going to take a little more editing than usual. In the meantime, I thought I'd take a look at an argument that I've seen many times over, mostly when Atheists are debating Theists about the pros and cons of religion. This argument is often used to frustrate or undermine the scientific argument, to say that it requires just as much faith, that it inspires the same fervor. This argument is, of course, that Science is a Religion, just as dogmatic as the rest.


So what is a religion?

• noun
• a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
• a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects

Beliefs. Dogma. A system of faith that not only fails to provide evidence, but refuses you the right to ask for evidence. An idea put forth from authority to be unquestionably true.

What is science?

• noun
• systematic knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and experimentation

It's a process of asking questions and seeking evidence from which to formulate answers. In science, nothing is beyond scrutiny.

If you can find evidence that disproves the most commonly accepted explanation, a religious person will tell you it's a irrelevant. A scientist will use it to create a new explanation. These explanations are only accepted in the first place if they stand up to tests - if you can't use it to predict the outcome of your experiment, it's of no use to science.

That's my logic, which I assume is what you come here to read, but as I said, this comes up a lot and many other people have discussed the differences. Here are three:

Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss, explaining their perspective on what separates science from religion.

Christopher Hitchens is another, more intentionally inflammatory individual arguing that science is measurably better than religion. Admittedly, had "Hitch" still been alive when the above video was filmed, he probably would have shared the stage, as all three were good friends.

Finally, here's Neil deGrasse Tyson explaining how he figures even members of actual religions need to be able to accept science as a tool for understanding the world around them.