Harkins I

Hunter Harkins
Patricia Joseph
AP Language and Comprehension
November 1, 2016

Science Against Religion

The National History Day topic for the year of 2016 is ,"Taking a Stand in History". The
topic at hand involves the individuals of the scientific field taking a stand against religion, due to
individuals of the church suppressing scientific beliefs. Science and Religion are two very
different understandings of many different topics.
The term science can be commonly mistaken in this day and age. One does not have to
be religious to have a false understanding of science in means of the wrong usage of the word.
Science is not technology, it is that plain and simple. Technology was created through science,
but technology is not the means of all or most scientific discoveries. Most commonly, Christians
often make this mistake, because they are not informed about the topic at hand and these
instances can be very embarrassing. Science and religion, being very different, the means of both
are quite similar, science being empirical fact and religion being ideology, both being a form of
knowledge. An important figure to contribute to the universe of science is well known as,
Galileo Galilei, the father of observational astronomy. Galilei proposed a new way of thinking or
rather took a stand to a different way of thinking, this certainly threatened the catholic church
this act ultimately led to him standing on trial for heresy. Galileo Galilei proposed that the sun
was the center of the universe contrary to that of the Roman Catholic Church. Galileo Galilei
was put on trial for heresy. The existence of an official injunction, instructing him to remain
silent on the subject at the time, remains a source of controversy. The injunction that would seal

Harkins II
his fate when he was ordered to stand trial before a council of cardinals in the spring of 1633 to
explain the
publication of a "Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems"a text that many found
to validate the teachings of Copernicus.
Perspectives from both the sides of Religion and Science are; geographical areas, cultures
and historical events, with some characterizing the relationship as one of conflict, others
describing it as one of peace, and others proposing little interaction. Events that occurred in
Europe such as the Galileo affair, associated with the scientific revolution and the Age of
Enlightenment, led scholars such as John William Draper to postulate a conflict thesis, holding
that religion and science have been in conflict methodologically, factually and politically
throughout history. Science acknowledges reason, empiricism, and evidence, while religions
include revelation, faith and sacredness whilst also acknowledging philosophical and
metaphysical explanations with regard to the study of the universe. Both science and religion are
complex social and cultural endeavors that vary across cultures and have changed over time.
Most scientific and technical innovations prior to the Scientific revolution were achieved by
societies organized by religious traditions. Elements of the scientific method were pioneered by
ancient pagan, Islamic, and Christian scholars. Roger Bacon, who is often credited with
formalizing the scientific method, was a Franciscan friar. Hinduism has historically embraced
reason and empiricism, holding that science brings legitimate, but incomplete knowledge of the
world.