Science, faith, and reason

1. Science, faith, and reason Intro to religion

2. Defining terms • Religion: a system of beliefs and practices primarily centered around a transcendent reality, either personal or impersonal, which provides ultimate meaning and purpose to human life. • Science: the exploration, description, explanation, and prediction of occurrences in the natural world which can be checked and supported by empirical evidence.

3. Understanding relationships • Conflict, independence or integration? • Science and religion are in conflict with each other • View points: scriptural literalists & scientific materialists • Challenges: scripture is not scientific textbook & scientific method cannot verify itself

4. Independence • Science and religion are completely independent forms of thought and practice, which never come into contact. • View Points: protestant neo-orthodoxy & linguistic analysis. • Problems: religious engagement and disparate domains

5. Integration • Science and religion are integrated in some way • Versions: natural theology & systematic synthesis • Positives: single unified worldview, without discrediting science or religion. • Exciting new prospects

6. Religious belief and justification • Religious validation views of faith and reason • Non-evidential views of faith and reason • Fideism – Kierkegaard, evidence not needed, “leap of faith • The will to believe – James, deciding between hypotheses and believing even if evidence is lacking

7. Non-evidential views cont. • Pascal’s wager: believing in God is a better bet than not believing. • If God exists and you believe - great gain • If God doesn’t exist and you believe  no great gain or loss • If God exists and you don’t believe  great loss • If God doesn’t exist and you don’t believe  no great loss and no great gain

8. Non-evidential views cont. • Reformed epistemology • Plantinga • Belief in God can still be rational, even without evidence • Contradicts foundationalism • Belief in God is properly basic • Basic – but not ground;ess

9. Questions for discussion • Which of the three views of the relationship between religion and science do you find to be most accurate? • Evolution and creationism are often considered to be diametrically opposed beliefs about the existence of God. Can they be reconciled? • Are faith and reason mutually exclusive? Can you have faith in something or someone while also having reasons for what you have faith in? • Does Pascal’s wager make sense or do you see anything wrong with his line of argument?