Parents who force their children into religion?

VestanPance

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

My mother is pretty religious, and also a scientist. She finds the wonder of everything, looked at through science, adds to her belief, rather than detracts from it.

Not much of a scientist if she works on "belief".

seven-day-weekend

VestanPance wrote: »

Not much of a scientist if she works on "belief".

I'm sure when she is being a scientist she works using the scientific method. Doesn't mean she can't have a faith as well. The two are not incompatible.

VestanPance

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

I'm sure when she is being a scientist she works using the scientific method. Doesn't mean she can't have a faith as well. The two are not incompatible.

They really are. Science has no place for faith/belief or any other mumbo jumbo. A scientific mind requires methodical research that can be critiqued by peers in order to agree with or disagree with the results produced by that research.

Taking something on belief is as unscientific as accepting something on a hunch, or because Dave down the pub said so.

seven-day-weekend

Science is based on the scientific method. A belief in God is not. They look at the world in different ways. There is nor reasion why they are incompatible.

Even Albert Einstein said 'Not everything that matters can be measured and not everything that can be measured, matters'. He was open to the idea that there could be realities that could not be proven by the scientific method.

As another Scientist, Carl Sagan said (he was talking about extra-terrestrial life, but could be applied equally to the existence of God), 'Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence'.

Although most Christians would say they do have evidence, just not the type that can be measured by scientific instruments.

You can look at things in different ways. Science is only one way of looking at the world.

VestanPance

Science is fact. Belief is ignorance at best, corruption at worst.

seven-day-weekend

VestanPance wrote: »

Science is fact. Belief is ignorance at best, corruption at worst.

Good to see you keep an open mind.

VestanPance

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

Good to see you keep an open mind.

It's open to facts.

Not to silly stories to placate peoples fears of death, which is the basis of all religion.

seven-day-weekend

VestanPance wrote: »

It's open to facts.

Not to silly stories to placate peoples fears of death, which is the basis of all religion.

I did not become a Christian because I was scared of death! :rotfl::rotfl: It was because I found (much to my amazement), that there was a reality out there that I never know existed. I wouldn't have been honest with myself if I'd just ignored it. That's what having an open mind means, not just keeping the blinkers on and refusing to face the unexpected.

Mojisola

VestanPance wrote: »

Not much of a scientist if she works on "belief".

The people I know who are scientists as well as having a faith have had personal experiences which they base their "belief" on.

They will be the first to say that they can't explain their experiences but also won't pretend they didn't have them just because there is no explanation. As long as they are able to separate what they know because they've proved it in a material way and what they believe, I don't see any problem.

It's the people like Rowingirl mentions who base their understanding of the physical world on their beliefs and ignore the evidence that I can't understand.

VestanPance

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

I did not become a Christian because I was scared of death! :rotfl::rotfl: It was because I found (much to my amazement), that there was a reality out there that I never know existed. I wouldn't have been honest with myself if I'd just ignored it. That's what having an open mind means, not just keeping the blinkers on and refusing to face the unexpected.

Making uneducated decisions is not open minded, it's simple minded.