William A. Dembski - Are Science & Religion at War?

What is it about science and theology that grips people so emotionally, as during a war, such that each is committed to his or her viewpoint (which often are sharply opposed to one another)? Each is fighting for its predominance, if not for its life: religion from being marginalized, science from being politically contained.




William Albert Dembski is an American philosopher and theologian. He is currently a Professor of Culture & Science at the Southern Evangelical Seminary at Matthews, North Carolina, and a senior fellow of the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture.


Closer to Truth, hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn and directed by Peter Getzels, presents the world’s greatest thinkers exploring humanity’s deepest questions. Discover fundamental issues of existence. Engage new and diverse ways of thinking. Appreciate intense debates. Share your own opinions. Seek your own answers.

[greenspeed]

Ignorance and fear have always been Mankind's two biggest enemies. Religion is rooted in both of these. Science is our best way to expose religion for what it is, a set of really bad ideas.

[penultimatename]

He is a theologian. Of course he is going to disagree with science winning. Religion is based on beliefs without any basis in fact.

[mehdibaghbadran]

The religion should go forward with science, not against, because, if we’re going to giving the shapes to our beliefs, we need to have an evidence, and even we’re going to give up our old beliefs we’ll need to have an evidence!

[thebookofla]

Science and religion is never at war when they stand on the same logical starting point. Instead, they compliment each other.

[arthurwieczorek]

I'm an atheist and it still irks the hell out of me that on this channel 'religion' means 'Christianity'. I guess I expect more precision from Closer to the Truth. By the way, I call that kind of truth 'ampliative' as opposed to certain or received truth.

[septopus]

In reference to religion and science -
I'd rather have questions I cannot answer, than have answers I cannot question.

[sciencefirst]

Religion says "We know the answers."
Science says "We might find the answers."
Nothing more to say.

[wong]

Greetings from China my dear friends, has anyone ever heard any good argument from the religious people ? I haven't.

[jago]

They don't even touch each other. One is faith based. The other is evidence based. They never intersect.

[greggweber]

Religion and Philosophy discusses Why and is there a Way.
Science discusses How.

[maggipetty]

There was a time when science, spirituality and math were an intertwined understanding - alchemy.

[strub]

William was very uncomfortable when presented with science being fact based and religion being faith based. He tried to equate the two but in fact they are totally opposite. Religion makes lots of claims but offers no facts. Science offers observed facts to make claims. Hard for theists to acknowledge this fundamental difference.

[dongshengdi]

That's why many people today have Science as their Religion.
Other people have Anti-Theism as their Religion.
While others have Theism as their Religion.
They are all the same deep human impulse to understand the world, to know our place in it, and to marvel at the wonder of life and the infinite cosmos we are surrounded by.
All are the same human pursuit of moral and religious Truths.
All these are not religions based on the Traditional or classical definition of Religion.

[HENRYIII]

I keep finding myself on the side of science. Science will engage any question but religion will avoid answers.

[MendTheWorld]

This was a very odd interview, and most of the comments are just as perplexing.
The distinction between science and religion is based only the kind of evidence used to support their claims. Religion is based on intuition, or feelings, or authority, or transcendental experience, or sometimes on scriptural sources of unknown, but most likely human, origin. Science is based on observable, verifiable, measurable characteristics, constrained by rules of logic. Otherwise, science can “make claims” and religion can “make claims”. The claims of science are supported by sharable, verifiable, repeatable, measurable characteristics.
Oh…. One other difference: Science is based on the presumption of a single, shared, external, objective reality. Owing to the limitations of the evidentiary basis of religion, however, there is no justification to support a shared, objective reality.

[dianescholes]

In my humble opinion I can only believe what makes sense and what can be explained to me and is plausible. Religion is man made and Science is Science. So much Science I don't understand but religion I just don't get! The religions of the world differ and they are very different, if there was a God we would have only one way. If there was a God in control the world would be fair and it is not. Life is about choice and we all have good and bad in us. The bad is the part we need to outwit another in order to survive. The good in us bonds us and builds families and communities. But telling me I have to do something otherwise I'll go to hell, doesn't make sense when my bad choices are my hell and my good choices my heaven. I believe I am a random being conceived a minute later I would be another person. I have a life and live with the genes and inherited traits from my parents and forefathers. I cannot relate to religion but I can relate to goodness and kindness and tolerance and forgiveness and moving on and positivity. So I live my life as purely as I can with what I have been taught and keep on making choices. And that's good for me! I am completely fulfilled and I simply love Science.

[ronjohnson]

i heard this story about a "flying man". He could fly. To prove it, he jumped off the edge of the grand canyon and flew in front of 500 people. Some people were skeptical. So he flew down to the Colorado River scoped up some river water in a glass. As he floated infront of the 500 he dunked a piece of cloth into the water and lighted it with a match. So, the very next week a preacher used this event as an act of faith. The preacher told the 500 to jump off the edge of the canyon and fly down to the river and fill their cups with water. They all died.

[NeoFrontierTechnologies]

While humans have different ideas of reality and right and wrong there will always be some kind of war ...

[kennyongyc]

were together at one time, now separated

[dforbes]

First of all, you have to tell us what religion, and if protestant, what denomination.