The Truth About Physics And Religion :: essays research papers

The Truth About Physics and Religion Many people believe that physics and religion are separate entities. They claim that physics deals only with the objective, material world, while religion deals only with the world of values. It is obvious, from these, and from many other comparisons, that conflicts have arisen between physics and religion. Many are convinced that the two fields completely oppose each other, and are not related in any ways. Many people, who follow a particular religion, feel offended by the claims that physicists have made, while physicists believe that religion has no basis in reality. I will show, however, that these conflicts are founded on a misunderstanding, and that there is no division between physics and religion. I will also prove that the misunderstanding lies in the parables of religion and in the statements made by physicists. Furthermore, I will show that only physicists can really know the truth of physics, and only religious followers can know the truth of that religion; everyone else has to take it on faith.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many people believe that physics and religion are entirely separate. They claim that physics is only concerned with discovering what is true or false, while religion is concerned with what is good or evil. Scientists appear to agree that â€Å"physics is the manner in which we argue about the objective side of reality.† Religious followers, on the other hand, agree that â€Å"religion is the way we express the subjective decisions that help us choose the standards by which we live.† Although these definitions seem to be contrasting, an important element remains absent, an element that must first be considered before religion and physics can be compared.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Those who think that religion has no basis in reality also believe that there is an â€Å"obvious† separation between the two fields. They think that religion is a jumble of false assertions, with no basis in reality. Paul Dirac, a physicist, once said: The very idea of God is a product of the human imagination. It is quite understandable why primitive people, who were so much more exposed to the overpowering forces of nature than we are today, should have personified these forces in fear and trembling. But nowadays, when we understand so many natural processes, we have no need for such solutions. Dirac, and those who think the same way, however, fails to consider the essential element that has caused many to misunderstand the relationship between physics and religion. What they fail to realize is that religion uses language in quite a different way from science. The language of religion is more closely related to the language of poetry than to the language of science.