Students as Christians and Scientists.
The relationship between religion and science has been debated throughout time. Plato, a philosopher and historical figure was one of the first to criticize stories about supernatural powers and entities. (Pecorino, Philip A.) The relationship has developed quite drastically in history. However, even with these debates and criticism, people remain faithful in their religion; according to the CIA, the percentage of people around the world who remain either non-religious, or agnostic is 11.67%. That means that the rest of the population across the world identify themselves with a religion despite the rise of science. Now, how does science come into play for the life of a Christian at Oregon State studying science?
To help make sense of the relationship within a student’s life, a student named Austin Fricker was asked if he thinks religion and science can coexist to which he responded, “I think religion and science are two boxes that we put spirituality and the natural world into; in my mind the two are intrinsically connected. As a scientist who is also a Christian, I feel like I get to study God’s creation and learn more about who He is through that.” Austin believes that they are connected with good reason. He sees that because religion and science are so connected, he gets to study about God while he is studying science, or as he mentioned, “the natural world.” Of course another perspective will help to enlighten on the understanding of a students life with religion and science.
George Linden Craig IV, another Christian, and science major gives more insight. He was asked, are there times when you doubt spiritual/religious teachings because of science? He responded with, “I have in the past, it’s scary to think that if we base a lot of things of the bible and it isn’t factual it’s scary. There have been times when I’ve doubted, but not as many as there used to be. I think that now I see science as a part of religion whereas before it was out there to disprove it.” The insight George gives supports what Austin said. They both coexist in the life of these two students. George however didn’t seem to see that until later when he stopped doubting and saw that the two work together.
Students at Oregon State however, aren’t the only ones who believe religion and science are tied together; Albert Einstein, a historical and well-known figure in science supports this theory as well, as he once said, “Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.” (Na, Kang 1) The image on the right, found on quotespedia.info, illustrates Albert Einstein and his words.
Cole Garret Morgan, a recent graduate of Oregon State was asked if he agrees with the words of Einstein to which he replied, “
Yes and no. A big part of religion is faith, or complete and utter dependence and belief in something you don’t understand. I guess we act on this faith everyday scientifically too, for instance we trust gravity, or have faith in it with no understanding of it. Many of us have faith in our bridges and buildings with minimal understanding. I believe there is a balance between the two. Too much of one or the other can be harmful.”
From interviewing these students, it seems that they are all in agreement that religion and science are forever tied together. Even though they have different principles for achieving an answer, it is fascinating that they are both equal for the life of a student. Neither is greater than the other, nor will one ever be; even though science makes some doubt their faith, in the end that faith will be restored just as it had for George. Why? Because although George had begun to doubt the teachings of the bible, he now sees that science is actually a part of religion; Austin and Cole along with George think the same about the relationship within life.