Religion vs. Science
Will there ever be a winner?

In the book Rendezvous with Rama written by Arthur C. Clarke a space object enters our galaxy. A team is sent to Rama to explore it. The big question asked by, not only the crew on Endeavour, but also by all scientists throughout the solar system is: What is the purpose of Rama? In one section of the book Lieut-Commander Boris Rodrigo thinks that he has figured out the meaning of Rama. He therefore wants to send a message to earth, to his church. He is a religious person and he thinks that Rama is a modern version of Noah’s Ark. By writing this Arthur C. Clark touches the famous discussion between science and religion. Through history, many brilliant minds have lost their lives because their discoveries did not match the beliefs of the church. And even today this debate is alive…

A fundamental difference is how it all started. Scientists have spent many hours trying to understand as many details as possible concerning the Big Bang. How hydrogen atoms fuses to helium atoms and large amounts of energy are released. And still today there are schools that have not accepted Darwin’s evolution theory. The church still claims that the hand of God made earth and that all human beings are related to Adam and Eve. There is one weird thing about this though. Since Adam and Eve only had two sons, to evolve the human race there were three men but only one woman available… What would the church say about that?!

History tells us about a number of scientists that went against the church, a famous one is Copernicus. He presented his theory about the Universe in the 16th century. The theory stated that the Earth rotated around its own axis once a day and that our planet also rotated around the sun once yearly. This was extreme news, of course, and two Italian scientists agreed with Copernicus. Because of this, they were both forced to face the church inquisitors. The first one was Bruno. He was sentenced to death and burned at the stake. Galileo however stood on his knees and was forced to despise the Copernican theory. Then he was sent to prison for the rest of his days. Imagine how brave scientists must have been, no matter the Inquisition they kept going, kept searching for answers!

I am person who trust in science and admire scientists. Especially those who lived hundreds of years ago and were able to figure things out without help from computers or other instruments. The fact that they had courage to stand up for what they believed in makes me even more impressed! When it comes to the ongoing struggle between science and religion I am afraid it will go on forever…or at least until Judgement day!