• Question: Studying Science often leaves you only with one answer to a question (or another question!). Whats your stance on Religion? And if you are religous, how do your science and religion interact?

    Asked by rennit to Adam, Geoff, Rob, Sheila, Suzie on 23 Mar 2011 in Categories: . This question was also asked by bananarama.
    • Photo: Adam Tuff

      Adam Tuff answered on 22 Mar 2011:

      I’m not what you’d call religious, but I think I do believe in a God. It doesn’t interact with my work that much, or for a matter of fact many things. I don’t believe in things like the world being created in seven days or anything like that, but that’s my opinion. I like to follow the mentality that I should believe what I see, and draw my conclusions from that, and that it’s dangerous to see what I want to believe, or interpret the results to fit beliefs. For all we know, God may exist – I think I might just need to see a bit more evidence. A lot of my colleagues are religious, and they have differing opinions – but I respect their opinions, as we’re all allowed to have our own. Afterall – we have no idea who is right!

    • Photo: Robert Simpson

      Robert Simpson answered on 23 Mar 2011:

      I’m an atheist, and a lot of scientists I know are either atheist or agnostic – but not all. A know a lot of Christian and Muslim cosmologists – there seems to be a nice way to meld religiosity with the study of the origins of the Universe. It would be difficult to be a fundamentalist in most religions and still be a scientist.

      Personally I find it hard to see how being scientist doesn’t ultimately lead you to thinking very critically about God and belief. Science is a field that requires evidence to operate – and this is quite counter to faith. I like having this discussion with religious scientists and have attended many debate son the matter.

    • Photo: Suzie Sheehy

      Suzie Sheehy answered on 23 Mar 2011:

      Hi there, one of the things I find science does is create more questions! The more we understand about something, sometimes the more questions we have… but that’s a good thing, because you only learn by questioning.
      I’m not religious personally, but I fully understand (I think) why other people are. I have had a partner in the past who was religious who told me that he separates his religion and science – he doesn’t see the need for them to conflict. But I’m not sure if that really worked for him or if it was an ongoing conflict…

    • Photo: Sheila Kanani

      Sheila Kanani answered on 23 Mar 2011:

      Omg science always brings up more questions and never really answers anything….tho thats sort of why I like it!
      I was brought up Hindu and like a lot of the Hindu principles, but feel more ‘spiritual’ than religious. Also I like the idea of something more than just us because I am inately scared of death!
      I think my science and my religion work together quite well. This is because for example in Hinduism we believe that when you die your soul goes into another body, you are reincarnated. This works with physics because if you think of your soul as energy, we know that energy cant be created or destroyed….so reincarnation and the conservation of energy work quite nicely together 😀

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