Religion has influenced the development of science over the past two millennia. The Truth about Science and Religion tells the story of their interaction. The book examines the origin of the universe, evolutionary processes, Christian beliefs, the history of science, what being human really means, and what science and religion have to say about these ideas. The Truth about Science and Religion is designed to help explore personal views on science and religion, offering questions for discussion at the end of each chapter. The book provides the historical and scientific background and the philosophical insight needed to think through issues of science and religion and their influences on personal beliefs. Metaphors, analogies, and comparisons are used to simplify complex topics so that any reader can engage with the key concepts. Unlike other books in this field, The Truth about Science and Religion follows a chronological scheme, treating increasingly personal topics as the book moves through cosmology, evolution, the life of Jesus, and the lives of several great scientists to regain a unified view of science and religion in today's world.
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Fraser Fleming. The Truth about Science and Religion
The Truth about. Science & Religion
Table of Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Is There Purpose to Life? Implications from the Big Bang
2. The Origin of Life: Who or What Creates Life?
3. Evolution: From Amoeba to Zebra
4. Primates, Hominids, and Humans: What Makes People Human?
5. Jesus Christ: Prayer, Miracles, the Causal Joint, and the Resurrection
6. A Brief History of Science: From Prehistory to Particle Science
7. The Real Me: Mind, Brain, Soul, and Spiritual Experience
8. Where Science and Religion Meet: Is there Personal Relevance?
9. Epilogue: Does Science Influence Personal Belief?
Bibliography
Отрывок из книги
From the Big Bang to Neuroscience
Fraser Fleming
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Described as the most significant contribution to systematic theology this century, “Scientific Theology” offers a more moderate, and theologically oriented approach to the design in nature. In essence, biochemist-theologian Alister McGrath argues, the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics and the regularity and intelligibility of nature do not prove the existence of God but do reinforce the plausibility of an already existing belief.14
This idea has grown into a more nuanced form of natural theology. This new form claims that belief in God provides a more complete and rationally persuasive view of nature that better fits with the lived human experience than a purely materialistic worldview. Today’s natural theologians begin with the belief in God, then ask what kind of a world would be expected from a good God, and only then look for evidence in the world around them that will confirm their belief. Any other approach, such as Paley’s, ultimately rests on an extra-religious assumption that builds a proof for God’s existence on a material basis.
