Although that is a very interesting question, it is not about science. Many scientists do believe in God (I do) but many do not, and all of use would agree that science could never PROVE that God exists or that he/she does not. Science is about questions that CAN be answered; questions that cannot be answered by observation or experiment are considered not to be scientific questions.
My personal view is that science tries to answer the questions of HOW the universe works. Religion tries to address the question of PURPOSE; scientists who do not believe in God would say there is no purpose, the universe just IS. I prefer to believe that there is some point to it all. even if I am not quite sure what it is.
@peter answers this question well. I’m a scientist that grew up going to school being taught about god and with everyone expecting that god exists, but without people every really being allowed to think that god didn’t exist.
As I grew older and started to think through questions like yours for myself, I decided that in my mind there was no god and there didn’t need to be for me to live a happy life.
It’s not related to science, but it is an important question that most people will think about in their lives. Its something that you have to think about by yourself, without being told the answer by your parents or teachers. Whatever you decide, it isn’t wrong, its just your opinion.
That is a very good question, but while we can look at some evidence that might cause you to lean one way or the other on that question, I don’t think we can expect “proof” in the same way that we have proof of scientific ideas like global warming or evolution or ideas like that. If you are really interested in exploring religious beliefs, I think there are some good criteria to use for evaluating them: for example, are they internally consistent (that is, does one teaching contradict another?), is the evidence that we can see consistent with the teachings of that religion? And perhaps the most important, but the one that science is least equipped to answer: does the religion realistically answer the most important questions you can ask about life?
That’s certainly not the only way to approach religious questions, but that is the way that I have found most useful for myself. And even though science is unable to answer the question of God directly, I would still encourage you to think carefully and critically about any religious beliefs you might encounter.
I completely agree with @Mick and share his experience (except my parents actively encouraged me to learn about different religions and never forced anything on me) – this is something for you to explore and decide on yourself.
Often we follow our parents in this regard, and mine didn’t take me to church and weren’t very religious. I obviously learnt about God and Christianity although I’ve never read the bible. Overall, I think we can explain many things nowadays in a rational way thanks to science, so don’t have a lot of need to explain things away by inventing a mystical being. Spiritually it’s another story and people may feel comfortable thinking there is a higher being in control of all of this, somewhere. Mick’s spot on, it’s up to you what you believe, but realise that you might not be able to convince people that you are right.
Although that is a very interesting question, it is not about science. Many scientists do believe in God (I do) but many do not, and all of use would agree that science could never PROVE that God exists or that he/she does not. Science is about questions that CAN be answered; questions that cannot be answered by observation or experiment are considered not to be scientific questions.
My personal view is that science tries to answer the questions of HOW the universe works. Religion tries to address the question of PURPOSE; scientists who do not believe in God would say there is no purpose, the universe just IS. I prefer to believe that there is some point to it all. even if I am not quite sure what it is.
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Hi @thepaleone,
@peter answers this question well. I’m a scientist that grew up going to school being taught about god and with everyone expecting that god exists, but without people every really being allowed to think that god didn’t exist.
As I grew older and started to think through questions like yours for myself, I decided that in my mind there was no god and there didn’t need to be for me to live a happy life.
It’s not related to science, but it is an important question that most people will think about in their lives. Its something that you have to think about by yourself, without being told the answer by your parents or teachers. Whatever you decide, it isn’t wrong, its just your opinion.
0
That is a very good question, but while we can look at some evidence that might cause you to lean one way or the other on that question, I don’t think we can expect “proof” in the same way that we have proof of scientific ideas like global warming or evolution or ideas like that. If you are really interested in exploring religious beliefs, I think there are some good criteria to use for evaluating them: for example, are they internally consistent (that is, does one teaching contradict another?), is the evidence that we can see consistent with the teachings of that religion? And perhaps the most important, but the one that science is least equipped to answer: does the religion realistically answer the most important questions you can ask about life?
That’s certainly not the only way to approach religious questions, but that is the way that I have found most useful for myself. And even though science is unable to answer the question of God directly, I would still encourage you to think carefully and critically about any religious beliefs you might encounter.
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I completely agree with @Mick and share his experience (except my parents actively encouraged me to learn about different religions and never forced anything on me) – this is something for you to explore and decide on yourself.
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Often we follow our parents in this regard, and mine didn’t take me to church and weren’t very religious. I obviously learnt about God and Christianity although I’ve never read the bible. Overall, I think we can explain many things nowadays in a rational way thanks to science, so don’t have a lot of need to explain things away by inventing a mystical being. Spiritually it’s another story and people may feel comfortable thinking there is a higher being in control of all of this, somewhere. Mick’s spot on, it’s up to you what you believe, but realise that you might not be able to convince people that you are right.
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