Science Meets Religion

Science Meets Religion
http://www.sciencemeetsreligion.org

Blog | Harmony | News | Q&A: Evolution | Q&A: Physics | Q&A: Theology | Quotations | Resources | LDS

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With the scriptures it is a matter of treating about the faith. For that reason, as I have noted repeatedly, if anyone, not understanding the mode of divine eloquence, should find something about these matters [about the physical universe] in our books, or hear of the same from those books, of such a kind that it seems to be at variance with the perceptions of his own rational faculties, let him believe that these other things are in no way necessary to the admonitions or accounts or predictions of the scriptures. -- Saint Augustine (5thC theologian), "The Literal Meaning of Genesis," in J. H. Taylor, trans., Ancient Christian Writers, Newman Press, 1982, vol. 1, pg. 42-43.

The complete list of quotes is available here.

A website dedicated to the search for harmony between science and religion

Approach

The objective of this website is to collect high-quality, authoritative information on topics in the intersection of science and religion, and to present this information in a rigorous, well-documented manner. Topics range from the philosophy of science, Judeo-Christian theology, biblical scholarship, creationism, intelligent design, modern physics and big bang cosmology, organized into more than 70 separate pages of information (not including numerous articles in the blog). Each article will be updated periodically as new results and scholarship become available. Detailed references are given in all cases.

Material on this site is provided for research and education purposes only. No advertisements are permitted, nor are any solicitations to support any organization -- scientific, academic or religious. Most of the material is representative of and targeted to a broad spectrum of Judeo-Christian thought. Indeed, the vast majority of these issues are common to a wide range of religious denominations. Where theologians or religious leaders are quoted, their affiliation is indicated when possible. At the request of several friends, I have also included a selection of information specifically of interest to LDS readers, placed on a separate section of the website: LDS pages.

Outline of Available Material

Blog. This blog features philosophical musings, interesting quotes and essays, all in the general realm of science and religion.
The Search for Harmony: A Summary Essay. This article summarizes the conclusions of the three Q&A sections below, and sketches some promising directions for finding an honest common ground between science and religion.
News. This page links to numerous interesting recent news articles in the general area of modern science and religion. Specific categories of interest include biology, evolution, geology, physics, astronomy, cosmology, extraterrestrial life, computer science, philosophy, creationism, ethics and morality, biblical scholarship and others. New entries are posted frequently.
Q&A: Evolution, Creationism and Intelligent Design (26 articles). This section discusses evolution, creationism, intelligent design, geological ages, DNA, fossils, evolutionary novelty, irreducible complexity, speciation, probability, the origin of life, and related topics.
Q&A: Physics and Cosmology (10 articles). This section discusses modern physics, cosmology, the big bang, the multiverse, cosmic coincidences, the cosmological constant paradox, Fermi's paradox, computer science and related topics.
Q&A: Theology and Philosophy (29 articles). This section discusses the "war" between science and religion, natural laws, biblical scholarship, secular scholarship, atheism, determinism, scientific naturalism, postmodernism, advantages and disadvantages of scientific and creationist worldviews, and related topics.
Quotations. This links to a collection of interesting quotations on the topic of science and religion by respected scientists, theologians and religious leaders.
Resources: books, articles, Internet sites and bibliography. This site features some particularly well-written recent books, articles and Internet resources touching on the general area modern science, religion and philosophy. A comprehensive bibliography of all works cited in the three Q&A sections and the "Harmony" article above is also included here (over 500 items).
LDS pages (10 articles). This section of the website includes material specifically of interest to LDS readers (the other material above is targeted to a more general Judeo-Christian audience).

Editorial Information

This site is compiled and edited by David H. Bailey of Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley, California: LBNL website | Personal website. The editor's published works include four books and over 150 articles (not including those on this site), ranging in topics from high-performance computing, computational mathematics, probability, computational biology, as well as several articles in science and religion.

Disclaimer: Material on this site does not necessarily reflect views of the editor's employer, funding agencies, religious affiliation or any other organization. Also, inclusion of material (articles, quotations, excerpts) on this website does not necessarily indicate that the editor endorses that material. Where pages or articles have authors indicated, those authors are themselves responsible for the contents.

Acknowledgments: The editor wishes to acknowledge many useful comments and contributed material from numerous friends and colleagues, including Glenn Branch, Brent Dalrymple, Peter Hess, Duane Jeffery, Kenneth Miller, Steven Peck, Eugenie Scott and others.