Heaven on Earth: The Intersection of Science and Religion
By R. D. Hood
()
About this ebook
Science is a religion based on trust in the scientific method and is slowly fusing with and assimilating almost all traditional religions. Not only does science meet the primary definitions of religion in many dictionaries it also fills the same functional role of religion. Science and traditional religions share the same genetic base that was created by natural selection. This religion of science can be found almost everywhere and is currently practiced tacitly by a large segment of the global population. There is no need for a formal organized structure or formal name. It is important to see that science is just an evolution of religious behavior and all religious systems have their own unique strengths and weaknesses. The methods of science are very different from traditional religions, but that does not exclude science from being a religion. I want to emphasize when I say science is a type of religion, I do not mean it in a negative way. Just as a matter of fact, not necessarily good or bad. Understanding this concept will help us more fully understand human nature and the age-old conflict between science and traditional religions. It may be possible to reduce religious wars/conflicts and to be better stewards of our environment when we understand the adaptive evolutionary background of all religions. Heaven on Earth is a lofty goal that is worth striving for.
R. D. Hood
Evolutionary Psychology has been an interest of mine since it was called Sociobiology. I am listed in the "Who's Who in Theology and Science" by the Templeton Foundation under Sociobiology (1996). Some of my favorite authors are Edward Wilson, Richard Dawkins, Steven Pinker and Stephen Hawking. I love running, surfing, working out at the gym, open ocean paddling, bicycling, and spending time with my family. I am a vicarious climber of Mount Everest. I have another article on Amazon titled "The Genetic Function and Nature of Literature". It is one of the first articles ever written on this topic. "Selling Like a Caveman" is also on Amazon.
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Heaven on Earth - R. D. Hood
Heaven on Earth: The Intersection of Religion and Science
By R.D. Hood
Smashwords Edition
Copyright © 2012 by R.D. Hood. All rights reserved
Smashwords Edition License Notes
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Many thanks for the video tape of your interview, which was provocative and (for most viewers I’m sure, uncomfortably) close to the mark. It’s hard to get frank talk on the relation of science and religion started, but it’s worth a few bumps and knocks to get it started.
Edward O Wilson—Professor Harvard University and Evolutionary Biologist
Table of Contents
Summary
Act I–Epic History of the Universe in One Paragraph
Act II–How Do We Know All This?
Act III–Religion, Science and Survival
Act IV–Science Is a Religion
Epilogue–Heaven on Earth
Summary
Science is a religion based on trust in the scientific method and is slowly fusing with and assimilating almost all traditional religions. Not only does science meet the primary definitions of religion in many dictionaries it also fills the same functional role of religion. Science and traditional religions share the same genetic base that was created by natural selection. This religion of science can be found almost everywhere and is currently practiced tacitly by a large segment of the global population. There is no need for a formal organized structure or formal name. It is important to see that science is just an evolution of religious behavior and all religious systems have their own unique strengths and weaknesses. The methods of science are very different from traditional religions, but that does not exclude science from being a religion. I want to emphasize when I say science is a type of religion, I do not mean it in a negative way. Just as a matter of fact, not necessarily good or bad. Understanding this concept will help us more fully understand human nature and the age-old conflict between science and traditional religions. It may be possible to reduce religious wars/conflicts and to be better stewards of our environment when we understand the adaptive evolutionary background of all religions. Heaven on Earth is a lofty goal that is worth striving for.
Act 1 – Epic History of the Universe in One Paragraph
In the beginning there is a gigantic question mark. Then there were the unwritten laws of physics, the multiverse, followed by the big bang 14 billion years ago, the start of our universe, superstrings, and multi dimensional space. Sub-atomic and then atomic particles were formed. Early galaxies condensed from these elements and much later our galaxy and solar system. The earth came into being from accretion and eventually pre-cells and DNA were created by natural selection along with the many varied forms of life we have today. So concludes this short summary of an epic tale on the grandest scale.
Act II – How Do We Know All This?
How do we know this scientific account of the universe is true? Maybe our universe is only 6,000 years old? How do we know what is really true?
There are seven ways of knowing:
Intuition
Revelation
Reason
Direct Awareness
Indirect Awareness
Authoritarianism
Mysticism
Which one of these ways of knowing will give us the objective truth all of the time? Let’s look at each one.
Intuition is having a direct perception of truth independent of a reasoning process. I may feel that a