Science is based on the yardstick of proofs and testimonies, while religion only on ideas. Science treats the material world comprehended by senses, but religion is concerned with a metaphysical world. Reasons are the legs of science while intuition is the base of religion. The scientist is busy at his laboratory of the material world, whereas the religious teacher is in the recess of his experiences. The end of science is the beginning of religion, while the answer of science to the ‘First Cause’ is still unknown. Again religion declares that the discipline of religion helps us know and understand everything as God is self-revealed as well as self-existent. Hence, there goes on a strong rivalry between the man of religion and the man of science.
There is a wide gap between science and religion. Science treats concrete things, whereas religion on abstract things. Science is the representative of fact, while religion of faith. Science deals with all material things: Living and non-living, but religion deals with human and nature. It is human mind that is the father of both science and religion. Science has certain principles: reason, fact, believe on seeing or proving by experiments and research works while religion has principles like faith, reverence, experience and supreme reliance. Religions are again based on personal experiences and venture, be that but of Christ or Ramakrishna, is not visible to all but be believed, while science is founded by impersonal venture, the results of which are eternal and believed by all. Religious enlightenment is felt by personal experience, religion is subjective.
An individual himself needs to experience religion otherwise he cannot enjoy the taste and pleasure of religion. In ethical situations, the moral as well as religious rules are combined and must be followed by individuals. Religious gains are individual property but are applied on the mass. On the contrary, science treats the objective side of life and all scientific inventions and discoveries are common to all. Achievements of science are not mysterious and their truth is universal. A methodical scholarship and focus is essential to reach the scientific truths subsequently tested and adjudged by theorem and experiment. Until the perfection of scientific knowledge is proved, the faith on religion as well as God will continue to be highly pertinent. In this sense, science and religion generally meets at a point. Scientists and spiritual teachers have to embark on solitary travels into the regions beyond the knowledge of human mind depending on themselves. When a line is of separation comes between them, their ways bifurcate and take separate paths.
Human knowledge was undifferentiated in the beginning of human civilisation. The sort of complexity of human mind that masters over the modern times was lacking then. Religion too had scientific implication. During the period of Rig Vedas, the worshipping of gods and goddesses and the subsequent religious practices and customs were inseparably formulated with scientific pursuits. For instance, the common practice of offering jal i.e. water to the rising sun-god in the morning has a scientific truth that the first rays of the sun are good for the eyes. The practice of fasting too has scientific truth; it improves patience and willpower in the faster. The customs such as the holme or hawan during a puja or a Vagya also has the truth that it purifies the atmosphere. But in the later Vedic period, the scientific sides of the religious customs and practices were abolished by superstitions and nameless fears which were cultivated by influential the priests allured by their inclination to misuse religion for their own mercenary interests. Religion is age old.
Since the beginning, man believed that a mighty invisible force existing and controlling the universe. This belief guided and governed the human thoughts and ideas. Then man worshipped serpents. Science is supposed to develop latter than religion; it may grew about four or five thousand years ago and from fifteenth century, the modern science began. However, the supremacy of religion was behind the rise of many evils, and overtime it also encouraged superstition and evil practices and unjust activities. The heads of different religions exercised their powers over their followers just like a dictator. The Brahmin priests in India and the Roman Catholic Church in Europe and others exercised their despotism and tyranny over the mass and the true spirit of religion was destroyed by them. But the rapid growth and development of science and logic many of these evil and unjust practices began to diminish from mankind. Once there was a time when the conflict between science and religion was very bitter. Then it seemed that science would lose its growth tracks before the mighty and authoritative force of religions.
The establishment of truth by the argument of science was not at all easy. Men of science had to confront innumerable difficulties and inhuman torture over time. For instance, Galileo Galilei was imprisoned forcefully by the Pope for his new theories on heavenly bodies. Nicolaus Copernicus too faced difficulties and, in the nineteenth century, Charles Darwin too became the victim of the Churchmen who raised the voice ‘Religion in Danger’ and demanded the persecution of such a scientist. In the late nineteenth century, Robert Mayor the German scientist was kept in a lunatic asylum for his discovery of the theory of Conservation of Energy. In those days who discovered something and that was against the accepted Biblical theories about God, and universe were punished regarding as the enemies of mankind and religion. The voice of reason and truth was thus attempted to suppress the Church authority as the preacher of the Bible. But over time, science and reasoning got its ground. The critics of science turned to be its supporters and followers. By nineteenth century, science got its firm ground and grew and developed faster since then on.
The advancement of science and technology has brought a considerable change in the world. It conferred the mankind with incredible comforts and conveniences. The wonders of science have confused mankind but man enjoys innumerable blessings of science in his life. Man has conquered time and distance, fatal diseases and pain by dint of his science and technology. These developments make people believe that man is all-powerful while God a supernumerary being. By the magical of his science, human has forgotten to believe in Heaven or Hell, God or the Almighty. Religion now seems to be redundant and the shrines of worshipping the God have begun to lose the respect as well as power. Once there was a time when the shrines enjoyed religion immense power and authority, then it seemed science to be dethroned from the hearts of man.
But the path of science was not at all smooth.
The moral and spiritual development of man brought bodily comforts and turned a man sceptic. Man became selfish, dishonest and proud, destroyed his simple faith, affection, fellow feeling, and kindness. The blessings of science have also created new social problems. The gulf between the rich and the poor grew wider. The machines are used widely and naturally, it leads millions of humans to the evils of unemployment, economic exploitation, congested cities, crowded and the growth of slums. Many workers have lost their independence and happiness and cut down the position of a clog in the modern industries. Science and technology have also enhanced the rate of manufacturing of weapons which poses the possibility of increasingly horrible and destructive form of wars. The very existence of humanity and civilisation is now in danger. But science is unable to answer the primary questions relating to the mystery of life and death. Science even in this age of technology has failed to give us peace and happiness. So, it is high time that science should be jointly led with religion. Science makes man materialistic, while religion makes him keep faith in God and helps him lead a peaceful life of higher and spiritual values. Besides, there are many things in Heaven as well as on Earth, which are still beyond the range of our science. Without moral and spiritual values, man’s life turns futile. Man then turns into a beast out of his own knowledge.
In ancient times, the magician played the role a doctor as well as a high priest. The act of taking Hippocratic Oath by doctors even today is considered a religious belief of the Greeks-Hygeia, the goddess of health. It is noticed that there is nothing antithetical ideas in it that it demands of speaking between the two for ages. Besides, intuition is crucial medium to apprehend the existence of God or belief in any religions. In the same way, a great scientist continues his research without any pre-plan for the invention or discovery of any certain thing. For instance, millions of apples must have fallen to the ground in presence of many thinkers and scientists, and maybe before Newton. But the day his supersensitive insight worked extraordinarily and revolutionarily that the fall of an apple led him to the laboratory and ultimately made him discover the famous law of gravitation. The following couplet exactly demonstrates the concept of the agreement between science and religion: ‘
Nature and Nature’s law lay hid in the Night,
God said, let Newton be and all was Light’.
Science and religion seems to be the two opposite dimensions of human’s consciousness. Though these repellent to each other, they converse in the mind of human. Religion without science is debased and superstition clogs its course. On the contrary, science without religion leads humans to materialism and snatches their faith, belief and other moral values. Science purifies religion, while religion gives a touch of beauty and mystery to science. The wonders of the Supreme Being brought to light by the discoveries of science and its conquest of Nature and it supports the work of religion. A scientist does in fact believe in God and is not even an irreligious person; rather he is a real worshiper of God and his magnificent creations. Thus, the blind worship of superstitious man is the fruit of true knowledge of the scientist. The modern scientists have realised that the limitations of science as well as religious insights have given better understanding of the wonders and miracles of Nature and the Creator. The cry of conservatism and superstition has no scope in the rational approach to the problems of the universe which is the religion of science. In this current age, the rivalry between science and religion has ended, and a sense of cooperation has come to exist with a view to providing humans’ better life as well as discovering the truth behind the mystery of life and death and many other mysterious things