22nd May 2009, 6:51 PM
That's why it's important not to take the passages of the Bible, or any other religious text, too literally or to force religion on other people because it's ignorant to believe that any one set of beliefs has the be-all, end-all answers to everything there is to know. It's not necessary to shun religion either as it's only natural for humans to want to know the answers and religion provides people with some closure, even if it's often quick and easy answers to difficult questions. Science is a slower, more patient process of trying to find answers to those questions, and I guess religion is, in some ways, more preferable because it's comforting to think that there's order to the universe, that your soul will live on past your body's death, and that if you were a good person in life, great things await you in the afterlife. I guess I've always been of the belief that optimism and knowledge could be synchronized, that we can accept what science discovers, and at the same time, believe that there is divine justice and that death is not the end of our existence. Spiritual faith is obviously not necessary, but there is nothing wrong with it as long as it's not used as an excuse for ignorance or bigotry. On the other hand, science cannot be easily discarded. It won't go away just because you refuse to believe it's true. You might as well just accept it.