Blog #5

Topic: Are critical thinking and religious faith incompatible? Why or Why not?




Determining the compatibility or incompatibility of critical thinking and religious faith depends upon many variables. Some of these variables are time in history, position of the church, the socio-economic and political factors, other cultural events and the intellectual development of mankind. This essay will provide an understanding of critical thinking and religion with some historical progression of these concepts. It will also provide examples and supporting factors exemplifying both incompatibility and compatibility between religious faith and critical thinking.

Critical thinking as defined by Dan Kurland includes a complex combination of skills. "Among the main characteristics are the following: Rationality, self awareness, honesty, open-mindedness, discipline and judgment. In some, critical thinkers are skeptical and active, asking questions and are analytical and are open to new ideas and perspectives. Critical thinking enables us to recognize a wide range of subjective analyses of otherwise objective data...Facts may be facts, but how we interpret them may vary." ( http://www.criticalreading.com/critical_thinking.htm ).

Critical thinking began during the time of the scientific/intellectual revolution which was a revolution in human knowledge. "The scientific revolutionaries attempted to understand and explain man and the natural world. Thinkers such as Copernicus (1973-1543), Descartes (1596-1650) and Newton (1642-1727) overturned the authority of the middle ages and the classical world...This authority refers to the church and the teachings of Aristotle (384-322_, Ptolemy (c.90-168) and Galen (c.130-210)." ( http://www.historyguide.org/earlymod/lecture10c.html ) Thus, the Revolution in science that emerged in the 16th and 17th centuries can be felt today in every aspect of our daily lives and our critical thinking.

We must remember that during the Middle Ages, the power of the church was considered superior to the power of the people and dominated society. During the Middle Ages science played little, if any, role in peoples thinking. Whereas, during the renaissance, science changed the popular outlook on natural forces in the world. ( www.struthers.k12.oh.us/.../ch%2014%20comparimg%20information.pdf ). This medieval world view focused on God who ordered the universe through miracles. Individuals during this time had an absolute and unwavering faith in God. They believed the cosmos was of divine origin and moved according to the will of God. When man began to question and wanted an explanation of these miracles the scientific revolution and critical thinking arose.

"Empirically speaking religion did stop critical thinking and independent thinking for a thousand years and forced the first scientists underground and to edit and obfuscate their research and findings. Gfilileo. Descartes. Copernicus. These were just some of the scientists more or less at the beginning of the scientific revolution that was told that what they were doing was both sinful and misguided. What is more, the Development of the scientific method which is precisely a method of thinking critically, (read Descartes' "on the scientific method" for more information) couldn't occur for 1,000 years after Augustine because of religious intolerance to scientific, critical thinking". (paulitics.wordpress.com/lll/proof-that-organized-religion-stops-critical-thinking/-cashed-similar).

We now know what critical thinking and the scientific method is how it began and developed and how in the past it was incompatible with religious faith. We also now know the skills involved in critical thinking. If we apply these methods and skills to our current understanding of what religious faith is we may conclude that at our current time religious faith and critical thinking are compatible.

Western culture and civilization believes in one monotheolithic God and that we are all sons and daughters of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Our holy scriptures of the old and New Testament are the words of God (written in stories, parables and Laws). This provides the basis of our faith in our religion. For many centuries we believed these stories only because of their divine inspiration. Currently research can give actual proof to many biblical events.

Consider the story of "Sodom and Gmorrah". These sinful cities were destroyed by God through fire and brimstone. Since about 1970 Archeologists have located four cities at this same location with tools dating back to 3000 BCE and also, evidence of bones showing fiery destruction. Also, Mark Hempsell and Alen Bond found in a British museum a Sumerian clay planisphere which plotted the alignment of planets among constellations of stars with an astronomical body that was moving across the sky. Through scientific discovery it is now proven to have been an aten class asteroid that hit the earth at the same time and place of the destruction of Sodom and Gmorrah. ("sodom and gmorrah"the science channel 284 3/28/10).

Another example of a biblical event which happened is the parting of the water in exodus, where God opened the waters to expose the ground so that Moses and his people could escape from the Pharoe's army. The red sea (Reed Sea) is a shallow waterway at the Gulf of Aqaba. Scientific experiments have proven that wind at about 100 miles per hour for a long enough time can push water and it will expose walkable land. The burning bush that Moses experienced during this journey is now proven to be his eleven day journey to Kadesh Barnea to Mt. Bedr in Saudi Arabia. Scientists have proof of a known volcano at this location and underground volcanic vents which can cause bushes to catch on fire. Therefore scientific theory matches the bible. The 10 Plagues that the Egyptian's experienced about 1250BCE at the time of the exodus have now all been proven scientifically as a cascading effect of natural phenomena. ("Exodus"science channel 284 3/28/10).

Critical thinking and scientific methodology currently are compatible with religious faith as this is how we interpret many of these facts and proofs. For many people, these new scientific findings actually reinforce and strengthen our understanding of our religious beliefs and faith.

We now know that our religious stories are not just mythology passed on to us to influence behavior and moral values and create guilt complexes. We can now base our beliefs and stories on historical, archeological and scientific facts. Again critical thinking is a matter of how we interpret and apply any facts. For some, these facts will never be proof and for others it will be proof that critical thinking and religion are compatible. Remember, religion is not a science and never will be. Religion serves to give mankind a belief that life has purpose and a reason for human's existence. For those who believe in the scientific method and in scientific evolution ( ex. Darwin, Carl Sagen, etc.) religious faith and critical thinking will never be compatible.