Re: Separation of science and religion

George Murphy (gmurphy@raex.com)
Tue, 18 Nov 1997 15:44:54 -0500

Moorad Alexanian wrote:
> The statement is that religion, whose subject
> matter is the spiritual, when making scientific statements is going outside
> its bounds into another discipline, science.

Christianity is "spiritual" in the sense that it has to do with
our relationship with God, but not in the sense that it isn't interested
in the material world. Creation, Incarnation, sacraments, corporal
works of mercy, & resurrection of the body are major aspects of the
faith. Thus the concerns of science & theology certainly overlap -
though that doesn't make natural science part of theology or vice versa.
OTOH, it is appropriate for Christians to place science in the context
of Christian thought in order better to understand creation &c. (& that
is of practical, as well as theoretical, significance. We can "visit
the sick" most effectively if we know about medical science as well as
the gospel.)
George Murphy