[Advaita-l] Is God "unscientific"?

[Jagannath Chatterjee]

Dear Group,
 
I have always been critical of the stance of atheism adopted by many scientists, mostly western. But what really took the cake and shocked me was a recent statement that declared God to be "unscientific"!! I think this is going a bit too far. The scientists in question were incensed at the moral posers being raised by many religious groups over issues like stem cell research, genetic manipulation and the theory of evolution.
 
God, as commonly percieved, is the source of all knowledge. Therefore this statement is like acknowledging the Ganges while denying the existence of the Himalayas. Nobody can deny that much of the scientific innovations in all fields can be ascribed to a power that is beyond the confines of the human mind. We have read about chemists being guided by dreams and also mathematicians finding the solutions to difficult problems through similiar symbolism. While the original scientists were humble enough to acknowledge the source of their knowledge, the current crop seems to be on the warpath against both spirituality and religion.
 
We may remember the current controversy regarding our space scientists offering Puja at Tirupati. Many have also objected to scientists applying teeka and keeping photographs of Gods in their chambers. Scientists should be objective, we are told, and therefore should be against the idea of a superior intelligence. What nonsense.
 
As Jaldhar has pointed out, creation itself is a miracle. It was not as if we did not exist before "science" decided to take over our lives. While they rant over the attitude of religious leaders of the past who demanded allegiance to the sccriptures, I find that scientists of today are also demanding the same from the general population.
 
Such an attitude is counterproductive and will alienate the mainstream from the spirit of genuine scientific temper. This does not augur well for the future. Science, as a quest for the truth, must march hand in hand with spirituality that tries to describe the truth. It is high time the general population is educated that it is self realisation that is the purpose of life. 
 
Regards,
Jagannnath.


		
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