Science and religion are two important aspects of our lives. Science is important because it influences most aspects of everyday life, including food, energy, medicine, transportation, and more.
Science improves human life at every level. The core framework of religion is to create moral benchmarks for believers that guide their footsteps (Brown, 2009). Diener et al. (2011) emphasized how religion seeks to answer our questions as well as assign purpose to give life greater meaning. Science is a study which collects, organizes, and tests knowledge that has been collected through analysis.
Religion is considered as an absolute faith and an absolute knowledge about the universe, nature, and humans (Ecklund and Park, 2009). There are various differences between science and religion. Religion is considered an absolute truth and it cannot be proved or disproved. Contrary, science can be tested and proved or disproved. Science is not an absolute knowledge (Thomas and Durant, 1987). For example, religious individuals believe in the existence of a god. There is no proof for the existence of God. Faithful individuals simply accept that God exists.
On the other hand, scientists may claim that the earth is flat. These individuals can collect data, manipulate that data, and test it to disprove or prove their claim that the earth is flat. If they find that the earth is indeed not flat, they can re-test their hypothesis and develop a new one. Scientists do not simply accept the claim that the earth is flat. Another difference between science and religion is that science concerns the natural world.
Religion on the other hand concerns both the natural and supernatural world. Science involves human effort to understand, or to understand better, the history of the natural world and how the natural world works, with observable physical evidence as the basis of that understanding (Bell and Lederman, 1998). It is done through observation of natural phenomena, and/or through experimentation that tries to simulate natural processes under controlled conditions (Thomas and Durant, 1987).
Scientific theories do not embroil with the supernatural world. Belief in the supernatural, especially gods, is one of the most apparent characteristics of religion. Something that is supernatural is transcendent to the natural world.
It is not a part of, or dependent upon nature or any natural laws (Geertz, 2011).
