This is a subject near and dear to my heart. I am a biologist who specializes in ornithology and serpentology. I grew up playing around with owl pellets, going to science camps and volunteering with the local museum. Science is hard wired in me.
However, religion and spirituality also is. My grandpa is an American Baptist minister and both my parents did a lot of work in the church. Many of my childhood memories include running around the empty church, attending Sunday School and volunteering for VBS. Again, it's hard wired in me.
|~~~ :sunflower: ~~~|
However, it was not until high school that I was ever struck with the idea that these two things may collide with each other.
While I may be pagan now, many of those around me know of my strong spiritual beliefs and know that I am a scientist. Due to this, I frequently get asked how I reconcile this. My simple answer is that I don't. I'll go into detail about this below.
Science is How. Religion is Why.
This phrase is something my dad said to me when I was very young. And it's an easy way to explain my thoughts.
Now, this is not to say science doesn't answer why. When a kid asks why the sky is blue, that can be explained with science. However, it is always in a mechanical context. This is key to understanding scientific thought and why it does not need to be reconciled with.
Science does not truly prove anything. That is not the point of science. It tries to gain truth and understanding. The way science does this is by disproving and using the theories/hypotheses/laws that give us the best predictive value.
The best predictive value is simple. It is something that can be tested repeatedly with a predictive result. A hypothesis will be tested hundreds of times by many different people before becoming a theory. And a theory tested even more times before becoming a law. Laws are unlikely to be disproven or changed, but good scientists rejoice when they are because whatever replaces it will give us a clearer view of our world.
This understanding means that preventing disease, innovating technology and other such acts become easier. After all, if you can predict what will happen consistently, planning for the future becomes much simpler.
Belief Begins Where Science Cannot Disprove
Due to the mechanical nature of science, it cannot disprove things that are spiritual in nature. It is not something that can usually be physically tested over and over again. Though certain instances and events may be disproven by science. (If you haven't looked up most of Harry Houdini's life work, I'd check it out.)
This is where things get sticky. Overall, science cannot disprove things such as spirits and deities. By their nature, they cannot be proven.
Take this with a grain of salt though. During the Spiritualist Movement in the US, there were many scams and cons from those who claimed to be psychic, but were using tricks to deceive people. This is where Houdini comes in. He spent a lot of time disproving these charlatans.
Many cryptid encounters and such can be explained. There's a saying that when you hear hoof beats in New York City, you think of horses, not zebras. The simplest explanation is often the best or correct answer.
One good example is a scientist who, when his colleagues complained about feeling that they were being watched and that the office was haunted, set about trying to discover what was going on. Through experimentation, he found that an electrical current was causing these sensations. It's a very simple explanation that helped set his colleagues at ease and provide a better understanding of the situation.
In the same way, seeing a shadow figure and not being able to move upon waking up is likely sleep paralysis and not a spiritual encounter.
What I'm not saying is that every encounter is debunked! There are many things that cannot be. Such as encounters through meditations, certain hauntings and such. There are things, such as deities, that are so spiritual in nature that they cannot be disproven. The spiritual why behind certain encounters cannot be explained either. Let me give an example.
Let's say that you see a deer in the woods and feel that it's there for a reason. You don't quite know the reason, but you feel that strongly. You go out a few more times in the coming days, sometimes at different times. You almost always see a deer.
Science can explain that the deer you saw in the woods lives there and that deer are common. In fact, in a lot of places, deer are over populated. However, science cannot inherently explain why you wandered across that deer that particular day or why you continue seeing deer every time you go outside and why you feel like it's important. This is what I mean when I say science is how and religion/spirituality is why.
A Strange Union
Being inclined towards the sciences, my brain will sometimes try to apply the process to my spiritual beliefs.
I will often attempt to eliminate other factors that may tamper with my experiences. Such as, I will not drink alcohol if I'm planning to do a meditation. Or I will make sure fans are not on and that I am indoors when working with my pendulum. And, if I'm being honest, I think this is a good practice. I feel that it helps me keep a clearer line of communication with my deities.
In addition, I have sometimes found that my deities and beliefs provide the most predictive value when it comes to the spiritual 'why' in my life.
For me, there has never been a need to reconcile. I will always accept science and the understanding it provides. I will always believe in my deities and the experiences I've had with them. They are two very different things, even if they may intersect at times. Problems only arise when one is pushed as the other.
|~~~ :fire: ~~~|
I hope you all have a lovely day and bless you if you made it through all this. If this was of help to you, I'm glad.
All pictures are from Unsplash and BuzzFeed Unsolved
Myself and my notes from my profs
A particular shout-out to Dr. Siefferman who really challenged me to think about the scientific process in a new way. And another to Dr. Tuberty and Dr. Osbourne who were huge supports for me and were always up for a discussion.