Why Can't We All Get Along?

Although we have had Separation of Church and State for about two hundred years, there is still some cross-contamination between the two. Science and religion are like oil and water; two things that no matter how hard you try will never mix. Though there have been attempts to have the two topics co-exist peacefully, I have come to realize that will never happen.

In How to Teach Science to the Pope by Michael Mason, the topic of religion versus science is discussed. In his article, Mason talks about the history, members and purpose of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. In my opinion, this “independent and remarkably influential body” (Mason), is not as independent as it may seem. It sounds to me as if they aren’t allowed to publish everything they find just in case it will upset the Pope, or anyone else for that matter.

For instance, the topic of stem cell research has been a controversial one for many years. Recently there has been some talk about the Vatican asking science to “protect human dignity.” What about protecting human lives? Isn’t a person’s life more important than a person’s dignity? At least that’s how I feel about it.

This video, entitled Vatican Calls on Science to Protect Human Dignity discusses the creation of a new document that states, "The dignity of a person must be recognized in every human being from conception to natural death. This fundamental principle expresses a great yes to human life and must be at the center of ethical reflection on biomedical research" (Vatican).



On a more positive note, there have been many pieces of satire written about religion and science. One that really caught my interest was Genesis Revisited: A Scientific Creation Story by Michael Shermer. Shermer re-writes the Creation story with a little “science-y” twist. He adds many scientific terms and describes the creation of different kinds of scientists and ends it on a humorous note (Shermer). I found this particularly interesting, religion was taking the hit; something you don’t see very often.

So while there have been strides made in the fight of religion versus science, I feel as though the two will never be in cahoots with one another and they will always be fighting for who is right.





Mason, Michael. "How to Teach Science to the Pope." Discover Magazine. August 18, 2008. http://discovermagazine.com/2008/sep/18-how-to-teach-science-to-the-pope

Shermer, Michael. "Genesis Revisited: A Scientific Creation Story." in Darwin. 3rd ed. Philip Appleman, ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 2001.

Vatican Calls on Science to Protect Human Dignity. YouTube. Rome Reports, 1 Apr. 2009. Web. 28 Nov. 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9-KtF0z25g.