Science and Religion

When "Salient" suggested to Dr. Millikan that religion was opposed to the advancement of science, he replied that it was not religion, but the excrescences of religion which opposed science. The only method of reaching a valid definition of religion was by finding the elements common to all sects. Dr. Millikan confined himself to the sects of the Christian religion. The one element common to all sects, the essential core of Christian religion, was the figure of Jesus, advocating a spirit of altruism. Creeds were man-made and had nothing to do with this essence of religion. True religion, therefore, advocating the adoption of all Impulses towards the common good, of social responsibility, is not opposed to science.

It is however, lamentably true that certain sects oppose science, thereby to further their secular ends, Within religion, scientific methods are applied, and have been applied, to theological studies. Historical analyses and criticisms of the Scriptures are done scientifically by professors of theology, And today there exists from the viewpoint of an increasingly large number of people, a scientific approach, to personal religion. The superstitions which have accumulated about religion during the past centurion, and which priestly authority strives to maintain, are being seen in their true light and discarded. An evolutional view of the development of religion from primitive ideas of magic, nature worship, and a sense of the sacred, through the advent of Christianity to the growth of creeds and sects, is incorporated with modern religious outlook. Thus scientific method within, and scientific advance outside religion, can exist without detriment either to religion or to science.

From Dr. Millikan's philosophy we draw the conclusion that vntil man becomes educated on truly scientific lines, he cannot attain the Utopia for which he is ceaselessly seeking. That Utopia will not be perfect by any means, for as long as man continues to be the same self-centred being, the same jealous, lustful and grasping individual, the goal of perfection cannot be attained and never will be attained. Science has its chief social value in broadening man's outlook. In teaching him to think for himself, to disbelieve in superstition and to guard against hysteria. Today we have a world drifting back in to a state of barbarism; free speech, free thinking and the entire freedom of mankind is being curtailed, and why are we sliding backwards instead of progressing it is because we are prepared to listen to unscientific principles advocated by those who have fine oratorical powers but no reason able sense of values, we are prepared to be be ruled by dictators, we are not prepared to think for ourselves, we would rather others did it for us and, tee are always ready to take the easiest way out. The easiest way out! This is illustrated in our music our poetry, our art and our politics. Our poetry is merely a string of vague phrases written without rhyme or any of the poetical merits of the poems of the past centuries, our music is disjointed and harsh, and our politics are of such a nature that we are not attaining anything which is definite or constructive. We are slowly but surely drifting away from the ideal of Bocrates, But what are we to do, We must establish for ourselves a new set of values—in culture, politics, economics and social problems, toe must establish a definite "cors of fundamentals" and commence to rebuild our chaotic world.

Science is far in advance of any other section of our modem civilisation because of the fact that scientists have been prepared to accept revolutionary lines of thought, they desire definite proof before they accept new theories, they are not afraid to put their theories to the test and they are continually seeking, not the easiest method to solve their problems, but the best. They will not accept untruths and have no fear of superstitions, thus we must follow their example and fearlessly apply scientific methods to solve our problems, for it is only by this means that true progress, scientific or social, can be made and so our ultimate desire achieved—a new and finer civilisation, a civilisation from which mankind as a whole can benefit.

—A.R.A.