scholarly journals Contemporary Grammars of Meaning Creation: Scientific Creationism and New Atheism

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 166
Author(s):  
Ruben Sanchez-Sabate
Keyword(s):  
Science And Religion ◽  
Evangelical Christianity ◽  
Anthropological Study ◽  
Positivist Science ◽  
Theological Discourse ◽  
The World ◽  
Meaning Creation ◽  
Scientific Creationism ◽  
Origin Myth ◽  
New Atheism

This article approaches the grammars of meaning creation by Scientific Creationism and New Atheism from an anthropological-communicological perspective. By grammars of meaning creation, we understand the different languages that the human being uses to communicate the meaning of their existence to themself and others. Nowadays, Scientific Creationism is disseminated around the world and has transcended evangelical Christianity by permeating non-Christian religions. On the other hand, New Atheism, headed by Richard Dawkins, has also reached non-Western cultures such as Muslim cultures. Starting from Apelian transcendental semiotics, the hermeneutics of Durand’s symbol, and Lluís Duch’s anthropological study on mythos and logos, we reflect on the horizons of understanding of both movements. Our study shows that, contrary to what one might think given the antagonistic metaphysical positions the two movements seem to profess, Scientific Creationists and New Atheists share the same grammar of meaning creation: positivism. What one could interpret as a new epistemological controversy between science and religion can be better understood as a fight based on positivist science to establish the true origin myth. Thus, creationists and atheists implicitly recognize positivism as the contemporary theological discourse, i.e., the self-evident grammar of meaning creation that allows the Truth to be expressed.

Ghost, Broken Narratives and the Art of Dying

2013 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 15-22
Author(s):  
Lars Rømer
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
Common Sense ◽  
Science And Religion ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
The World ◽  
Art Of Dying ◽  
The Dead

This article investigates how experiences of ghosts can be seen as a series of broken narratives. By using cases from contemporary as well 19th century Denmark I will argue that ghosts enter the world of the living as sensations that question both common sense understanding and problematize the unfinished death. Although ghosts have been in opposition to both science and religion in Denmark at least since the reformation I will exemplify how people deal with the broken narrative of ghosts in ways that incorporate and mimic techniques of both the scientist and the priest. Ghosts, thus, initiate a dialogue between the dead and the living concerning the art of dying that will enable both to move on.

Varieties of Atheism in Science

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine Howard Ecklund ◽  
David R. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Science And Religion ◽  
Religious Communities ◽  
Western Society ◽  
Daniel Dennett ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Science In Society ◽  
New Atheism ◽  
Depth Interviews

Not all atheists are New Atheists, but thanks in large part to the prominence and influence of New Atheists such as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, and Christopher Hitchens, New Atheism has claimed the pulpit of secularity in Western society. New Atheists have given voice to marginalized nonreligious individuals and underscored the importance of science in society. They have also advanced a derisive view of religion and forcefully argued that science and religion are intrinsically in conflict. Many in the public think that all scientists are atheists and all atheist scientists are New Atheists, militantly against religion and religious people. But what do everyday atheist scientists actually think about religion? Drawing on a survey of 1,293 atheist scientists in the U.S. and U.K., and 81 follow-up in-depth interviews, this book explains the pathways that led to atheism among scientists, the diverse views of religion they hold, their perspectives on the limits of what science can explain, and their views of meaning and morality. The findings reveal a vast gulf between the rhetoric of New Atheism in the public sphere and the reality of atheism in science. The story of the varieties of atheism in science is consequential for scientific and religious communities and points to tools for dialogue between these seemingly disparate groups.

Science, Scientism, and Evolution

2020 ◽  
pp. 125-138
Author(s):  
Michael L. Peterson
Keyword(s):  
Social Policy ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Strong Evidence ◽  
Scientific Theory ◽  
Science And Religion ◽  
Philosophical Naturalism ◽  
General Audience ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
The World ◽  
Evolutionary Science

This chapter discusses some themes to which Lewis returned often because they reflect philosophical errors that are still influential in culture—science and scientism, evolution and evolutionism. Under the facade of science, even the science of evolution, philosophical naturalism, materialism, and reductionism serve as the paragons of knowledge and often guide social policy. Thus, “scientism” and “evolutionism” are labels for the combination of naturalism and science in general and evolutionary science in particular. Lewis defines science as seeking natural causes for natural effects, which, when successful, formulates laws of the physical operation of nature. Such an intellectual enterprise is neutral with respect to religious and theological positions and is hardly strong evidence for naturalism and empiricism. Lewis identifies the conflict as occurring, not between science and religion (or theism), but between naturalism and theism as philosophical worldviews. As a case in point, Lewis sees no conflict between the scientific theory of evolution and its increasing confirmation by empirical evidence, but he does see a conflict between evolution as interpreted by philosophical naturalism—with ideas that humanity is not of special worth, that there is no God who is ultimately responsible for the existence of the world, and so on. An item of particular interest is the Lewis–Van Osdall correspondence (recently discovered, never before published) regarding what advice Lewis would offer on Van Osdall’s contemplated book aimed at presenting science to a general audience, especially a Christian audience.

scholarly journals Rethinking the message of the church in the 21st century: An amalgamation between science and religion

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk G. Van der Merwe
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Science And Religion ◽  
Western World ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The World ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Church ◽  
Theological Training

Throughout its history, Christianity has stood in a dichotomous relation to the various philosophical movements or eras (pre-modernism, modernism, postmodernism and post-postmodernism) that took on different faces throughout history. In each period, it was the sciences that influenced, to a great extent, the interpretation and understanding of the Bible. Christianity, however, was not immune to influences, specifically those of the Western world. This essay reflects briefly on this dichotomy and the influence of Bultmann’s demythologising of the kerygma during the 20th century. Also, the remythologising (Vanhoozer) of the church’s message as proposed for the 21st century no more satisfies the critical Christian thinkers. The relationship between science and religion is revisited, albeit from a different perspective as established over the past two decades as to how the sciences have been pointed out more and more to complement theology. This article endeavours to evoke the church to consider the fundamental contributions of the sciences and how it is going to incorporate the sciences into its theological training and message to the world.

scholarly journals Religious Americans Have Less Positive Attitudes Toward Science, but This Does Not Extend to Other Cultures

2020 ◽  
pp. 194855062092323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathon McPhetres ◽  
Jonathan Jong ◽  
Miron Zuckerman
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Attitudes Toward Science ◽  
The United States ◽  
Science And Religion ◽  
Religion And Science ◽  
Interest In Science ◽  
Scientific Advancement ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
The World ◽  
Cross National

It is commonly claimed that science and religion are logically and psychologically at odds with one another. However, previous studies have mainly examined American samples; therefore, generalizations about antagonism between religion and science may be unwarranted. We examined the correlation between religiosity and attitudes toward science across 11 studies including representative data from 60 countries ( N = 66,438), nine convenience samples from the United States ( N = 2,160), and a cross-national panel sample from five understudied countries ( N = 1,048). Results show that, within the United States, religiosity is consistently associated with lower interest in science topics and activities and less positive explicit and implicit attitudes toward science. However, this relationship is inconsistent around the world, with positive, negative, and null correlations being observed in various countries. Our findings are inconsistent with the idea that science and religion are necessarily at odds, undermining common theories of scientific advancement undermining religion.

Peace is Everything: An Examination of the Bahá’í Faith’s Concept of Peace

2020 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 242-259
Author(s):  
Hoda Mahmoudi
Keyword(s):  
Science And Religion ◽  
Dynamic Effects ◽  
Baha'i Faith ◽  
The World ◽  
Peace And Security ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Global Peace ◽  
The Individual

This paper describes the central role of peace in the Bahá’í Faith. For Bahá’ís, peace begins at the level of the individual and migrates outward to the community, nation, and the world. The article explains how the Bahá’í Faith outlines a covenant – an agreement between Bahá’ís and between Bahá’ís and the world – made manifest in an Administrative Order in which the ascertainment of peaceful principles and the establishment of peaceful practices are developed. The paper explains how concepts like the oneness of humanity, the symbiosis between science and religion, and the unity of religion and God combine with ideals like justice, equality, and consultation to form a Bahá’í approach to the creation and maintenance of peace. Integration and disintegration – broad-structured, dynamic effects that shift societies and the world – will help to usher in two main aspects of a present and future Bahá’í order: the Lesser Peace and the Most Great Peace. The Lesser Peace is defined by the efforts of nations and international actors to form a broad-based, global peace. The Most Great Peace describes the arrival and ascendance of the Bahá’í Administrative Order, which will result in an unprecedented level of global peace and security.

Attitudes towards creationism and evolutionary theory: the debate among secondary pupils attending Catholic and Protestant schools in Northern Ireland

1999 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie J. Francis ◽  
John E. Greer
Keyword(s):  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Evolutionary Theory ◽  
Science And Religion ◽  
Age Group ◽  
The Third ◽  
Religious Educators ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The World ◽  
Science Educators

A sample of 2129 pupils in the third through sixth years of Protestant and Catholic grammar schools in Northern Ireland completed an index concerned with attitudes towards creationism and evolutionary theory. The data demonstrate that among this age group in Northern Ireland, 48 percent accept the view that “God created the world as described in the Bible,” while 33 percent accept the view that “Science disproves the biblical account of creation.” Support for creationism is stronger among girls than boys, among Protestants than Catholics, and among third and fourth year students than fifth and sixth year students. The results have implications for understanding the conflict between science and religion and for both science educators and religious educators.

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