Religion Impeding the Advancement of Science

Originally posted by Freeborn
I can not think of one major scientific discovery that has occurred due to organised religion.

This is also a very weird thing to say, mostly because organised religion usually works on religion, not on science. Organised religion is not a sentient being, so it cannot perform major scientific discoveries. Besides, I'm sure nobody likes war, but there are many, many major scientific discoveries that occured due to war.

If a person is mentioned, who has done major things for science, who is also a proponent of the 'organised religion' he belongs to (Clearskies mentioned a few), then someone else (such as madness or yourself) would say that they did it for science, and not for religion.

If however, you mean to say that organised religion did not facilitate major scientific discoveries, then you would be mistaken, considering the huge number of schools, colleges and universities that organised religion set up (and no, not just for religious studies).

If you meant it in a more idealogical way, you would still be incorrect in your thinking. Islamic school of thought puts a great deal of importance on education of the self, on research, and the importance of proof.

I am hoping that the fact that you cannot think of a single scientific discovery due to organised religion is because you have not looked too deeply into it. I am not too knowledgeable about the details myself, but I suggest you look around. One place you might find helpful: Islamic Science. You can also find information about the decline of Islamic science there.

[edit on 14-9-2007 by babloyi]