Science and religion: historical perspectives and contemporary debates

English Literature

Science and Religion

What exactly are the three approaches to natural theology?

According to McGrath, Natural Theology does in fact have three very specific and unique approaches, which are identified and explained as follows:

LITERAL APPROACH- Under the literal approach, the argument is made that a Biblical passage/concept is meant to be interpreted literally at face value (McGrath, 1998). For example, one commonly cited theological concepts, dating back from the words of the Old Testament, is the wages of sin being equated with death. In the Literal Approach, one would be justified in the killing of another person if it were able to be established that the person was a sinner.

ALLEGORICAL (NON-LITERAL) APPROACH- Allegorically, the afore mentioned Biblical concept would not be interpreted literally (McGrath, 1998); for example, perhaps one would interpret that the wages of sin are a spiritual, rather than physical death, or the death of a friendship, etc. This approach allows for more independent thought in theology and the proliferation of more theological theory development.

ACCOMODATION APPROACH- Using the Accommodation Approach represents a sort of theological compromise, whereby the theological and natural world would be taken into account in the interpretation of theology (McGrath, 1998). For example, John Calvin combined what was in his time (the 16th century) thought to be valid scientific knowledge with theology to extensively comment on the wisdom and character of God.

2. What exactly is a cosmogonic myth as defined by M. Eliade? As defined by M. Eliade, a cosmogonic myth is a myth which becomes the model for the philosophical and theological thought in a given culture (Eliade, 1998). In other words, cosmogonic myths bring together theological doctrine and the deep thought that involves a consideration of the meaning of life and other questions which have kept thinkers occupied quite literally since the beginnings of intelligent thought. Among the classic classifications of cosmogonic myths are the ideas of primordality (what existed prior to the ordering of the world as depicted in the Book of Genesis), dualism/antagonism (the idea of the existence of a Supreme God along with common human beings, both interacting in the same physical and spiritual worlds), creation/sacrifice (the ideas of life and death among others), and speculation (again, the classic consideration of the purpose and meaning of life itself). In a larger sense, the cosmogonic myth as defined by Eliade encompasses life and death, the meaning of both, and the relationship between humans and their God.

3. What exactly is the essential ethical theme that emerges from myths of cosmic cataclysms, with respect to the judgment of humankind before and after the cataclysm?

Cosmic cataclysms themselves are based upon the concept that all things are created in nature, and as such can be destroyed in nature (Eliade, 1998). The classic example of this is often presented when discussing the power of water. In nature, for example, water has the ability to create beautiful valleys, mountain formations and the like. Conversely, however, water also possesses the power to instantly wipe away everything that it so beautifully created in the first place. Applying this idea to ethical themes and the judgment of human kind before and after the cataclysm, one can easily substitute the idea of an all-powerful God and put forth the assertion that in God, the power to create and destroy the world resides. In between that creation and destruction, the alpha and omega so to speak, the judgment element comes into the picture. God, many maintain, possesses the wisdom to decide what should be allowed to exist and what must be destroyed in the physical world; in fact, the Bible is replete with examples of entire civilizations that were judged by God to be evil, and subsequently destroyed, reflecting back to a form of literal theology.

4. According to Eliade, why is the performance of religious ritual so pivotal to the faithful as an expression of commitment to a myth?

A proper answer to this question must first center around Eliade's theories about myths themselves. This theory essentially states that myths are designed in order to tell a story, or to explain how, through supernatural means, a particular event took place (Eliade, 1998). Using this definition from Eliade himself, it is much easier to discuss the importance of religious ritual and its tie to myths. Because myths perform the task of explaining what may have only been explainable through sheer faith without myths in place, religions are able to build a somewhat solid foundation for the members of that religion. However, no myth could be expected to merely stand on its own within a religion without some symbolic importance of the myth being demonstrated- this is where the element of religious ritual comes into play. The ritual makes it possible for a logical connection between myth and reality to occur in the mind of a faithful individual. As a quick example, for those of the Jewish faith, the lighting of the Menorah during certain expressions of faith is a concrete way to impress upon the faithful that the myth of the lamps that were lit as a means of survival in the classic Hebrew texts is something that is worthy of remembering in the present day. Lastly, the performance of religious ritual, it can logically be argued, is critically important in the modern day of technology, when people are typically jaded to the point where believing that most things that are seen or heard are more likely to be artificially generated by a computer than to be representative of something real. Therefore, the religious ritual provides a sense of reality to the myth itself.

5.What is one key theme of Sigmund Freud in regards to religious belief?