Posted by “All religions, arts, and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man’s life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom.” – Albert Einstein
Science and spirituality could complement each other. A dispirited science gives rise to destruction and religion without science foster dogmatic and superstitious behaviors. Science is based on logic, measurement whereas religion is established on faith. This seeming dualism is present in every endeavor of life but as Einstein stated that at the core they both are leading humanity towards freedom and fulfillment.
Religion is essentially the relationship between humanity and what is believed to be sacred. There are various religious practices followed all over the world. Mankind has adopted and abandoned many religions over a period of time. Out of innumerable beliefs and even more uncountable sects, five major religions have an immense hold on the world. Namely Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, and Sikhism. Though some of them are monotheistic (Islam, Christianity, and Judaism) and others polytheistic (Hinduism), yet all of them intend to have the same basic set of beliefs, rituals, and scriptures designed to provide discipline, value, and meaning to life.
Religion and belief go a long way together. In Buddhism, if one reaches enlightenment or Moksha through meditation, then Hinduism lays stress on ‘karma’. Buddha is not considered as God in Buddhism; he is considered as the source of knowledge through which one could attain Nirvana (Enlightenment) whereas Hinduism in India encompasses more than 330 million Gods and deities. At the common ground, both religions believe in reincarnation.
Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are monotheistic religions, followers of these religions believe in one eternal, almighty God. In Christianity, Jesus Christ is considered as the only son of God and one attains salvation by following his teachings, at the same time, in Islam, ‘Allah’ is considered as the creator and source of all life. One attains salvation by following the five pillars of Islam. Judaism is based on five commandments from God which helps humans shape their righteous behavior.
A belief refers to a mindset when one regard something as true, even though he or she might not be able to prove it. The collection of these beliefs create a belief system and communally supported beliefs about the sacred forms the foundation of a religion. Additionally, it could be understood as a world view, it points to the notions and beliefs by which one interprets and communicate with the world.
The source of one’s beliefs could be intuitive or conditioned. Spirituality is based on faith and science is based on logic. Logically belief may not be understood but throughout history but it has been found that many scientific discoveries or inventions have their seed in an un-manifested intuition or curiosity. Science could be comprehended as the unlimited potential of the human mind but spirituality teaches that mind is a servant, not a ruler, religion and spirituality shapes science for the wellbeing of all.
Religion and science indeed go hand in hand as both seek the truth and use faith to find it. Science and religion, both are a never-ending search for a greater knowledge, wisdom and understanding of the universe.