Monday Musings: Commenting on GoodReads

I joined a debate group on www.goodreads.com. There are some interesting and lively debates there and one in particular sparked my verbosity. I have included my discussion posting below:

Wow this has been a lively debate! I got the email digest version of it and couldn't wait to weigh in. Many people are kind of spouting out diatribe at each other, this is a debate, back up you opinions with reasons and evidence.

Having said that, here is my diatribe *checking definition of diatribe on www.m-w.com *mm maybe that isn't quite the word, oh well, here goes anyway.

I find it interesting as a believing scientist or maybe it is as a reasoning believer that both Science and Religion have a lot in common. I know this is specificially Evolution and creation, but it's worth pointing out. Science depends on accepting certain widely held ideas as true, all other work, research and ideas essentially build on those. Authority is bestowed on some because their ideas are more widely accepted and supported and those who propose contrary ideas are often ostracized, shunned and excluded. People who don't accept the ideas of the Scientific Community are considered small minded. There are rules that one must follow to be part of the Scientific Community, and if you don't your work and life are discredited. Now go back through that and subsitute Church for Science. Essentially every system begins as a rebellion against the dominant system and then develops it's own set of rules and becomes a system itself.

I like most of all a scripture in the LDS Canon(there's a ten dollar word for ya)
Doctrine and Covenants 10:2 Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.

LDS doctrine tells you that something will both feel right and be reasonable or you can be assured it isn't true.

Juxtapose that with this quote:



“When I'm working on a problem, I never think about beauty. I think only how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.”

Richard Buckminster Fuller

I don't know if there is a way to harmonize science and religion, evolution and creationism. I do know my life woiuld be less complete and less full without both

I honestly believe that there is a harmony to come between science and religion. A time when our moral nature, our ethics and our reason will work together to create the truly beautiful world described by Christ. There doesn't have to be enmity between the two.