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Mika Virmiala wrote:

Hi, guys —

  • Why provide a 'service' (religion) that is unreliable or cannot coexist with science?

Science is something that can be tested, religion is not. A lot of harm all over the wold is done constantly over religion, in the name of religion.

  • So why?

Logical this is not. You can argue that the Universe was brought to being by God, you can argue that all the atoms in the early Universe were arranged by God, but you cannot argue that things as they are have anything to do with God or that there is a greater design. If it can't be tested or verified, it is unfalsifiable (also known as: untestability) — it is not reality.

  • So why?
  • False hope for many who are miserably poor or misfortunate?
  • For what reason?

I find it very hard to understand why any religion exists, and even harder to understand why any religion that claims to do good would not discontinue its existence. The only way to do real good is to educate humankind but all religions somehow do the opposite.

  • Why?

Mika
  { Why provide a 'service' (religion) that is unreliable or cannot coexist with science? }

Paul replied:

Dear Mika,

While you may not be able to understand why religion exists, I'm still in awe that anything exists. The question still applies: Why is there something instead of nothing? It's an important question.

With it comes awe of our own existence. I didn't choose to create myself. Questions like:

  • Who am I?
  • Why do I exist?, and
  • What is expected of me?

need to be answered for any semblance of real peace. These most fundamental questions that the mind ponders can only be answered by God - and religion claims to have been given divine communication to answer them. This is divine Revelation or the Word of God.

The scientific method is good for analyzing objects and movements as secondary causes, but it can say nothing about an ultimate cause, meaning and purpose. It also cannot speak to what might be transcendent of the matter-time-space realm. Revelation and reason enables us to understand ourselves and know how to love each other, since God is Love and we are His image.

Check out this video St. Thomas Aquinas's Five Ways as a Path Back to Catholicism for the existence of God as well as these other videos from Catholic Answers and this Wikipedia page.

Reason alone can come to know that God exists. However, for relationship and intimacy to occur, grace (the supernatural gift of divine life) is necessary for the heart to seek and the mind to see. Anyone with a closed and hardened heart will never find Him.

Peace,

Paul
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