Essay Problem: Science & Religion
Your reflection essay should respond to one of the following sets of discussion questions:
• What do the religions discussed in this chapter have in common with each other? What are some of the areas where they differ?
• Does the harmony (or possible harmony) of Buddhism and science offer a model that other religions could emulate? (For example, could Christianity become like Buddhism?) Are there intrinsic features of the other religions that make it more difficult for them to achieve the same harmony? Or could there be other forms of harmony between religion and science that (say) Christianity and Islam could establish?
• Different religions pose different kinds of questions to science or about the limits of science. Which questions matter most to you, and which matter least? Do you find one religion's set of questions more interesting than another? (Note: it may not be the religion that you belong to or are most familiar with.)
• What responses do you have to the rapid growth of the spiritual independents, people who are ‘spiritual but not religious' (SBNR)? If you were (or are!) SBNR, how might you approach science differently than people who belong to a religion? Do traditional religions have the same resources . . . or more . . . or fewer?
The response must include a reference list. Using Times New Roman 12 pnt font, double-space, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.