There are many ways to look at the conflict between science and religion. In turn, there are many ways to realize how major this dilemma is. When I saw the film The Exorcism of Emily Rose I didn't think too much about it. Later, when I was assigned to write a speech on the topic of my choice, my mind was blank, but that film quickly surfaced with a question in tail.

The film (not to switch subjects) is half horror story, half trial case to determine who is responsible for Emily Rose's death. In short, the case is torn between who to blame for Emily Rose's death. Was she possessed (and therefore died due to spiritual purposes), or if she was killed by lack of medical treatment (science)? This is the question: How far are we willing to believe religion before science takes over?

This is a problem that all religions face, whether Judaism or Wicca. With society's development of science and technology, we are not only discovering the world around us and within us, but the world that has passed us. We are actually choosing cold hard facts over spiritualism and beliefs. Granted, I would rather go to a doctor than drain my blood (medieval practice), but religion has a strong seat in our history AND our present day. I can't think of a single person who that they carry with them. Therefore, we all have this intricate problem to attend to.

Artifacts and relics, like the Shroud of Turin and the holy grail, are all factors that can determine if certain religion beliefs are authentic. Think about it. If Noah's Ark IS proven to sit atop Mount Ararat (where some explorers and satelite cameras have observed interesting sights), then how will the story of our past change? Will there be a difference between our history books and the bible? What will happen to the other religions that do not include Noah's Ark?

Public school systems have already reached controversy over the teachings of religion in classes. While some places reject such teachings, other educational systems actually demand the acknowledgment of 'gaps and problems' in the theory of evolution and therefore require teachers to address the theory of things like intelligent design. I, personally, find it interesting that our educational system chooses to ignore religion while it is plastered all over our society in books, television, movies, and music.

As science continues to search every crevasse and corner of our world, we fail to realize that, in the process, we are losing religion, eliminating faith, and destroying centuries of supposedly righteous acts committed in the name of God. Where would we be without Joan of Arc, or the crusades? How would we react if they were decreed false or frauds?

Albert Einstein once said, "Science without religion is blind, religion without science is lame." By this he meant that science cannot exist without religion, nor religion without science, which seems absurd considering we are trying to replace one with the other.

Think about all the religious believers in the world. How would they react if their religion was proven a lie? How would they react if the saviors of their faith were shunned to the fiction section forever? How would YOU react if someone walked up to you and proved to you that two plus two never equaled four?

Learn more about this author, Matthew Balz.
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