The Gift of Spirituality

The extent to which medieval science led directly to the new philosophy of the scientific
revolution remains a subject for debate, but it certainly had a significant influence.
The Middle Ages laid ground for the developments that took place in science, during the
Renaissance which immediately succeeded it. With significant developments taking
place in science, mathematics, medicine and philosophy, the relationship between
science and religion became one of curiosity and questioning. As humanism became
more and more popular, people tried to understand the nature around them better,
rather than turn to religious aspirations. Renaissance humanism looked to classical
Greek and Roman texts to change contemporary thought, allowing for a new mindset
after the Middle Ages. Renaissance readers understood these classical texts as
focusing on human decisions, actions and creations, rather than blindly following the
rules set forth by the Catholic Church as "God's plan." Though many Renaissance
humanists remained religious, they believed God gave humans opportunities and it was
humanity's duty to do the "best and most moral thing". Renaissance humanism was an
"ethical theory and practice that emphasized reason, scientific inquiry and human
fulfillment in the natural world," said Abernethy. By 1630, ancient authority from classical
literature and philosophy, as well as their necessity, started eroding, although scientists
were still expected to be fluent in Latin, the international language of Europe's
intellectuals. With the sheer success of science and the steady advance of rationalism,
the individual scientist gained prestige.
Along with the inventions of this period, especially the printing press by Johannes
Gutenberg, allowed for the dissemination of the Bible in languages of the common
people (languages other than Latin). This allowed more people to read and learn from
the scripture, leading to the Evangelical movement. The people who spread this
message, concentrated more on individual agency rather than the structures of the
Church.
Perspectives
According to Richard Dawkins, "not only is science corrosive to religion; religion is
corrosive to science. It teaches people to be satisfied with trivial, supernatural nonexplanations
and blinds them to the wonderful real explanations that we have within our
grasp. It teaches them to accept authority, revelation and faith instead of always
insisting on evidence."
The kinds of interactions that might arise between science and religion have been
categorized by theologian, Anglican priest, and physicist John Polkinghorne: (1) conflict
between the disciplines, (2) independence of the disciplines, (3) dialogue between the
disciplines where they overlap and (4) integration of both into one field.
This typology is similar to ones used by theologians Ian Barbour and John Haught.
More typologies that categorize this relationship can be found among the works of other
science and religion scholars such as theologian and biochemist Arthur Peacocke.
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