First of all... great, informative series! I've learned a lot, enjoying every minute of the entertaining science lessons portrayed in this series.
The earlier comment about religion not being represented in the Darwin episode was a tad myopic. Christianity has been a bane to science since the Holy Roman Empire. There are just too many examples to cite (Capernicus, Galileo to start). Let us not revive the Dark Ages.
In simple terms, there is no scientific proof of God. Miracles are nearly always discredited when put to scientific scrutiny. But this only means that religion and science don't mix. Religion demands belief in the absence of proof. Science demands hard, repeatable proofs to substantiate any theory it will accept as fact.
If the earlier commenter had really paid close attention to the Darwin episode, he would have recognized a large segment had thrust it into a surprisingly well-founded defense of Creationism by a religious scientist who questioned Darwinism with some formidable data to back his theories. The episode ended with a strong question mark, in my mind, much as the title does.
Perhaps a more patient re-viewing of the episode is warranted. But don't expect the conversion of the bulk of the scientific community to Christianity too soon. They may scratch their heads over "The Origin of the Species" more though.
The religious right needs to understand that science isn't the enemy of Christianity. We can co-exist! Science is just a patient explanation of reality and a problem solving tool, with an emphasis on the latter. Long-held beliefs in many genres fall to the wayside when confronted with newer, better proofs of how reality ticks and better tools to predict and solve more problems.
Should defying reality be a prime concern of the Church? History says no. The far more important job of saving souls is where men and women of the cloth should, and do, excel. Science isn't muscling in on their profession. The two fields are ill-trained and equipped to compete with the other's respective expertise.
So give the creators, producers and enjoyers of this series a break. It's just Naked Science. It's a fun learning experience. No need to make it into another battlefield of us vs. them. It's all us. Enjoy. And peace be with us!
The earlier comment about religion not being represented in the Darwin episode was a tad myopic. Christianity has been a bane to science since the Holy Roman Empire. There are just too many examples to cite (Capernicus, Galileo to start). Let us not revive the Dark Ages.
In simple terms, there is no scientific proof of God. Miracles are nearly always discredited when put to scientific scrutiny. But this only means that religion and science don't mix. Religion demands belief in the absence of proof. Science demands hard, repeatable proofs to substantiate any theory it will accept as fact.
If the earlier commenter had really paid close attention to the Darwin episode, he would have recognized a large segment had thrust it into a surprisingly well-founded defense of Creationism by a religious scientist who questioned Darwinism with some formidable data to back his theories. The episode ended with a strong question mark, in my mind, much as the title does.
Perhaps a more patient re-viewing of the episode is warranted. But don't expect the conversion of the bulk of the scientific community to Christianity too soon. They may scratch their heads over "The Origin of the Species" more though.
The religious right needs to understand that science isn't the enemy of Christianity. We can co-exist! Science is just a patient explanation of reality and a problem solving tool, with an emphasis on the latter. Long-held beliefs in many genres fall to the wayside when confronted with newer, better proofs of how reality ticks and better tools to predict and solve more problems.
Should defying reality be a prime concern of the Church? History says no. The far more important job of saving souls is where men and women of the cloth should, and do, excel. Science isn't muscling in on their profession. The two fields are ill-trained and equipped to compete with the other's respective expertise.
So give the creators, producers and enjoyers of this series a break. It's just Naked Science. It's a fun learning experience. No need to make it into another battlefield of us vs. them. It's all us. Enjoy. And peace be with us!
