About merging science with religion: it cannot be done. Religion is about faith; it's about something which is to be taken as truth without direct og indirect evidence to back it up. With religion, you have a statement as a basis; i.e you have the answer, and then one tries to adjust the knowledge and facts to meet the answer. With science, you have a question, which you then try to answer. The former is absolute while the latter is deals with probability.
An example: religion with a statement that is set to be true: Man was created by God and infused with a soul. Animals were also created by God but not infused with a soul.
Fact: As far as we know, humans are the only living creatues with a very high level of self awareness. While it can be found in primates it's not to the same degree.
Conclusion:This is proof that God did it and that the bible is correct.
WIth science, using the same fact: is mankind different from animals, or can be it shown that, indeed, there are so many common factors that mankind itself must be delcared to be an animal, all be it with superior capabilities within limited areas? Then research, for example with genes of behavior. Then a conclusion.
You can have religious scientists however. Science cannot be religious per se; it may deal with subjects within religion, but always according to the scientific principles and therefore by definition it's just science; not religious science. Duh, that's self explanatory, don't chide me for writing it
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The current trend doesn't scare me. We have programs called 'Power of the Spirits' here during which clairvoyant people go around to houses where people have been murdered and explain what has happened. The spirits tell them, you see. The same show also does demon purges and stuff like that.
What must be a little scary to Christians however is that people aren't flocking to the established religions. It's New Age stuff that's pulling people. Ghosts, spirits, paganism. You're right that spirituality is on the rise. I don't find that scary at all, as long as they're not trying to impose their values on me. Most of all I find ignorance such as New Ageism funny.
