Science requires a form of faith similar to that of religion because though there can be physical "proof" of a concept, like a religion's holy text, one can truly never know. Though there are the few that use scientific evidence that a specific god does not exist, no one can discount the possibility of a higher power completely. There are also those who believe that science is a blasphemy and must be shunned. Therefore I believe that science and religion can coexist in society only if there is tolerance within both belief systems.
In a society where more intelligence is usually proportionate to one's standard of living, many practitioners of religion are also scholars of science. As long as one does not decide that their mission is to disprove a god, science does no harm to any religion. An antithesis of this possible coexistence is Galileo's imprisonment for his scientific proof that the planets revolve around the sun. Religion, specifically Catholicism, had accepted the belief that the universe revolved around the earth because humanity was God's child. Galileo's discovery did not endanger Catholicism because no where in the bible does it specifically say that the earth is the center of the universe. Although this challenged a widely accepted belief, Galileo's discovery did not attempt to downplay any religion.
Though religion is a very sensitive topic for many, as long as one is willing to understand that there is a universe out there that we have barely broached understanding of, religion and science can coexist peacefully.
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