Jul 6, 2010
Happy 80th Birthday, John Polkinghorne
The Rev. Dr. John Polkinghorne will celebrate his 80th birthday with a science and religion conference at the University of Oxford. The “God and Physics” conference will feature a lecture by Polkinghorne, as well as physicist and theologian Ian Barbour, philosopher Nancy Cartwright, and Robert Russell (founder and director of the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences). Other speakers include philosopher and theologian Philip Clayton, philosopher Keith Ward, and the Rev. Fraser Watts. The conference runs from July 7 through 10 (though Polkinghorne’s actual birthday is not until October).
It’s not so much Science and Religion that it troubling. The question that should be asked is “Is religion, that is to say organised religion compatible with Middle Eastern studies?”
The main arguments against Religion are not scientific, they relate to the behaviour of religious people. Religious intolerance is the major threat to the ME today. 600,000 Iraqis have been killed, mostly by sectarian blood-letting. Ditto for Afghanistan and Pakistan. How can suicide murderers believe they are going to Paradise? Moreover Religion is hypocritical. The Taliban are supported largely by the opium trade, and they do not seem to see any contradiction in this.
A similar situation appertains to the position of women. Religious societies seem to have a plethora of brothels alongside strict dress rules and denial of education.
Whether there is a God or not is an open philosophical question. One thing is clear though, organised religion has not found Him. If you could dial Alef for Allah on a red phone one would have expected to have received rather better advice.