Quote:
Originally Posted by Dadhawk
Just because scientists don't use the word belief doesn't mean that some of their ideas are not based on something not entirely provable. Based on their observations they sometimes assume things, call it what you want, that is a belief.
As far as religious beliefs, you are wrong that they do not change over time. Most churches of today do not "believe" many of the things they believed 200 years ago, or say during the crusades. There may be a portion that does, sure but it has evolved over time for most.
There are a lot of fringe scientists just as there are fringe creationist/religion. Every human endeavor has extremists.
To test an idea you have to see if it is true, even based on scientific observation, shows belief (thus faith in a "trust but verify way") in all the work that preceded it.
Personnally I'm a stuck in the middle guy. I have full faith and confidence in the scientific method. I also believe things don't just "happen" by accident. There is some sort of grand plan. In your own statement "It is the belief that the universe has a divine origin and not a natural origin." the two thoughts are not mutually exclusive. You can have both.
|
Jumping into the middle when I probably shouldn't but...
Scientists believe something when a preponderance of evidents suggests something music probably true. That thing consistently meets repeatably measurable observations.
Religious beliefs are not upheld by any repeatable or measurable observations. Often there are no observations whatsoever, but they're never repeatable. It depends entirely on wild speculation (e.g. miracles) and a programmed lens to view things through or simply someone else telling you so.
That last is why it feels to us like they're similar... we aren't all going and repeating most experiments, making these observations. So we depend on someone telling us it's true. They are not the same "belief" though. Science we could verify if we took the time, had the inclination. Scientists do indeed verify "things that came before.