Ben+N’s+Final+AmEx+2014+Speech

=Title of Speech= Science and Religion

=Text of Speech= Do you have to choose between science and religion? When religion tells us that humans have a special relationship with the creator of the universe,  And science tells us that the universe consists of a hundred billion galaxies, that are just the observable universe, each of which has a hundred billion stars like our sun, and you see how insignificant humans on the planet earth are, Then do you have to choose between science and religion? When religion tells us that a fertilized egg is a human person,  And science tells us that it is a cell a fraction of a millimeter in size, Then do you have to choose between science and religion? When religion tells us that miracles happen in the natural world,  And science tells us that they don’t, Then do you have to choose between science and religion? The growing divide between empirical and religious arguments has led people to believe that science and religion are incompatible. I for one don’t believe this to be true, at least to the extent where science and religion cannot coexist. I believe that both sides are getting in the way of each other and disrupting each other’s true purposes.

In the inherent conflict between science and religion the scientist is automatically assumed to be atheist and the evangelical is automatically assumed to be illogical. And many would argue that this assumption is true. Was it not the Catholic Church that tried to silence Galileo for supporting Copernicus’s theory of a sun-centered universe? Is it not the religious right who keeps evolution from being taught in the classroom? Is it not the evangelical who denies that humans are the cause of global warming? In contrast many a scientist has tried to disprove and disfigure everything good that religion stands for. Science is taught in our public schools. Religion is practiced separately in our churches, temples, and mosques. Religion and science are separate ways of thinking and therefore, there is no reason for them to clash. It is a matter of respect for free will that science and religion should be separated. It is a matter between the roles religion and science play in our everyday lives. I believe that Science and religion describe two very different and completely independent ways of life. One describes the physical universe in which we live. And the other describes how we should use our lives to their most effective potential.

The misconceptions of the strife are caused by one thing, arrogance. Yes, it is arrogance that leads the evangelical to not question their religious authorities and completely deny empirical data. It is also arrogance that provokes the scientist to believe that through scientific analysis that God, morality, and all things good that spirituality stand for can and must be disproven. It is with these flaws within mankind that I strive for a nation of logic but also a nation of purpose. A nation in which science teaches us how the world works and where spirituality teaches us what we should use these findings for, in order to create a closer bond between our fellow man. It is with this goal in mind that I refer to Father Georges Henri Lemaitre. Lemaitre came up with the most scientifically sound theory for the creation of the cosmos, the big bang model of the universe. A gifted scientist and a devout priest, Lemaitre stated, “such a theory remains entirely outside of any metaphysical or religious question.” He zealously supported the separation of science and religion, and even when the Catholic Church endorsed the discovery of his theory, Lemaitre dissuaded the pope from mixing theology with cosmology. It is my dream that one day the world will be left to the scientist and the status of our spiritual world left up to the theologian. I hope to change society so that morality and decency do not affect and are not subject to scientific development. The Dalai Lama in his book the universe in a single atom argued for “The need for and possibility of a world view grounded in science, yet one that does not deny the richness of human nature and the validity of modes of knowing other than the scientific.” Albert Einstein one of the greatest scientists of all time stated, “science can only ascertain what is, not what should be, and outside of it’s domain value judgments of all kind remain necessary.”

It is a matter of achieving a sense of equanimity in our spiritual and intellectual lives. In not only in the America, but the world I grow old in I want to see 5 simple rules govern the way we approach all discoveries that we make spiritually and intellectually. One, question authority. No idea is true just because someone says so. Two, Think for yourself. Three, question yourself. Don’t believe anything just cause you want to. Believing something doesn’t make it so. Four, Test ideas by the evidence gained from observation and experiment. If a favorite idea fails a well-designed test, it's wrong! Get over it. Follow the evidence, wherever it leads. If you have no evidence, reserve judgment. And perhaps the most important rule of all to Remember, you could be wrong. We are all human. To me it all comes down to how big of a universe you’re willing to live in. Some of us prefer it small. That's fine. Understandable. But I like it on a grand scale. And when I take the unimaginableness that is the cosmos into my heart and my mind, I'm uplifted by it. And when I have that feeling, I want to know that it's real, that it's not just something happening inside my own head, because it matters what's true, our imagination is nothing compared with Nature's awesome reality. I want to know what's in those dark places, and what happened before the Big Bang. I want to know what lies beyond the cosmic horizon, and how life began. Are there other places in the cosmos where matter and energy have become alive and aware like us?

Life is a pursuit of knowledge both physical and metaphysical Scientific development should not be halted because its means do not coincide with doctrine. Nor should religion be seen as obsolete in a world that could use more compassion and goodwill. It is that sense of balance between spirit and intellect that will benefit man to the greatest extent. And that is what I wish to see America as a beacon for once again.

=//Cite Your Sources//= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmos:_A_Spacetime_Odyssey http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Lemaitre http://thinkexist.com/quotation/science_can_only_ascertain_what_is-but_not_what/298803.html