Science and Religion Through History
Mike Ervin

Important Note: the content below is basically the menu for everything that follows on science vs. religion.   And every instance of red text below is a link to companion articles.

     Science and Religion Through History                                          A Visual History

Ancient World (Before 500 CE)

• Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman Thought
• Natural philosophy, astronomy, and medicine emerge within religious and mythological frameworks.
• Hebrew Scriptures
• The natural world is seen as God’s creation, ordered and purposeful.
• Greek Philosophers (Aristotle, Plato)
• Ideas about causation and the cosmos influence both science and theology for centuries.

Medieval Period (500–1500) 

• Islamic Golden Age (8th–13th c.)
  Scholars like Alhazen (optics) and Avicenna (medicine) advance science while grounded in Islamic theology.
• Christian Scholasticism
  Thinkers like Thomas Aquinas integrate Aristotelian philosophy with Christian doctrine.
• Medieval Universities
  Founded by the church, they become centers for study of both theology and natural philosophy.

Early Modern Period (1500–1700)

• Copernicus (1543)
  Proposes heliocentrism; initially received cautiously, but challenges traditional cosmology.
• Galileo (1610–1633)
  Telescope observations confirm heliocentrism, sparking conflict with church authorities.
• Newton (1687)
  Publishes Principia Mathematica, describing laws of motion and gravity - often seen as revealing God’s orderly creation.

Enlightenment & 18th Century 

• Natural Theology
  Many scientists see studying nature as a way to understand God’s design.
• Deism
  Some thinkers embrace a “clockmaker God” who sets the universe in motion but does not intervene.
• Skepticism & Secularism
  Enlightenment philosophy raises challenges to traditional religion.

19th Century

• Darwin’s On the Origin of Species (1859)
  Evolution by natural selection provokes debate about human origins and biblical interpretation.
• Science Professionalizes
  Scientific societies and journals grow, sometimes at odds with religious institutions.
• The “Conflict Thesis”
  Writers like John William Draper and Andrew Dickson White popularize the idea that science and religion are historically at war.

20th Century

• Einstein and Relativity (1905–1915)
  New physics sparks philosophical and theological reflections about space, time, and causality.
• Big Bang Cosmology (1920s–1960s)
  Initially resisted by some scientists, but welcomed by some theologians as evidence for creation.
• Evolution and Education (Scopes Trial, 1925)
  Legal battles in the U.S. highlight tensions over teaching evolution.
• Quantum Physics
  Raises questions about determinism and reality, sometimes inspiring religious or philosophical speculation.

Late 20th – 21st Century

• Bioethics (1960s–present)
  Religious traditions weigh in on genetic engineering, stem cells, and medical ethics.
• Neuroscience and Consciousness
  Raises questions about free will, the mind, and the soul.
• Climate Change and Ecology
  Many faith traditions frame environmental stewardship as a religious responsibility.
• Dialogue Initiatives
  Growth of interfaith and interdisciplinary organizations (e.g., Templeton Foundation, Vatican Observatory).
• Surveys and Public Attitudes
  Research shows that most people see some compatibility between science and religion, despite media portrayals of conflict.

Today

Science and religion continue to meet at the frontiers of knowledge and ethics: artificial intelligence, space exploration, genetic modification, and the search for meaning in an age of technology.

Science and Religion Through History

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