Hundred Questions - Religion and Science
Religion and Science:
Q53 Regarding science and religion:
- If someone lives according to science completely, is it possible for him to achieve the same ma`rifat that can be achieved through living according to religion?
- Why are so many laborious experiments, both in science and in religion necessary in order to reach the desired destination?
A53 If a person abandons religion completely and lives totally according to science, he cannot succeed in attaining ma`rifat. He can be successful only in science. For ma`rifat is the final stage of religion, which is the recognition of the spirit and of God, whereas science is that wisdom, which pertains to the investigation and recognition of matter. Had it been possible to achieve the recognition of God and to attain ma`rifat through science, all the materialist nations of the world who are quite successful and quite advanced in the field of science would have believed in God and worshipped Him. However, it is well known that such is not the case.
Yes, it is true that proto-religion and proto-science do not disagree with each other. This means that through the true religion one must recognize spirit and God and through the true science one must observe and study the realities of matter and body, so that he may be successful in gaining all the bounties of both the worlds. The main purpose of the unity of religion and science is that when a fortunate person achieves insight and complete recognition of religion, he finds that real science is in accord with the religion of nature, and there are in it the clear evidences and bright proofs of the true religion. However, the discovery of all these realities is possible only through the recognition of religion.
As for the second question, why so many laborious experiments are necessary in order to reach the desired destination, the answer is that the latter, which you have already accepted, is very far. Therefore it requires extremely laborious work. However, the final destination in both cases is so comfort-giving that whatever laborious experiments may be conducted to reach there, they are nonetheless minimal, for the desired destination is an extremely magnificent thing.
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