Science in the right spirit

More people are seeking a spiritual anchor in these disruptive times.But they should not get themselves trapped in blind dogma. And religion should not distance itself from science

By Richard Lim

'I have often said that if science proves facts that contradict with Buddhist understanding, Buddhism must change accordingly. We should always adopt a view that accords with the facts.'
- The Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso

"Yet a faith should not trap the individual in blind dogma and old certainties which are no longer relevant. That is the surest path not to nirvana, but to superstition and stagnation. In extreme cases, that path leads to fear and loathing, and to crimes and atrocities committed in the name of religion.

Religions are, of course, about matters perennial and values that endure. But so much of religion today is about form, with little or no understanding on the part of the faithfuls of the substance.

Some religious leaders may take advantage of this lack of understanding among their flocks to exploit them for their own ends.

But the true religious leader knows that his paramount duty is to help his followers and those outside his faith, to understand more fully the teachings of his religion, and the context in which these teachings can serve the people, not him or his institution."


I wish the Creationists and their gang of fundamentalist ilk were this progressive.