Coexistance

Kevin Ly     
Mr. O’Brien
English IV
3/6/2013

Coexistence

        For millions of years religion has influenced human life. Sometimes it’s a small influence, while other times it can be the cause of a religious crusade. What is the goal of religion? Is there even a goal to begin with? To me religion is about instilling morals and supporting personal beliefs. Growing up attending a Catholic school, I gradually became a Christian, even though my family is Buddhist. With science advancing so fast it can be hard to keep faith. As a Christian I believe God created the universe, but scientists believe the universe was created by a phenomenon called the “Big Bang.” At the moment, I plan on pursuing a career in science. Some people think this will slowly disprove my religious ideas and cause me to lose my faith. However, after reading Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle, I believe that science and religion can coexist peacefully.
        Although religion is millions of years old, so is science. One day half of our ancestors began to believe in a deity, while the other half began making fire. Even though science can prove the cause and effect of certain things, they cannot prove that there is only one thing causing it to happen. Sometimes religion can be seen as a type of barrier between mass destruction and peace. Humans have advanced to the point where we can obliterate the world at any time. For example, the “ice-nine” in Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle, can be thought of as the atomic bomb. Ice-nine, a fictional weapon that destroyed the world, has a real life counterpart. Even though this bomb has the power to destroy our planet, who says we cannot make a more powerful weapon? Human morals, instilled through specific religions, teach us that life is sacred. Without religion, humans will only seek power to benefit themselves not as a species, but individually. A dictator would seek and use a more destructive weapon, if it meant he could enslave the world. This raises more questions about the role of religion. For example, many people think that the U.S. should remove “In God We Trust” from currency, taking away religion from politics.
        There were times when the church believed it had more authority than a king. If the church decided everything in this age, the world will be nothing like it is now. In Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle, Bokonon, a founder of the religion Bokonism, ordered almost a thousand people to commit suicide. He convinced his believers that God wanted them to die. This chapter made me realize how easily some people are controlled by religion. If the pope said the same thing, how many people would follow him? It’s a possibility that thousands would kill themselves. Religion should be an influence, not a master. Humans are easily corrupted; there are infinite numbers of ways people can be taken advantage of.
        Religion and science may coexist, but politics, in general, should avoid religion. When someone prays for a loved one to get better, they wait for an answer. Some people scoff at them, saying only medicine will make them better. But what if medicine is the answer to their prayers? Scientists are always reaching a wall that is difficult to climb. A prayer can lead them to find the right foot hold needed to climb that wall. There are many things science alone cannot explain, and there are many things that science has disproved about certain religions. I think that the goal of religion is to teach about life, while the goal of science is to improve life.