Clashes are prominent between science and religion. To name a few, there are evolution, the big bang theory, and the heliocentric model. Is one right and is one wrong? Probably not. Instead, it is better to look at the effect both science and religion have on the population. It is my view that science provides far more for the people in ways of freedom, unity, and progression.

First off, science is free. There is no powerful person dictating how a scientist should think, experiment, or invent. There are no guidelines or rules when dealing with science. Religion, on the other hand, has leaders who are “closer” to the supernatural being or force and there is very little stopping them from abusing their power. With no evidence, a religious leader could proclaim that without paying a sum of money to him/her to support his/her holy work, heaven would be denied. Up until the 20th century, some Christian countries made religious taxes, called tithe (10% of a person’s income), mandatory ("Tithe" 1998). Furthermore, religious leaders can censor information, and have been known to, as well as convict people they don’t like for ridiculous charges. In Indonesia 2016, a Buddhist woman was convicted of blasphemy for complaining about the volume of the Islamic call to prayer. She had quietly asked the caretaker’s daughter of the local mosque to lower the volume of the loudspeaker. The story leaked and grew, and the press reported she had demanded that the call to prayer should stop all together. After riots, the court sentenced her to 18 months in jail ("Indonesia - United States Department of State" 2020). Being just one of many examples, religion is easily manipulated, corruptible, and the cause of far too many injustices. Science can’t be controlled by any person or group of people, while promoting freedom of thought and exploration.

Here is an incomplete list of religions: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Taoism, Sikhism, Hinduism, Mormonism, Spiritism, Juche, Caodaism, Paganism, Tenrikyo, Jainism, and Shinto. Each of these aforementioned religions is split into branches, many, many branches each with different views and beliefs. Looking at the sheer number of different religious practices, it’s not so difficult to come to the conclusion that religion separates people. One of the fundamental flaws in religion is that it has to be interpreted by the person and of course, with billions of people there are millions of interpretations leading to disputes, arguments, and wars. Think of Israel, where on the 10th of May 2021, Palestinians barricaded themselves in the al-Aqsa mosque with stones and Molotov cocktails to riot during a Jerusalem Day flag march. Israeli police fought back with stun grenades, rubber bullets, and tear gas. 305 Palestinians and 21 police officers were injured in the attack ("Jerusalem violence: Rockets fired from Gaza after major clashes" 2021). Later in the same day, rockets were fired from Gaza towards Jerusalem as a threat for injuring Palestinians. All the fighting is over control of religious holy sites. Never, ever, has there been fighting between science groups; maybe competition and some harsh words, but only on a minor scale and rarely involving injuries to anyone involved. In fact, groups of scientists will often work together. Coronavirus is a good example; many biologists have collaborated to invent the life-saving vaccine. This is because scientists have a common goal and method: enlightenment through logic.

One of the arguments in favor of religion is that it considers morality while science doesn’t think of the consequences their inventions may cause. This statement is completely wrong; in the case of the pot and kettle, they’re both as black as each other. Most religions do have a set of moral values or laws (such as the 10 Commandments and Buddhist Precepts), but what happened to them in the crusades, the Spanish inquisition, the colonizing of America, Africa, Australia, and Asia? Almost all conflicts, oppressions, and wars have some root in the differences of religion, and it is justified in the name of that religion (which often states that ‘thou shalt not murder’). Where is the moral in that? Equally, science is responsible for guns, bombs, nuclear warfare, and a whole range of weapons and killing devices. When comparing science and religion, morality is out of the question.

Others could say that science restricts thought while religion opens your mind to new possibilities. I say it takes a pretty open mind to imagine that water can be split into hydrogen and oxygen, that time could be flexible, and that we originated from nothing but energy. Science is a form of human curiosity and it explores, expands, and experiments. It allows for change and new ideas; it progresses. In contrast, religion is quiet set in tradition. The World Health Organization, combatting overpopulation, spent millions of dollars sending doctors to Africa to deliver free condoms and educate people about birth control. And on their heels, Catholic missionaries followed and told the Africans that if they used the condoms, they’d pay the price in hell. The result was landfills overflowing with unused condoms, creating a completely new issue.

I’m not going to say that science is right, and religion is wrong, just that science has done far more for people than religion has. Science is a symbol of freedom, unity, progression, and hopefully, the future.