Incompatible FieIds?

In a recent commentary (The Scientist, June 8, 1992, page 12), Bryan Farha questions whether, in light of the COBE findings, astronomers and others will be willing to work with religionists in a cooperative effort to explore further the origins of man, the world, and the universe.

In a positive answer, Farha says he believes that “science and religion are in a prime position to act collectively—to combine forces in a great endeavor to address the greatest existential questions on the grandest scales.“

But can the scientific method, which takes nothing as proven until tested, be used side by side with the religious method, which accepts as tme what is “revealed“ in the sacred books?

There are many religious models, many of them pointing to different and often opposite directions, so one cannot accept more than one faith as proven, as I discussed in more detail elsewhere (Journal of the...