Unless you've been living under a rock today, you'll be aware of the astonishing results that have been coming out of the scientific community. It appears, if three years data collection prove to be correct, that faster than light travel is possible. As well as being fascinating, it means going back to the drawing board when it comes to our understanding of physics. As fascinating as this is, what struck me today is that we've seen science doing what it does best; going where the evidence leads. It doesn't matter how uncomfortable or humbling this new information is for thousands of physicists; they have to live with the ramifications and move forward.
Contrast this with the claims of pretty much all religion. When proven wrong, either historically or scientifically or philosophically the initial response is always one of denial and retreat. One can only speculate how far forward our science would now be had it not been for the incessant stumbling blocks the church placed in its way. Galileo was forced to recant and placed under house arrest because he dared to suggest that the Earth moved around the Sun rather than the other way around. So often when challenged with raw data, we see a stubborn refusal to yield to new information. We see this even today on issues such as stem cell research, which offers us incredible opportunities to alleviate real suffering in the real world.
But anyway, the purpose of today's blog is to pre-empt the inevitable cries from some corners of the religious community that science cannot be trusted as our best tool for figuring out how things are. I can sense it already, a swell of ignorance ready to proclaim Goddidit quicker than you can say Jack Flash.
Newsflash everyone; in the wake of bad science or incorrect science the answer must be more science and better science.
The answer is never religion.
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