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Both, religion and science try to answer fundamental questions of human existence, but they give different perspective when answering these questions. Religion and science are preoccupied by such questions as meaning of human existence, afterlife, the role of science and religion in human life. It seems that science and religion often present opposing views on the problems. Science counts on facts and numbers. In science nothing is taken for granted until it is proven. Religion counts of faith and does not need any proofs. Moreover, doubts, which make the main driving motif of science, are considered to be the since of lack of faith. Despite science and religion choose different ways to explain the world around they try to answer same questions. In reality, relation between science and religion was different during the human history. There were periods when they were closely interconnected and gave much to each other. When science only started its development relations between science and religion might have been characterized as conflict relations. Religion was the main source of power and influence on people and the development of science threatened unlimited power of religion. Scientists in their turn also rejected religion because they saw it as something confronting to religion. For example, Galileo and Darwin rejected any positive impact of religion. They believed that it limited human desire to study the world around. After the period of tensed conflicts, which characterized the period of early development of natural science the period of indifference started. During this period religion and science developed independently from each other. Science and religion studied same questions but the approached them from different perspectives. Out time is characterized by the attempts to incorporate the experience of science and religious achievements. Integration between religion and science is the most productive position because it can help to gather together the best achievements and experiences of both.
The question of personal freedom is one of central questions of philosophy and religion. Materialistic approach puts all the responsibility on person. In material world our life is defined by our actions only we can influence it. Most religions of the world state that God or any other Supreme Power and believe that human freedom is limited by the will of God. In his book The Big Questions: A Short Introduction to Philosophy, Solomon writes, “One answer to the question, “Who am I?” or “What is my real, essential self?” is the religious answer; you really are just a soul before God, and all else – your worldly goods and accomplishments, even your physical body and its various pleasures and pains – is insignificant, unimportant” (Solomon 113). Most religions make accent of the life after death.

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Oriental religions center on the liberation from the circle of deaths and lives called samsara. According to these religions people should have righteous life in order to get liberation. In Christianity and some other Western religions people are motivated by the idea of better afterlife. In these case people want to get to paradise after death and to avoid eternal tortures in hell. For many centuries religion was used as a very powerful tool to control behavior and actions of people. Most religions present basic moral and ethic norms and explain them as will of God of Supreme Being. Brining no harm to living creatures and tolerant attitude to all people is one of basic rules in most world religions. In reality these norms present basic rules or moral behavior which should be general for all people. For many centuries religion served as a regulation mechanism and carrier of moral standards. Attitude to material world is important questions of many religions. “Many religious commandments, in sexual and food prohibitions, tell us to abstain from the material, or bodily, enjoyments of life. Is it possible to be a religious person and deny yourself none of the pleasures of life? Or if a religion encourages us to make money, buy fancy cars, and live well, is it thereby corrupting its status as a religion?” (Solomon 220). Ascetic practices are widespread in all major religions. In many cases spiritual good is opposed to material good and only those people who limit their material needs may be considered to be truly spiritual. In reality material achievement have little impact on spiritual development of personality. People may possess much money but they may lead religious and righteous life while poor people may show immoral behavior. Religions underline that not material objects themselves are the source of problem for spiritual people. Attachments to material objects and making material objects the main aim of life becomes the main thing which distances people from spiritual life.
Religion and science may give answer to important questions if they unite their effort. Centuries of confrontation between the religion and science made people believe that they should be definitely opposed to each other. In reality science and religion have many things to share and they both may only benefit from such cooperation.

Works Cited

Solomon C. Robert, The Big Questions: A Short Introduction to Philosophy, Wadsworth Publishing, 2005.