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The rationality of belief in God

 Science, in its service to humanity, in its task of discovering reality still at a loss to prove the existence or non-existence of God. Sc...


 Science, in its service to humanity, in its task of discovering reality still at a loss to prove the existence or non-existence of God. Science has many excuses for this shortcoming. Among others, it claims that the existence of the supernatural is not the domain of the scientific knowledge, or that scientific knowledge is not a method for stating incontrovertible truths, such as the existence of God

In addition to theoretical objections, the growth of our scientific knowledge effectively narrows down the possible areas of God's existence in practice. Science effectively substituting the remaining, and still possible purposes of God's existence with the laws of nature. 

God, if exists, can probably only prove his existence beyond doubt by himself. And as long as this is the case, the reality of God remains for mankind an assertion, i.e. a belief, that cannot be scientifically proved or disproved. 

Many academics can offer elaborate theories to explain the psychological basis of subjective belief in supernatural, and the social instrument of belief in deity, the existence of religion independent of the existence of God. Religion has its own well-functioning role in human society. Religion, based on the psychology of belief in divinity provides human beings with the instrument to manage and shape human society. Through religion, God is able to influence humankind and all of humanity even if he himself does not exist. 

However, the possible role of existing God is becoming more and more limited as our scientific knowledge grows. The development of natural and social laws makes the need for a God seems unnecessary. Today, society can function without the role of religion, and the assumption of an existing God seems to be a dismissible obstacle to scientific knowledge. 

The belief in the existence of God has become seemingly irrational. One who believes in the existence of God does not seem to think about God in a rational way. But the irrationality of belief in God is not the correct logic. In fact, supposing God’s existence is the basis of rational thinking. How could it be possible?

We have to accept that the existence of God cannot be proven or disproven by the methods of scientific thinking. However, if we cannot prove or disprove the existence of God, it is also possible that God exists, and it is also possible that God does not exist. In such a situation, it is not an objective scientific approach to exclude one of the non-excludable possibilities from the path of scientific understanding, how unlikely it may be. To exclude one scientifically non-excludable possibility as a way of scientific knowledge is to absolutize our current scientific understandings, which is contrary to the principle of objective, unbiased reasoning. 

In this situation, however, the belief in the existence of God is in fact the more rational scientific approach to the study of reality, since it preserves a possible avenue for the scientific understanding of reality via an unexcluded potentiality. 

If the scientist excludes the existence of God in his/her efforts to understand reality loses the possibility of understanding reality if the God, that cannot be excluded, is nevertheless part of reality. 

If the scientist allows for the existence of God, and if the scientific hypothetical approaches include the possibility of God's reality, and if the scientist searches for God's place in the operation of the world as well without dogma, the research can come closer to the recognition of reality in the discovery for truth even if God does not exist actually, or if God's existence is the reality, too. 

Denying the existence of God deprives us of a potential possibility of scientific knowledge. Just as the dogmatic belief in God by religion was an obstacle to the knowledge of reality, so the axiomatic denial, or even the mere ignorance of the possible existence of God can be obstacle as well. 

Supposing God’s existence is in fact the rational scientific view, and non-dogmatic belief in God can be a logical way of acquiring scientific knowledge.

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