Physiotherapy Regina

       Scientific versus religious language

For the longest time I was wondering why people have different understandings when it comes to  religion, but exactly the opposite when it comes to science.

The difference in understandings of the religion is to the extent that even at times followers of the same or different religions kill each other, while all religions promote peace and love.

In religion as individuals rise in the hierarchy get to have more differences on the understanding of the principles, while exactly the opposite applies when it comes to the science, the more scientific the individuals the more agreement on understandings of the principles.

Then I realized the main reason is that, in science we speak very clearly leaving no room for any interpretations. For example when two medical professionals explain in detail e.g. saying, a 3 mm saggital tear in the posterior horn of right medial meniscus. It is so clear that there is almost no need to even see any pictures.

As well in science or legal system, we are supposed to take one's word for their face value and then prove it true or false based on the evidence. why is it practice differently when it comes to religion and the words of God.

While in religion exactly the opposite applies. Often in religious schools students are encouraged to "interpret" the meaning versus "take it for face value".

Interpreting the meaning of the words is widely practiced in the Persian literature as well, mainly poetry. For example the meaning for Wine, Love and beautiful women, is not as we understand them and means more philosophical and wholly, with no one clear meaning. As a matter of fact different teachers will explain them differently, confusing the hell of the logical thinkers. I know the same is practiced in Judaism in the most aggressive way than any other religious teaching that I know of.  Where the students are encouraged to interpret the same sentence in multiple different ways, like in "Talmud ways of interpretations".

Science teachers believe in "well defined definition" while religion teachers promote "interpretation" which leads to confusion and lack of clarity.

Science teachers use multiple words to explain one defined meaning, while religion teachers use one defined word to explain multiple meanings (upside down funnel).

Scientific teachers "simplify complicated things" while religion teachers "complicate simple things".

In Iran one of the religious leaders, Ayatollah Dastgheib, converted a simple and clear verse which means "In the name of God the merciful, the forgiving" to a very complicated subject, writing a big book on it.

Acting humble, Ayatollah Dastgheib, said yet the meaning was vaster than what he had written in his book and that his knowledge did not suffice to discover all the meaning of such a "deep" verse. As if the more depth and confusion to a word is of more value.

Ayatollah Tabatabaei another well known religious leader has interpreted Quran in 44 or so book volumes, each book almost the same size as the original Quran (central religious book of Islam, like the bible for Christians).

Often religious leaders, like some politicians, find complexity as a good thing and in order to make something important, they make it more complicated, exactly the opposite of what we do in science, where we try to simplify things so that it is understandable by all.

Complexity does not equal importance, and rather leads to confusion, mess and disorder

In another word, Ayatollah Dastgheib and Tabatabaei believed differently than Einstein. Einstein says: "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough", promoting "Simplifying complicated subjects", while Ayatollah Dastgheib and Tabatabaei promote "Complicating simple subjects" and making them rather "mysterious and illusive".

Although there is a well documented book for some religions such as Islam, Judaism and Christianity, the meaning of the words of God are not taken for their face value and rather interpreted by the human.

Can human speak more clearly than God? Did God need human's help to make his point clear enough?

Most likely some of the religion teachers and religious teachers will have some answer for the above question. After all they have an answer for everything, and very frequently in the fields that they have no expertise or knowledge in.

Someone said, "the key to success is: 10% competence, 10% Confidence, 80% Clarity". I believe in the concept, not so sure about the exact percentage though:)

Why in religion confusion, mystery and illusion is encouraged? Does this have something to do with the religious leaders versus the religion itself? Like some politicians or bosses that in order to create importance for themselves, make things rather complicated. Making you feel sorry for asking a question.

There are more than 1000 different religions in the world and growing, the chances of you having the wrong one is 99.9%,

Assuming one of these religions is the correct one, otherwise oops, you have all got it wrong:)