jean-marie nau

written clearly, insightful with new perspectives. to be recommended for all those that consider themselves explorers of a changing social reality and ways to be an active agent of social change

Paul Lample’s book: Revelation and Social Reality, Palabra Publications, 2009 sheds an interesting light on the relationship between science and religion. P.115 Whatever the source of inspiration, a hypothesis must be tested according to scientific methods and standards, producing change that can be articulated and justified within the domain of science. P.116 It would seem that particularly in fields that directly address human well-being – education, psychology, economics, sociology, and so on – the insights or principles of religion would be most relevant. P.116 If a philosophical or religious worldview attempts to be comprehensive, it must accommodate and not contradict the truths of science. As Carvalho states: … P.117 The Bahá’í teachings offer an approach to reality that lies beyond the debates arising from modern and postmodern thought, without ignoring the truths or valid criticisms in each. The approach encompasses a scientific worldview but is more comprehensive, addressing a wider range of questions that are essential to human progress. P.120 The Bahá’í view of the harmony between sciences and religion can be illustrated by drawing parallels between physical an spiritual reality. Of course, any effort to convey complex concepts within the confines of a simple table is overly reductionistic. Yet certain insights emerge from a comparison of the levels of comprehending reality; in this instance four levels are proposed in order to distinguish between the levels of theoretical and practical knowledge.