Joining the Science Faction

When I was studying in London, I took a class called Religion, Identity and Power. Our final paper assignment was to choose a religion, research it and analyze it using the Secularization Thesis, which states that the role of religion (specifically Christianity) in society is diminishing due to lack of attendance of services and lack of influence of the religious organizations on the rest of the world. In my paper, I chose to analyze Catholicism. After showing that the Catholic Church fit the thesis model perfectly, I went on to explain that the given definition of secularization was flawed. The true role of religion in society is to act as a reflection of the world in order to help people understand and appreciate their role in it. Catholicism's problem was that during the Middle Ages, the Church has come to think of itself as the dictator of people's lives and social roles. This did two things. First, it caused the stagnation of technological and artistic advancement during the period (a.k.a. the Dark Ages). As a man standing in front of a mirror, awaiting the lead of his reflection, we as a species accomplished nothing. Second, it caused us to redefine religion, incorrectly so at that, as the force that drove peoples lives, not the means of their understanding. This was the downfall of the Catholic Church, who failed to adapt when necessary, as well as the key flaw in the Secularization thesis.

Unfortunately for me, I wrote this entire 4500 word paper in about 7 hours the night before, hopped up on rip-off Red Bull. I realized the next day in class, as I was given one minute to explain my argument, that it didn't make much sense, and though I don't know for sure, I think i probably got a C, which is pretty terrible for a grade-inflated study-abroad class.

Still, the sociological model of religion as a method of explanation and appreciation is one in which I take great stock. It accounts for a great many of the major religious events of the last few thousand years (the rest can be explained using a power structure model, but who has the time?). One of the interesting parts of model is that it science very easily fits underneath it's umbrella. Like religion, it provides explanation for the events of the world, as well as a means dealing with dissatisfaction (prayer vs. experimentation, theorization and study). Scientists have often been called heretics through the long age of Christian dominance. Coincidentally, the only others to truly be called heretics are practitioners of other religions (Witchcraft, Agnosticism, Baalism).

If this is true, why didn't science ever beat out Christianity to hit #1 on the charts? As the kids say, IMHO, it's because science is the religion of the elitists. Christianity began as a religion of the poor and destitute. "The meek shall inherit the earth," etc. It was easy for the down trodden bottom class, which coincidentally is basically everyone, to get behind it. To be a Christian, all you have to do is go to church and have someone pour water on your head. Contrarily, to be a scientist, you have to go to school until you're about 26 to get a Ph.D. It's quite complicated and, more importantly, incredibly cold. If some poor high school dropout is down on their luck, wondering "Why am I here?", they could go to a priest and hear about how they're part of God's plan. Or, they could go to an astrophysicist, and hear about how they're the bi-product of an intricate coincidence of planetary composition and location. An evolutionary biologist could tell them about their origins in the primordial ooze and the development of Homo Erectus. How warm and fuzzy.

So science is the new religion, and Christianity is the old one. So what. Once Christianity was the new religion, and Judaism was the old one. They're both still around (despite many attempts by both at some time to eliminate the other). Nothing's for everyone, so we should all choose whichever we want and leave everyone else alone. But as I said, the sociological model is only half the battle. The power structure model is the real problem, but as I'm already up to my ears in word count, all I can say is fuck that bullshit and make me a sandwich.