Michael Ruse defines professional science as an attempt to uncover the laws governing the natural world and to bring them together into a unified system of knowledge, while trying to divorce itself from society's immediate concerns and values. However, it is difficult for people to entirely divorce themselves from their environment due to the social construction of knowledge. Charles Darwin's idea of evolution and natural selection was not entirely ahead of its time, as similar theories had been proposed by earlier philosophers, but it would have faced more resistance if published a century earlier. Ruse's argument for calling evolutionism a religion is debatable, as it lacks the belief in a superhuman controlling power, and it is more accurate to describe it as an ideology. While evolutionary biology and natural selection are unassailable scientific theories, the zealotry of evolutionism should not be equated with religion.

Charles Hodge, a prominent 19th-century theologian, argued that the doctrine of final cause in nature is intrinsically linked to the doctrine of a personal God, with the denial of one leading to the denial of the other. This stance challenges Christian intellectuals to recognize God's purpose in all life on Earth and sparks ongoing debates about the relationship between science and theology.

The post discusses the importance of letting go of preconceived notions to embrace new perspectives, drawing parallels between religious beliefs and scientific theories. It examines the reasons behind the acceptance of Planck's theory of lumpy energy, the impact of quantum mechanics on religion and society, and the debate on whether science and religion have parallel purposes.

The parallels between Hellenistic religions and Christianity are numerous, as both traditions share symbolic, mythological, and philosophical underpinnings due to syncretism. Gnostic Christianity differs from modern Christianity by considering all physical matter evil. The New Testament's formation, written long after the described events, reflects the cultural and philosophical upheavals of the 1st-5th centuries, with gospel writers taking liberties for practical reasons.

The post examines the influence of temporal and atemporal views of time on the understanding of God's nature, discussing the limitations and possibilities of God's omniscience. It also explores the implications of the expanding universe on our understanding of existence and challenges previously held beliefs.

This post explores the potential problems arising from individual interpretations of the Bible, differences in creationist beliefs among American Protestants, the definition and examples of progress, and the debate on whether evolutionary biology functions as a secular religion. It also discusses the role of religion in informing morality and whether religion is necessary for a sense of identity.

The post discusses Polkinghorne's notion of strong emergence as a response to reductionism, contrasting it with Dawkins' critique and Bedau's observations on weak emergence. It also explores why Jesus is different from other figures of his time, the role of women in resurrection stories, and the debate on whether we know enough about the nature of God. The post concludes with a reflection on whether science or religion provides a more comprehensive understanding of existence.

The post examines the philosophical questions surrounding personal identity after death, the mind-soul relationship, and the conceivability of ideas impacting their reality. It references various philosophers and explores the tension between materialism and metaphysical possibilities in understanding consciousness and reality.