Cosmology and Design

I think that some of the arguments found in philosophy can help a person’s religious beliefs in either a positive or negative way, depending on how strong their convictions were to begin with. If we were to take the theory presented by Cosmology (which is referred to as the science that studies the beginning of the universe and the way it functions) to someone who has deep strong religious beliefs; they would eventually say that despite all the information being provided about the universe starting with the “Big Bang”, there is a higher being that allowed for it to happen in the first place. In my personal experience, religion has helped me make sense of situations that seemed too big for me to comprehend. Furthermore, even when there has been tangible proof for the occurrence of certain situations, I have found myself going back to the belief that one creator was ultimately in charge.

At the same time, Cosmology can sway someone whose religious beliefs are not as strong into the scientific aspect of things. If we were to go back to the example provided above about the “Big Bang”, this would provide all the evidence necessary that the universe was created as a result of physical and/or chemical reactions. For someone who believes only in science, the aforementioned reactions that are required for life to happen are the only tangible proof needed to support their theory. Something that I have notice that is being left out from the philosophical point of view, is the belief in fate. A person who is atheist does not believe in fate, rather they believe that every action has its consequent reaction and one cannot exist without the other. But for a person of faith, fate has everything to do with the way they lead their lives. While the action/reaction debate still is valid, there are plenty of scenarios that are attributed to fate. Fate also allows a person of faith to make sense of those life events that are too big to comprehend or to justify with just scientific data. At the end, I strongly believe that whether it is through religion or science, we all need a reason to justify and explain some events that are too big for us to comprehend on our own.