A lecturer with Dominican University, Samonda, Ibadan, Dr Patrick Akunne has advocated that science and religion must be used for the advancement of the society.
Akunne stated this recently when the Catholic University marked the Saint Thomas Aquinas Day with a lecture titled, “Religion and Science are Friends” .
Speaking at the event which took place at the university’s Tom and Carolyn Walker Hall, Akunne, the guest lecturer, underscored the relationship between religion and science.
He stated that conflict and warfare model were identified in the relationship between religion and science.
“There are people who think religion and science occupy disparate universes in human affairs and thus there is no ground for any form of friendly relationship.
“Of all the model of religion and science, the conflict model is inequitably the dominant model. Every now and then, situation arises that brings this to the fore,” he said.
He considered the works of notable scientists and their view to both concepts.
“The conflict and the warfare template between religion and science holds that there is no relationship between the two , they are irreconcilable and there is no cordiality that can exist between them.
“According to this template, religion and science are rival ways of explaining realities. As a result of this they hustle for the same explanatory space and are perpetually opposed to each other,” he said.
He further said that the idea that religion and science were locked in perpetual war was not original to scholars.
In his opening remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Anthony Akinwale, said, “If freedom is found in truth as the motto of Dominican University professes, we must bear in mind that truth is learnt, when researchers in various provinces of knowledge; researchers in provinces of natural science and religion carry out their conversation in collaboration”.
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