Tag Archives: Ronald Numbers

The Christian Origin of Modern Science

While the myth that there is an inherent conflict between religious belief and scientific discovery and progress is deeply rooted in the popular imagination and promulgated in books, video, and the blogosphere, historians of science have problematized, if not completely demolished this Enlightenment myth. Moreover, as Baylor’s own Rodney Stark notes, in his For the Glory of God, the scientific method arose only once in history and that was in the Christian West.

Now, some have argued that Stark has overstated the case by linking the rise of modern science with Christianity, in particular, noting the unquestionable influence of Islam in the Middle Ages. Yet, even when one grants the influence of Islamic scholars, it remains the case that what we now think of as science arose in the predominantly Christian west.  (See “Myths 4 & 9” in Ronald L. Numbers ed. Galileo Goes to Jail and Other Myths about Science and Religion) Continue reading The Christian Origin of Modern Science