1. Introduction:
The relation between science and religion is not that one is good and the other bad. Rather, there are two ways of seeking truth, what Plato called mythos and logic: rational thinking, which includes science, and understanding myths and the transcendent, which includes religion.

About 99% of humanity has these two impulses at least some of the time. Evolutionary biology evidence indicates quite strongly that any trait displayed by 99% of a species has, or in the past had, an evolutionary advantage. Thus, it makes no sense to either dismiss religion as 'superstition' nor to subjugate science to the revelations stemming from myths and inspirations.

The main impediment to truth seeking is ideology, often called fundamentalism. Such fundamentalism exists in almost all major religions, certainly in the three Abrahamic faiths, in politics, economics, and in much of what hides under the term 'postmodernism'. Instead, truth seeking is, above all, tentative and incomplete. In all of human history there has never been any absolute truth.

2. Let us start with the themes-- what is central-- to truth seeking in different groups.
A. Dogmatic and mystical religions
1) Nature of truth: In mystical (introspective) religions have no doctrine as such. The texts are guides, no more than that. By contrast, dogmatic religions are based on the authority of some religious dogma and the inerrancy of certain texts, and usually on the authority of particular religious figures and hierarchy. Accepting this inerrancy does not end with religious questions: it extends to matter of FACT about the world and about different people.
Tell story of Luiz Garcia, age 15, and his certitude that the Bible as he understands it is the perfect, inerrant Word of God and contains all truth on all subjects.
* The hour and a half we talked
* I told him of the Bible stating that [circumference of circle]/[diameter of circle] = 3.0, not (pi).
	I Kings 7:23
	2 Chronicles 4:2 
* His response:
The measurings of that time were different. Now i invite you to search how much it was a cubit in the times of the Old Testament and the you will see the truth.
GOD is calling you to a bigger plan and all you have to do is reconcile with JESUS and repent and when you do you will see the truth.
* Notice:
(1) He does not, at age 15, know the significance of a ratio, and that the unit [cubit] used will not affect a ratio
(2) He argues that religious miracles are the only valide source of truth, e.g., "...reconcile with Jesus and repent and you will see the truth..."

3. Proof: How does a person in different religious traditions 'prove' something, to themselves or to others?
Introspective/mystical: Meditation and logic
Dogmatic: Prayer, studying an inerrant text, appeal to doctrinal authority

4. How to understand the world?
Traditionally: Myths, followed by reason to understand and interpret
Dogmatic: Resurrection of Christ; Transubstantiation; Mohammed ascent to Heaven; Jewish claim to Palestine

5. Beauty
Dogmatic: Little role
Mystical: Varies with religious tradition

6. Doubt- Questioning or dissent
Mystical: Essential for understanding
Dogmatic: Bad idea. Examples: Kahane, Rushdoony, Wahhab-- penalty: death

7. Transcendence
Mysticism: Monism
Levantine dogmatics: Dualism

8. Value
Mysticism: The individual is valuable precisely because the individual is unique
Dogmatic: The individual per se has no value

B. Science

9. Truth and Proof
Experiment
Reason

10.  Understanding the world
Reproducibility; Predictability; Testability; Falsifiability; Range of Applicability (e.g., Michelson- Morley experiment)
No absolute truth

11. Beauty
Examples: Epicycle theory

12. Doubt- Questioning/dissent
Essential

13. Values
New, first, supplant
Disputatious atmosphere

C. Art

14. Nature of truth
Dreams and myths
Intuition: Common to science and art- Example: Fermi, paraffin, slow neutrons

15. Proof
Art --> images --> pattern recognition
Enduring images

16. Meaning
To teach and delight

17. Values
Teaches, delights, prophecy, illustrate strengths and weaknesses, the opposite of the Wasteland, threaten, tell stories

18. Beauty
Goal of greater understanding

19. Doubt- Questioning/dissent
Essential

20. Period pieces vs enduring pieces: Mortality in religion

21. Motivations
Dogmatism: Fear, social acceptance, 'comfort' = passionate need for security, accept religious doctrine out of need

22. Unity: For the mystical religions, the universe is a monism, not the dualism of the doctrinal Levantine faiths.

23. Understanding
Dogmatism: Understand single absolute truth
Mysticism, science, art: understand the incomplete truths and improve upon them.
Eternity does not equal 'Heaven' but the stillness gained in meditation