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Images of the World in the Dialogue between Science and...
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Images of the World in the Dialogue between Science and Religion

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2025) | Viewed by 4134

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Wojciech P. Grygiel

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Guest Editor
Department of Philosophy, The Pontifical University of John Paul II, 31-004 Kraków, Poland
Interests: philosophy of physics; relations between science and religion; cognitive science
Dr. Krystian Kałuża

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Guest Editor
Department of Theology, University of Opole, 45-040 Opole, Poland
Interests: history of religion; religious studies; philosophy of religion; fundamental theology
Dr. Grzegorz Chrzanowski

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Guest Editor
Department of Philosophy, The Pontifical University of John Paul II, 31-004 Kraków, Poland.
Interests: philosophy of religion; phenomenology; ethics; the problem of evil

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The image of the world is an important constituent of the language by which religions express the content of their beliefs and creeds. Since the image of the world is largely (but not exclusively) shaped by the achievements of science in a given cultural environment, these achievements contribute to what contemporary theology calls the contextuality of the theological language. In this Special Issue of Religions, we wish to pursue a broad and multifaceted research perspective depicting the dependence of the formulation of religious beliefs on the image of the world, as well as to trace the interactions between science and religion at points where science enforces changes in what the culturally accepted image of the world is. From the broadest approach possible, our understanding of image of the world comprises three basic categories: (1) the physical structure of the universe, ranging from views on the structure of matter at the micro level to the macroscale of cosmology; (2) the origin and evolution of life; and (3) the origin and evolution of the human species, including contemporary discussions on the potential areas of conflict and dialogue between religion and cognitive science. With this outline in hand, we suggest the following areas of concentration for authors who wish to contribute to our Special Issue:

  1. Methodological studies on how the image of the world figures into the language of religions and how it influences its metaphorical character;
  2. The character and the role of the image of the world in the religious language of religions other than Christianity (e.g., Islam or Judaism), with possible remarks on how these religions respond to the image of the world promoted by contemporary science;
  3. Evolutionary theology—the change of the image of the world from static to dynamic (evolutionary) and its impact on the reinterpretation of the Christian doctrine (creation, original sin, evil, eschatology, etc.);
  4. Relations between science and religion in the area of cognitive science, with a particular emphasis on how the ensuing changes in anthropology will challenge some of the basic tenets of religious doctrines (e.g., the immortality of the soul, free will, consciousness).

While we wish to emphasize these four areas, we will also consider other valuable contributions focusing on the role of the image of the world in the dialogue between science and religion.

Dr. Wojciech P. Grygiel
Dr. Krystian Kałuża
Dr. Grzegorz Chrzanowski
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • science and religion
  • image of the world
  • theology
  • evolution
  • cognitive science

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 395 KiB  
Article
The Christian Approach to Divine Creation in the Context of Scientific Worldview
by Marek Słomka
Religions 2025, 16(3), 316; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16030316 - 3 Mar 2025
Viewed by 566
Abstract
The paper examines the main components of the Christian view of creation in light of a scientific worldview. Although no scientific theory can refute or corroborate the doctrine of creation, the current state of natural sciences does have some impact on the formation [...] Read more.
The paper examines the main components of the Christian view of creation in light of a scientific worldview. Although no scientific theory can refute or corroborate the doctrine of creation, the current state of natural sciences does have some impact on the formation of creationism. The author underlines this influence and depicts the importance of a rational and aspectual approach to the Christian idea of creation and the Creator–creation relationship. The concept of creation is also presented as having significant consequences for the expression of various elements of religious doctrine, including the place of man in the world. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Images of the World in the Dialogue between Science and Religion)
11 pages, 276 KiB  
Article
Poon Chung-kwong’s (b. 1940) Apologetic Discourse Towards the Compatibility Between Pure Land Buddhism and Natural Science
by Saiping An
Religions 2025, 16(2), 175; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16020175 - 4 Feb 2025
Viewed by 926
Abstract
This study delves into the apologetic discourse put forward by Poon Chung-kwong 潘宗光 (b. 1940), who is both a scientist and a lay Buddhist of contemporary Hong Kong, concerning the compatibility of Pure Land Buddhism and natural science. It centers on an analysis [...] Read more.
This study delves into the apologetic discourse put forward by Poon Chung-kwong 潘宗光 (b. 1940), who is both a scientist and a lay Buddhist of contemporary Hong Kong, concerning the compatibility of Pure Land Buddhism and natural science. It centers on an analysis of his application of diverse physical knowledge to elucidate the description of Sukhāvatī, an ideal and enigmatic world, within Buddhist texts. Poon endeavors to demonstrate that multiple facets of Sukhāvatī, including its establishment and the rebirth of believers within this domain, are congruent with scientific principles. This is in an effort to counter the public’s perception of Buddhism as “unscientific” or even “superstitious”, notwithstanding that some physical theories he employed are still in the inferential stage and, furthermore, are enmeshed in controversy, which substantially undermines the cogency of his apologetic discourses. This study presents a case of the interaction between Pure Land Buddhism and natural science, which has hitherto been overlooked by the academic community. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Images of the World in the Dialogue between Science and Religion)
18 pages, 263 KiB  
Article
What the New Atheists (and, for That Matter, Creationists Too) Got Right
by Cristobal Bellolio
Religions 2025, 16(2), 159; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16020159 - 30 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1768
Abstract
The reception of the so-called New Atheism in the 2000s in the intellectual community was harsh. Its main figures were accused of elaborating on a subject of which they were mostly ignorant. Criticism focused on the narrow way they described religion as a [...] Read more.
The reception of the so-called New Atheism in the 2000s in the intellectual community was harsh. Its main figures were accused of elaborating on a subject of which they were mostly ignorant. Criticism focused on the narrow way they described religion as a set of factual beliefs that compete with—and pale in the face of—modern science, instead of a life experience, an ethical orientation, an existential commitment, or a set of communal practices. In the spirit of S.J. Gould’s non-overlapping magisteria thesis, these critics contended that religion has little to do with factual assertions. This paper challenges this strict separation, arguing that many theistic traditions, such as Christianity, inherently make factual claims about the universe and history, intertwining their beliefs with cosmic realities. Following Ronald Dworkin’s posthumous distinction between the “science part” and the “value part” of religion, the paper underscores the philosophical legitimacy of religious factual claims, thus acknowledging the potential overlap between science and religion. In this sense, it argues that the New Atheists may have got wrong the meaning of religion in many people’s lives, but they got the “science part” right enough. In the same vein, it concludes that while creationists are most likely wrong in their account of the origin of life and biodiversity, their contestation in the factual domain cannot be discarded as a disfigurement of religion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Images of the World in the Dialogue between Science and Religion)
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