Two books

A friend of mine who is a physics lecturer has a great challenge he uses on his students. As most scientists (especially physicists) are active atheists professing Christians are not very common. My friend however sees it as his duty to speak out where he can. The challenge he uses is that at the start of every lecture course he holds up two books. The first is a copy of the Feynmann lectures and the second is his Bible. He then issues the challenge to any student present to tell him the difference between the two books. Most comment on how the Feynmann lectures are a comprehensive guide to the universe and its complex workings while the Bible is an old mythical text when perpetuates a outdated mode of thinking and lifestyle. His response was one of the greatest things I heard as a physics undergraduate. It goes something like this; Both these books tell us the fundamental truth about our existence. However they do so in different ways, one tells us how the system works, how the structure is built and the rules that hold it all together. The other teaches us about our place in this system and how to live in it together. As I have mentioned before I do not believe there is a conflict between science and religion, only its "followers". Once we learn to understand that neither takes away from the other but can actually add to our understanding we will be better off. Until the we must rely on people like my friend fighting in and lighting his small corner and we must do the same in our own.