A Point of View: Science and Religion

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Last Updated: Monday, 28 March, 2005, 11:19 GMT 12:19 UK

A Point of View: Science and Religion
By Brian Walden

In his weekly opinion column, Brian Walden considers the gap
between science and religion - and what this might mean for the
future of humankind.

The Sun and the Son

Sir Martin Rees, the Astronomer Royal, wrote something recently
that chilled me to the bone.

Sir Martin is the winner of the Michael Faraday Prize awarded
annually by the Royal Society for excellence in communicating
scientific ideas in lay terms. In my case he did almost too good
a job.

He pointed out that though the idea of evolution is well-known,
the vast potential for further evolution isn't yet part of our
common culture. He then gave an example. He said: "It will not
be humans who witness the demise of the Sun six billion years
hence; it will be entities as different from us as we are from
bacteria."

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