Jan-March 2006 - Institute of Sikh Studies

78ABSTRACTS OF SIKH STUDIES : JAN-MARCH 2006 / 537-38 NSSPIRITUALITY AND SCIENCE IN THE 21STCENTURYGURBAKHSH SINGH USA *The thought of spirituality is as old as humanity itself. Alongwith the development of human knowledge, the nature of faith in theconcept of Supernatural Authority has also changed.Hinduism, a major faith in the East, claims its origin in antiquity.Its date of founding and the name of the founder cannot be identified.It started even before man developed written language. Many sagesand holy people have contributed to it over ages. It is a complexcombination of many beliefs, sometimes mutually contradicting eachother. Semitic religions of the West describe their origins from thevery first human beings, Adam and Eve. The first faith, named Judaism,was followed by Christianity and Islam. Native people of NorthAmerica, Africa, Australia, and other regions of the world, have theirown spiritual beliefs and methods of worship, uninfluenced by theabove mentioned major religions.FAITH VS SCIENCEScience dealing with matter and space, has also slowlyrevolutionized the thinking of man. Scientific discoveries, however,did not always agree with the beliefs of the faiths. As the humanknowledge developed, many early religious beliefs come to be acceptedonly as mythology and legends. Later discoveries of science did notagree with even the basic beliefs of the faiths. Hence, the scientistscame into clash with the protectors of the faiths.About five centuries ago, Galileo stated that the earth revolvesaround the sun. He was punished by the Pope because this observation* Dr, # 959, Phase IV, SAS Nagar, Mohali - 160 059