There is no such thing as absolute truth inasmuch as it is related to definitions of morality and as applied to pursuits of science.  All that we see, all that we believe, and all that we know about nature is contingent upon some fundamental assumptions, whether they be religious, or social mores, or quotidian canons accepted/decreed as being true.  Sadly, the notion of truth is often confused with the value system that man uses to distinguish between the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Religion is yet another guise through which the beliefs of the favored few are imposed on the populace.  The purpose of religion has been to ensure that the value system that man uses to distinguish truth from untruth, and good from bad, is subordinate to the “word of god” principle.  Such thinking may be affectionately termed COWDUNG, i.e., Conventional Wisdom of the Dominant Group.  People hesitate to question any such words, and the cumulative effect is a divorcing of the ability for objective, logical and totally unemotional thinking, unfettered by the bindings of ego, and communal opinions.

Scientific thinking has fortunately escaped from most maneuvers aimed at bringing social stability, and order to the masses at the cost of progress, and intellectual growth.  The scientific approach to truth is based on attempts to rationalize theories that best explain nature, as it envelops the knowable, and the known boundaries of mankind.  Contingent upon the assumed validity, i.e., truthfulness of fundamental axioms, scientific theories demonstrate either via empirical demonstration, or by subscribing to rigorous exposition, in an incremental manner all that man knows about nature.  As long as a theory ably illustrates results verifiable by experiment or observation, the theory is assumed/accepted as true, to serve as a benchmark to guide scientific progress.  Religious truths are however based on the COWDUNG principle, i.e., imbibed values (truths?) that cannot be dismissed outright, nor be verified in a detached and impartial scientific study. They are however carried over from generation to generation, to be used as a crutch to appease man’s emotions, to serve as a scapegoat, an excuse to exercise emotions, egoistic notions, and corrupt the fabric of mind with indelible stains that man has surprisingly demonstrated infinite caution in attempting to efface.  The author is of the opinion that mankind has somehow resigned to the notion of religion as akin to a mosquito riding on a buffalo’s back – it serves to irritate and disturb a few buffaloes, but, in the long run has led to a resigned acceptance by the buffaloes as being unwelcome, but tolerable, excess baggage.  Perhaps, the day is not far when the mosquito meets it demise at the lash of a collective, and brutally logical whip. The author’s conclusion is that for truth to be unearthed by science, religion must be removed to foster a society that values logical thinking and objective reasoning as opposed to emotional and imbibed biases.  It is however impossible to reason if science verifies reality, or helps outline an illusion of control in mankind’s current quest to quell the might of nature.
 

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