DISCUSSION POINT: The Reformation: Blessing or Curse?

When Martin Luther started what we now refer to as the Reformation, he could not have conceived how his actions would change European society.

The Reformation taught people in those countries, where it prevailed, to critical theological thinking. This directly influenced scientific analysis and methodology in the Enlightenment, such that the north European countries started a revolution in science. That is not to say that the non-Reformation countries have necessarily been backward, in a scientific sense.

So, there is no doubt that the Reformation was the driving force of today's scientific knowledge. This leads to many questions - some of which follow.

Do we seek to advance scientific knowledge too quickly and in isolation from other issues?

Is there a conflict between religion and science, or are they comfortable bed-fellows?

Has science been incidental in religious decline in the West?

Would society be so much the poorer without today's technological/scientific know-how?