Tricycle | Awake in the World

Science has not been kind to religion. For a few centuries now science has been chipping away at reiigion's most cherished beliefs, leaving none but the most stalwart to argue the believability of a parting sea or a virgin birth. Some religions have been more vulnerable than others: the Abrahamic traditions—Christianity, Islam, and Judaismwith their built-in hisroricism, have been hit particularly hard. Most of their adherents either have dropped any claims to literal truth, skillfully adapting their beliefs to suit a postmodern sensibility, or, anachronistically, have held tightly to them, turning a blind eye ro empirical evidence. Buddhism, with its deconstructionist bent, has had an easier time in many ways, but with its varying degrees of emphasis on reincarnation and karma—and, in some cases, its own pantheon of deities—it, too, has come under the scrutiny of scientific inquiry. More »