Science describes, religion explains (or at least tries to).
Why is my hair red?
Science
Depending on the branch of science, I may receive answers such as these:
Religion
Depending on the branch of religion, I may receive answers such as these:
- Because God decided so.
- Because you decided so before you were born.
- Because everyone is born as a redhead in every fifth lifetime, and it was your turn.
- Because of your actions in your previous life.
Interestingly, the answers of different branches of science may be completely different from each other. Sometimes, they may appear to be contradictory (though not too much in this case). Even though the question was why my hair is red, science really says how my hair is red.
The answers of different branches of religion may appear to be contradicting each other, typically more so than the different answers by different branches of science.
This may suggest that religion is much harder to figure out properly than science. I wish it weren't so because religion does attempt to really answer the question of why things happen rather than "just" describe how they happen. Alas, it is easier to describe than to explain. Unlike different branches of science, different branches of religion seem to contradict each other more. Maybe they do, maybe they do not and it just seems that way to us. Or, most likely, there is some contradiction but less than meets the eye.
What is worth noting is that the answers offered by the different branches of science do not contradict the answers offered by different branches of religion. This is because each is looking at things from a different perspective: Their approaches are not contradictory, rather thay are complementary.