Science, Religion and Spirituality: An imaginary gap

Is there a gap between science, religion and spirituality or is it is imaginary? If there actually is, then that gap needs to be bridged in order for human comprehension to be a consistent whole. If not, then there may be an error in human thought.

One might argue that if any one of the three realms of science, religion and spirituality is true, then both of the others have to be false. This becomes problematic in that the whole is invariably fractured, fragmented and the distinct realms are in conflict with one another. 

Extrapolating the realms of science, religion and spirituality from the whole of life by creating gaps between them, and then having to bridge the gaps, would seem inappropriate when science, religion and spirituality are consistently part of the larger whole.

The process of extrapolation implies inferences, which is what takes place when human understanding or misunderstanding separates science, religion and spirituality. Inferences with respect to each realm appear to be discovered, inferred or implied. The discoveries are promoted, advertised or published in some way that magnifies or even exaggerates the differences in the individual realms.   

In reality, the comprehensive whole of life consists of all three components, science, religion and spirituality. Distinguishing or separating one from the other allows an evaluation of each on an individual basis, or in terms of their unique particulars. This can be good in many different ways, but there is still separation with fragmentation.

The real problem becomes how to project the new information about the individual realms accurately. Then, the task becomes one of relating the realms back to each other in such a way that they make sense, or putting them back together as the same whole. This is akin to taking something like a helicopter apart and then not being able to figure out how its parts fit together or how to re-assemble them.         

Values based upon proofs, estimation and calculation may prove to be bridges, but are not necessarily always going to be the kinds of bridges that science, religion or spirituality fathom.

Properties identified in the process of individual extrapolation may or may not become commonalities, based upon new discoveries realized in further analysis. In fact, on further discernment, many previous erroneous conclusions have lead to other assumptions, as well as the recognition that the initial discoveries led to erroneous conclusions.   

What is believable in faith, felt emotionally or touched upon by individuals or collective groups becomes unique to their own individual or collective religious or spiritual understanding of life itself. The question often becomes one of whether or not the new reality is believable or accepted by humankind, based upon scientific discovery. Is that the only criterion?

One might argue that there really is no gap between the realms. The inferred gaps of science, religion or spirituality are merely the ones man creates in the extrapolation process. The primary difficulty lies in the reality that the extrapolation process is one of separation, not unity. The more focus there is on separation and division, the greater the imaginary gap becomes.

Bridging the gap becomes as simple as seeing the realms of science, religion and spirituality as one comprehensive whole.