Can Religion and Science Coexist?

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Can Religion and Science Coexist?
Gabrielle Berger
Is it possible for science and religion to coexist? In both The Day The Earth Stood Still and The Man Who Fell to The Earth, the idea of science versus religion is questioned. The films show that our world is rapidly changing and how society reacts to events during those specific times by questioning spiritual faith. Certain sounds that are heard throughout both movies allow us to feel the tone that each movie tries to relay. These sound effects help the viewers understand moments of tension, fear, desperation, peacefulness, to name a few. In addition, certain cinematic techniques that portray quick cuts, long and complex scenes, and much more allow viewers to explore the relationship between science and religion. This leads the viewers mind to recognize that these scenes are intended to elicit an emotional response. Both the idea of science and religion are questioned in the films, though the films were made two decades apart. The movies examine how our world can deal with unexpected situations by allowing society to implement science or religion as a coping mechanism. Since there is no confirmed answer as to which is more accurate of effective, people assume to look to one or the other for help and believe that whatever happens is a direct result of their beliefs. These movies explore the evolution of science and religion in both forms in addition to how reality can obscure them.
The Day The Earth Stood Still is acknowledged for its use of dramatic music to depict the mood that the audience should feel. “While these unusual instruments and recording techniques had previously been utilized in Hollywood film music, Herrmann’s score for The Day the Earth Stood Still was undoubte...

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...net as a whole, while bringing new technologies that could change the planet earth. What is seen through the movie is that the changing human race corrupts the divine Thomas Newton. We see him inebriated in a café chair in the end of the film, suggesting that he couldn't save himself from the corruption of the human race. What are able to enhance both of these ideas in each film are the sound effects. Through sound, the viewers are able to understand the tone each film is representing. Clearly, they both address important social issues in the world and suggest that the human race reacts to situations in unreasonable and impractical ways. Science and religion will always remain as opposing believe spectrums, and will be questioned until the end of time. Both films acknowledge the importance of curiosity and appreciate that faith is the only answer to our questions.

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