Science vs. religion : what scientists really think - File PDF

The Voice of Faith 39faith and freed him to develop genuine relationships, including with potentialcompetitors.A political scientist, 24 one of the leading scholars in her field, told me thather moral commitments as a Christian influence how she treats others. Sheexplained, “As a Christian . . . I believe that people are equal and that everybodyhas the potential for good that makes them intrinsically valued, a veryChristian belief.” Other political scientists were even more explicit about howtheir commitments influenced their views of humanity. One 25 argued that youcan reason your way into acting ethically toward others. This is a core part ofhow he understands Catholic doctrine—in particular, “the doctrine of naturallaw,” which implies to him that “ethical norms are not arbitrary judgments ofGod revealed from on high . . . but rather [part of] the integral directedness ofthe human good.” He believes that God has given us the capabilities to “inferprinciples of right conduct including something like the golden rule.” Heexplained that the golden rule is actually “directly from the mouth of Jesus andthe Gospel, [where Jesus said] ‘Do unto others as you would have them dounto you.’ . . . So my belief in the golden rule [as] the right way to behave issignificantly bolstered by my belief that [it] is a clear teaching of Christ.” Otherscientists also said that their ideas about how to practice science ethically—including how to treat others in their labs and classrooms—came directly fromreligious principles. It should be noted that there are obviously many nonreligiousscientists who also care deeply for the needs of their students and others.The point here is that the characteristic of “caring for one’s students” is howscientists with faith perceived themselves as different from their colleagues.Scientists who considered themselves part of a traditional religion generallydid not want to keep their faith entirely compartmentalized from their scientificlives. They often invited their faith traditions to implicitly influence howthey thought about the implications of their science. But they never saw religionas influencing how they applied their scientific methods (that is, how theydid their science). Rather they emphasized their uniqueness in considering thebroader relevance for humanity of the particular science in which they wereengaged.A biologist26who described himself as part of the “liberal, progressive traditionof Christianity” and who attended a Congregational Church said that hehad a “strong, strong belief in God.” As we talked about how his faith influencesthe work that he does as a scientist, he said it had a very direct impacton his “choice of research problems.” His faith motivated him to find out how“we as humans . . . function, how things work, as a way of revealing what isbroader and more general and wonderful about life.” This desire to find outmore about the wonderful nature of life has a direct relationship to his interest