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

The Voice of Faith 41on evolution and how religion and biology come together.” But even thoughhe is part of a religious environment that is generally supportive of his work asa scientist, he often finds himself at odds with what his church believes. It isdifficult to know if scientists are really that different from other inquisitivepeople who naturally question assumptions, but this biologist is like the otherscientists with faith I talked to: he thinks he probably questions the core tenetsof Christianity because constant questioning is simply part of who he is as ascientist. Being a scientist is a central piece of his identity, shaping his worldviewand causing him to be more critical—not so much that he gives up onreligion altogether, but enough to give him pause when pastors and leadersclaim something as “truth.” For example, he talked about sitting in his churchservice and “wondering from a scientific point of view how this process gotstarted and how Christianity could go from nothing to taking over the world asit has.”Similarly, a psychologist28who said he is a Christian (although not part of aparticular denomination), finds that having the kind of “critical-thinkingskills” that you develop as an academic makes you become “more of a doubtingThomas.”29He went on to say that sometimes when he sits in a church, it ishard for him not to implicitly define and test in his head what a pastor or leaderis discussing from the pulpit. He finds it especially difficult when pastors start“using pop psychology, which they often do because they think they’re psychologists.”He also finds it troubling when they try to manipulate peoplethrough their preaching styles, using “the power of persuasion, of images, andof repetition.” His training leaves him always assessing the “intent behind theirpractices” when he attends worship services. In this way, our psychologistthinks he is probably quite a bit more critical “than the average Joe or Jane”churchgoer.Another biologist, 30 who described himself as a practicing Catholic, saidthat being a scientist has influenced his faith by causing him to question certainaspects of his tradition. He explained that he thinks some of his fellowRoman Catholics might accept many things at face value. For example, “stigmata,or some of these sorts of phenomena that are observed and interpretedby some as evidence of a religious force acting.” As a scientist he simply doesn’ttake these testimonials for granted. He jokingly said that being a scientistmakes him want to raise objections such as, “Well does this grilled cheesesandwich really look like Jesus, or is it somebody’s imagination?” (Thismemorable quote refers to instances in which religious people find religiousimagery in natural phenomena.) Still, some of what he believes as a RomanCatholic he accepts “as a matter of faith,” as he put it, even though he knowshe cannot “prove these things.” He sees himself as somewhat unique, though