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

76Society and Broader Publicsreligion, so they do not see themselves as adequately skilled to discuss mattersof religion. Still another group believes that religion is just irrelevant to science.They see no reason why religion should ever come up in science classrooms. Aswe saw in Chapter 2 , some have had negative experiences with religion. Thesescientists seemed strongly committed to one script, unwilling to entertain otherpossibilities. Further, some scientists reside entirely within their scientific plausibilitystructure (see “What Do They Practice?” in Chapter 3 ) and are entirelyunhelpful when students raise issues about faith.We can learn something about the content of scientists’ scripts for dealingwith religion in university classrooms by returning to the ideas of sociologistBasil Bernstein (discussed in Chapter 2 under “Working Toward Dialogue”).Common codes for dealing with religion are often reinforced through sharedsocial relations with other academics who have similar views. In environmentswhere there are a limited number of religious scientists who have developedelaborate ways of connecting religion and science, even religious scientistsmight contribute to the suppressing of discussions about religion simplybecause they lack conversation partners. 7 And many scientists who do identifywith traditional forms of religion—a large minority of those I surveyed—givein to strong departmental cultures and practice a closeted faith. So althoughtheir faith traditions could potentially provide them with helpful alternatives,these scientists use a particular script that suppresses conversations aboutreligion on the grounds that personal religious preference is not an appropriatetopic of conversation among colleagues or in the science classroom.Sadly, such constrained scripts are often inadequate for translating science tobelieving students.But there is another group of scientists who do want positive engagementwith religion in university classrooms. These professors think they simply cannotbe effective teachers when they ignore student concerns about religion.They want a script for engagement, yet they sometimes lack one because theyknow so little about religion. This chapter responds to their dilemma by highlightingthe kinds of scripts some scientists (religious or not) have developed todiscuss religion in science classrooms.In today’s America, all science teachers must engage religion; it’s unavoidable.Some do so by expending effort to suppress discussion of religion or tocombat its influence on science. Others give religion a wider berth, allowingtheir faith traditions or spiritual sensibilities to influence how they teach.Thirty-nine percent of the scientists I surveyed said their religious or spiritualbeliefs influence personal interactions with students or colleagues. This representsa sizable group of scientists who see faith as shaping interactions withstudents. For this group, however, bringing religion into the classroom is