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

No God on the Quad 89But change is afoot. Religion scholars John Schmalzbauer and KathleenMahoney contend that religion is coming back to the academy through burgeoningsocial movements that are concerned about revitalizing campus religion.After years of researching university and college ministries across thecountry, they find “strong evidence [that] indicates a new story needs to be toldabout religion in the academy, one that recognizes the resilience of the study ofthe sacred in a secular institution.” These scholars discovered that at least “fiftyreligious scholarly associations foster the integration of faith and learning,while newly created centers for the study of religion can be found at ColumbiaUniversity, the University of Virginia, Princeton University, New York University,and a host of other institutions.” 8 Just as previous funders supported thedemise of religion in the academy, new institutions are supporting its rise. Philanthropictrusts such as the Lilly Endowment, the Pew Charitable Trusts, andthe John Templeton Foundation 9 have funded interdisciplinary centers forresearch and programming in various disciplines that examine religion. Inaddition, the social sciences disciplines are taking the study of religion moreseriously. The American Psychological Association (APA), the American SociologicalAssociation (ASA), and the American Political Science Association(APSA)—some of the organizations Smith argued were part of the deliberatesocial movement to secularize American higher education—all now have largesections devoted to examining the place of religion in modern society. Andfoundations such as the Teagle Foundation have committed resources to thespecialized mission of developing models of character in higher education. 10Princeton University scholar of American religion Robert Wuthnow, in a 2003article in the Chronicle of Higher Education , argued for more “scientific studiesof religion.”11And the Metanexus arm of the Templeton Foundation has createdmore than 200 discussion groups on religion and science around thecountry, funding many of the U.S.-based and international centers that studyreligion and foster scholarly conversations on its connections to science.Plainly, scholars are making a place for religion.And so are students. Scholars of higher education such as Helen andAlexander Astin show that an increasing number of students (and faculty) arepracticing traditional forms of religion or are interested in broader ideas ofspirituality.12In general, religion is meaning more to today’s undergraduates,say religion scholars Conrad Cherry, Betty A. DeBerg, and Amanda Porterfield.According to their study of religion among students at four major U.S. universities,religion is “alive and well” among American college students. 13 Althoughtheir faith isn’t as officially linked to the university as it used to be, studentsare likely to utilize religion when they are not in church, as when prayingbefore sporting events or as a motivation to volunteer in their communities.