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

God on the Quad 125Is there room for meaningful dialogue about religion and science on thecampuses of our nation’s elite universities? Nearly 50 percent of academic scientistshave a religious identity, and the majority are interested in spirituality.These scientists are potentially crucial commentators and mentors to studentswho are searching for ways to make meaningful connections between religionand science. But most religious scientists see their faith mainly manifestingthrough their willingness to spend more time caring about students’ personalneeds. Although positive, such a role is a limited and even secretive one. Sosuch scientists are only rarely engaging students in meaningful dialogue abouttheir faith, to the point where students often cannot even tell that these scientistsare religious. And this suggests a split religious or spiritual identity (alongpublic and private lines), where scientists perform one way outside the universityand another way within it. 47 Because of their unwillingness to talk abouttheir own views on religion and spirituality, scientists with faith could be partlyto blame for uninformed conversations about religion and science on universitycampuses. To go forward with such a split identity can lead to religiousscientists abdicating their unique and important role in the lives of their religiousstudents of science.One task of all science professors is to educate citizens who are capable ofusing their knowledge in a variety of public environments. A particular callingfor religious scientists might be to foster dialogue about religion and sciencemore broadly on their campuses, encouraging students to think through andreevaluate the frameworks with which they were raised, equipping them asambassadors of scientific knowledge within their own faith communities. Suchan initiative would be a forceful step toward waging peace on the science-andreligionbattleground and advancing the public transmission of science. 48