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

NOTES TO PAGES 24–3319129. Bio 2, conducted June 21, 2005.30. Chem 26, conducted March 8, 2006.31. See www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/f/a/faithoof.htm , accessed April 2, 2009, forwords to the entire hymn and a further discussion of Faber’s life.32. When asked about the “importance of religion growing up,” scientists had theoption on the survey of choosing answers that ranged from “very important” to “not atall important.” For a further statistical discussion of this data, see Ecklund and Scheitle,“Religion among Academic Scientists.”33. Test of significance for comparison between proportion of those in the general populationraised Protestant when compared to proportion of elite scientists raised Protestantis significant at the .05 level. Similarly, the test of significance for comparison between thosein the general population raised with no religion compared to percent of elite scientistsraised with no religion is also significant at the .05 level. See Ecklund and Sheitle, “Religionamong Academic Scientists,” for more information about the survey data and an extensivediscussion of how scientists’ religion at age 16 might influence current religiosity.34. PS 16, conducted August 21, 2005.Chapter 31. For an example of popular books that convey the sentiment that science is againstreligion, see Dawkins, The God Delusion , and Winnick, A Jealous God .2. Similar ideas about the responsibility of Christians to care for the world—especially as related to issues of environmentalism—can be found in the work of CalvinDewitt, professor, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin.See in particular DeWitt, The Environment and the Christian .3. See Ecklund and Scheitle, “Religion among Academic Scientists.” This articlecontains fuller statistical analyses of the connection between the religion in whicha scientist was raised and the likelihood of that scientist remaining religious. See alsoEcklund, Park, and Veliz, “Secularization and Religious Change among Elite Scientists.”According to the Religion Among Academic Scientists Survey 2005, 52 percent of scientistswho were raised Protestant and 58 percent of scientists who were raised Catholichad switched to no tradition.4. Econ 35, conducted June 8, 2006.5. See Freese, “Risk Preferences and Gender Differences in Religiousness.” See alsoMiller and Hoffman, “Risk and Religion,” for theoretical explanations about whywomen tend to be more religious than men.6. For a more detailed statistical explanation of this finding, see Ecklund andScheitle, “Religion among Academic Scientists.”7. In the General Social Survey 2004, 49 percent of respondents 65 or older saidthey had a “strong religious preference,” compared to only 29 percent of 18- to 30-yearolds,39 percent of 31- to 44-year-olds, and 41 percent of 45- to 64-year-olds.8. See the Carnegie Commission National Survey of Higher Education FacultyStudy, 1969. The relationship between age and lack of religiosity is evident in the 1969