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

30Crossing the Picket Lines: The Personal Faith of Scientists(Ninety-four percent of religious scientists think that evolution is the bestexplanation for the development of life on earth).There was some agreement among these scientists that their faith commitmentsought to influence the kinds of relationships they had with others; 53percent of scientists who identify with a religious tradition see religion andspirituality influencing their interactions with students and colleagues. In themidst of the competition involved in trailblazing scientific discoveries, thesescientists retained a faith-based emphasis on personal relationships.Some thought their faith should influence the kinds of projects they chose.For a physicist, this might mean refusing to participate in studies that supportnuclear proliferation because of a Christian conviction to care about the welfareof humanity. 2 Their faith commitments might also influence their decisionto work on translating science to a broader audience or to do work that has ahumanitarian application.THE COMPLEXITIES OF KEEPING THE FAITHOn the one hand, it’s clear that the majority of religious scientists wereraised in homes with a faith tradition. According to my survey, about 50percent of those from a Protestant tradition retained religious beliefs andpractices of some type. 3 And unsurprisingly those who said that religion wasimportant in their family when growing up were less likely to say that theycurrently see no truth in religion, do not believe in God, or do not attendreligious services.On the other hand, just because scientists were raised with faith and eventuallyretained faith does not mean that they went through their lives withoutexperiencing a personal struggle between religion and science. The majorityof religious scientists I talked with experienced as adolescents a sincere strugglein which they tried to figure out how being a person of faith connectedwith or could be reconciled with a burgeoning interest in science. Thesestruggles often brought scientists to a deeper understanding of how scienceand religion connected for them personally. As those who have developed athinking faith, they are potentially poised to be public commentators to anAmerican public that often views faith and reason at odds, or even mutuallyexclusive.For Tobin, an economist I interviewed, such a struggle as an adolescent ledto a stronger and more outwardly focused adult faith than what he had as achild.4Economists are often stereotyped as hard-nosed, hyperrational number