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

32Crossing the Picket Lines: The Personal Faith of ScientistsA DIFFERENT FAITH FOR SCIENTISTSIt might seem that Tobin would have a lot in common with other Catholics who,although they are not scientists, share his faith. And it might seem, since Tobin isa committed Catholic, he would even be in a position to help fellow parishionerssee that faith and science do not have to contradict each other. But even for scientistswith a meaningful faith tradition, gaining common ground with others intheir tradition is not always easy. Yes, the majority of Americans have a faithtradition. Most are Protestants. And many Americans view public issues such asscience policy through a faith-informed lens. But before we can fully understandthe potential for scientists with faith to have a role in public discussion aboutreligion and science, we must understand how the faith of scientists compares tothe faith of other Americans. Such understandings will establish whether andwhere there are common points of religiousness or belief between scientists andmembers of the general public that could lead to further dialogue. So here weexplore how faith is lived out for the significant minority of scientists who aretraditionally religious, those who belong to one of the major world traditions.Who Is Religious?When studying religious and nonreligious people, we can also look at the otheraspects of their lives. In this way, we can determine what “types” of peoplewithin a certain group (such as scientists) are more likely than others in thatgroup to identify themselves as religious. Gender, for instance, plays a role.Although a variety of reasons have been given for the gender differences inreligious belief and commitment among Americans, there is almost universalagreement that women tend to be more religious than men and more involvedin the activities of their congregation. 5 When looking at differences in religiousnessbetween men and women scientists , however, women are not any more orless likely than men to be religious—even when measuring religion in a varietyof different ways, including both beliefs and practices. 6Similarly, when social scientists survey the general population, they findthat older individuals are much more likely to express higher levels of religiousbelief and practice than younger individuals. 7 My survey of scientists, however,turned this relationship on its head. It was the younger scientist who was morelikely to believe in God and to attend religious services. And when I comparedmy survey of scientists to another study conducted over thirty-five years earlier,the likelihood of younger scientists having faith had increased. If this holds