More Scientists Believe in God Than You Think
For those of you who get worked up over the “science versus faith” argument, you’ll be pleased to know that the lastest Pew Research study reveals that 51% of scientists believe in God or a higher power, while 41% do not. As reported in today’s Los Angeles Times, “Today, a century and a half after Charles Darwin published “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection,” the overwhelming majority of scientists in the United States accept
Darwinian evolution as the basis for understanding how life on Earth developed. But although evolutionary theory is often portrayed as antithetical to religion, it has not destroyed the religious faith of the scientific community.”
Rather than bashing those scientists who don’t believe, perhaps we should support those who do, and make an impact from the inside of the scientific community. The closing of the Times article is interesting:
“As for Darwin, his letters indicate that he was probably an agnostic who lost his faith not because his groundbreaking theory was incompatible with religion, but because of his grief after the 1851 death of his favorite child, his 10-year-old daughter, Annie. And even then, he may not have completely rejected the idea of a higher power. The concluding sentence of “Origin of Species” speaks of a “Creator” breathing life “into a few forms or into one.” The passage raises at least a little doubt as to how the father of modern evolutionary theory might have responded to the question on belief in Pew’s recent survey of scientists.”
What do you think?
I thoroughly enjoyed the movie ‘Expelled’ where Ben Stein interviewed a few of the scientists who mentioned intelligent design in their documents and were removed from their positions because of it. He asks some straight forward questions that have some of his interviewees squirming. I would highly recommend this movie. Don’t forget to watch the extras. It’s funny how some people will believe the incredible and deny the obvious.
Funny you post about this. (This is not a self-promotion) but…on my blog, I have this thing called The Conversation, designed to get Christ-followers and those who discard faith in conversation with one another. The last topic was on the questoin of: faith vs. science or faith and science? It has been interesting, and I linked to this as a way to extend the conversation. Would love for you to stop by, Phil, if possible.
Sam
sammahlstadt.wordpress.com
Awesome post, Phil. Lots of Christians demean Darwinian theory, and thus lose a lot of credibility with seriously scientifically-minded spiritual seekers. This article makes me think that a better approach might be to discuss the common ground with theistic scientists rather than acting like scientists ourselves.
Expelled is Young Earth Creationist propaganda.
And relabeling YEC “Intelligent Design (nudge nudge wink wink know what I mean know what I mean)” — hijacking a tradition that underpinned science from Newton to the Victorian Era — doesn’t change that.
Now I realize all there is to the Gospel these days is Young Earth Creationism Uber Alles, Pin the Tail on The Antichrist, and God Hates Fags, but…
Actually, if you did the slightest bit of homework, you’d know that “Expelled” isn’t from the Young Earth crowd at all. Plus, the movie isn’t critical of evolution, it’s about why we can’t have competing ideas in academia. Sheesh. Before you waste our time, check up on things…
Funny how the examples about “why we can’t have competing ideas in academia” are ALL about Intelligent Design (i.e. Young Earth Creationism’s latest coat of camouflage paint) and the Orthodoxy suppressing “these competing ideas” is EVILution…
And after Expelled’s release, a lot of the “Atheistic Darwinists” interviewed went public about not only how their interviews were edited to make them seem like EVILution’s Thought Police, a lot of the interviews were obtained under deceptive pretenses. But then, they’re all ATHEISTs as opposed to the Word of GOD…