There I found several more tidbits. Here are a few that I found interesting, along with my attempt to make some sense out of the data.
While only a third of scientists claimed to believe in God, about one in six said they believed in a higher power. Nevertheless, two out of five scientists — more than those who said they believe in God — claimed affiliation with a theistic (but not necessarily Christian) religious tradition. Contrary to some folks’ belief, only one out of six scientists claimed to be atheist, while 60% claimed that although they did not “believe in God” they believed in a “higher power,” or were “nothing in particular,” or were agnostic.
Do these data suggest a mission opportunity?
Why do so few scientists believe in God? One contributing factor is the professional skepticism of scientists towards claims that cannot be objectively tested by experiments. However I think there are additional reasons, for which the Church is partially responsible. From the perspective of the two-thirds of scientists who “do not believe in God,” religion appears to be nothing more than an uncritical belief in dogma that is impossible to confirm, and which frequently makes assertions that are incompatible with a scientific understanding of nature. We in the Church know better, but it doesn’t help if we tell this only to ourselves.
Is science really in conflict with religion? It is for some. But the survey shows that for many people the belief that science is in conflict with religion is stronger than the reality. More than half of the public as a whole (55%) thought that science and religion are often in conflict, yet far fewer (36%) said that science conflicted with their own religious beliefs. Among White Mainline Protestants, just over half (51%) thought that science often conflicts with religion, but only 30% (less than a third) found science to be in conflict with their own faith. (Interestingly, 29% of the Commissioners at the 214th General Assembly in 2002 voted against a resolution affirming that “that there is no contradiction between an evolutionary theory of human origins and the doctrine of God as Creator,” matching the proportion found in the survey.)
Do the clergy have a responsibility here? Among all Protestants who attend services regularly, fewer than half (46%) said that their clergy occasionally (my emphasis) speak about science. We Americans live in a society dominated by science-based technology, much of it developed in our own lifetimes. Should our clergy help us relate our technological environment to our faith in God? Are there Christian principles involved in how we use our natural resources — cars, cell phones, computers, televisions, refrigerators, GPS navigation aids, etc? Or (God forbid) is our faith irrelevant to the environment in which we spend most of our waking hours? Preaching that consistently sees God’s hand in the discoveries of science would help a lot (and perhaps even a few scientists would begin to find the Church relevant again). An occasional reference to science in fewer than half of our pulpits is of little help.
What is already being done to reach out to scientists? Several organizations affiliated with mainline denominations, including the Presbyterian Association on Science, Technology and the Christian Faith (PASTCF), attempt in various ways to engage scientists, clergy, and lay people in dialogue. These groups relate to each other through the Ecumenical Round Table on Science, Technology and the Church. For many years, the Ecumenical Round Table (with PASTCF taking the lead role) has joined with other Christian organizations to sponsor a booth at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science — the world’s largest general science organization. Unfortunately, all of the denominational groups (including PASTCF) struggle financially, and the future of this mission effort is in doubt unless additional support is found.
What else can we do? We can join the Presbyterian Association on Science, Technology and the Christian Faith (go to https://www.pastcf.org, or e-mail [email protected]). (In the interests of full disclosure, I am a founding member and past president of this organization.) This is the only organization I know of that formally recognizes scientists who see their profession as a calling from God. We can learn how other Presbyterians relate their faith to their understanding of science and vice versa. We can engage friends within and without the church in conversation about how our faith in God enhances our appreciation of science and technology. In these small ways, we can be part of Christ’s mission to a world of science and technology.
Derek Pursey of Dubuque, Iowa, is emeritus professor of physics at Iowa State University and past president of Presbyterian Association on Science, Technology and the Christian Faith (PASTCF).
