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What Scientists Really Think About Religion
Hugh Pickens writes "The Washington Post has a book review of Science and Religion: What Scientists Really Think by Rice University sociologist Elaine Ecklund, who spent four years doing a detailed survey of 1,646 scientists at elite American research universities. The study reveals that scientists often practice a closeted faith, worrying about how their peers would react to learning about their religious views. 'After four years of research, at least one thing became clear: Much of what we believe about the faith lives of elite scientists is wrong. The '"insurmountable hostility" between science and religion is a caricature, a thought-cliche, perhaps useful as a satire on groupthink, but hardly representative of reality,' writes Ecklund. Unsurprisingly, Ecklund found that 64% of scientists are either atheists (34%) or agnostic (30%). But only five of the 275 in-depth interviewees actively oppose religion; and even among the third who are atheists, many consider themselves 'spiritual.' 'According to the scientists I interviewed, the academy seems to have a "strong culture" that suppresses discussion about religion in many areas,' says Ecklund. 'To remove the perceived stigma, we would need to have more scientists talking openly about issues of religion, where such issues are particularly relevant to their discipline.'"
To that I say; What does god need with a Starship?
won't Obama save us all?
I just want you know your post is deserving of mod points.
I don't get mod points anymore because in this sort of situation previously I'd look for a funny comment involving poo and other body functions and mod that up.
That's why I don't get mod points anymore.
But if I had points and there were no poo posts, you'd get it dude.
http://brunelleschi.imss.fi.it/museum/esim.asp?c=404010
Denial of the holy spirit is the one unforgivable sin.
Can't be worse than using goto, can it?
Ezekiel 23:20
Not nearly as bad actually. You can deny the holy spirit all day without being attacked by raptors.
"linux is just DOS with a UNIX like syntax" -- Galactic Dominator (944134)
I don't want to fuck the FSM... I want to eat the FSM!
I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
Wow, it's so obvious now, I think I've figured out how to actually avoid an unpleasant afterlife if there is a god.
If you just make sure that several religions end up fighting over the right to send your soul to their version of hell then you could probably negotiate a pretty sweet deal ("Ok, I'll go to your hell but you have to skip the torture. And I want a nice house, and a maid, and hot girls. Also, I'd like to go to your heaven on the weekends").
Greylisting is to SMTP as NAT is to IPv4
In a new study (that took 15 seconds to pull out of thin air, because its conclusions are so damn obvious to the casual observer) it was found that 64 percent of scientists are either sports-unaware (34%) or sports-aware (30%). But only five of the 275 in-depth interviewees actively oppose sports fanaticism; and even among the third who are sports-unaware, many consider themselves 'healthy.' 'According to the scientists I interviewed, the academy seems to have a "strong culture" that suppresses discussion about sports in many areas,' says Ecklund. 'To remove the perceived stigma, we would need to have more scientists talking openly about issues of sports where such issues are particularly relevant to their discipline (i.e.nowhere).
No you're not, I've read your email.
Yours Truly,
God
Most of the results were uninteresting, but if we look at the 17th run, you'll see here an effect that I suspect was caused by divine intervention.
"When I was a child, I used to pray to God for a bicycle. But then I realised that God doesn't work in that way
- so I stole a bike and prayed for forgiveness." - Emo Phillips
You would not defend religion unless you were religious, therefore you are a superstitionist with no credibility.
And this, children, is what we call ad hominem .
"We place no reliance
On Virgin or Pigeon;
Our Method is Science;
Our Aim is Religion"
Aleister Crowley ^_^
the word 'faith' and correct me if I am wrong, but if something has no ontological status, you cannot argue for or against it.
Correct... until someone's faith-based beliefs intersect with the material world in the form of specific claims. Then their beliefs can be tested and proven or disproven, including:
* The power of prayer - Disproven by the Harvard Prayer Experiment.
* The creation myth of Genesis, disproven by numerous areas of science
* The origin of native Americans as dictated in the Book of Mormon, disproven by genetic science
* The claims of scientology, disproven by analysis of their e-meters other science fields
Religion has never been content with merely residing in a metaphysical realm, and that's when problems arise.
And if the Hindus are right and there is reincarnation, but you've wasted this life with Christian mumbo-jumbo rather than seeking to unify your atman with Brahman...?
I unified Brahman with my atman and got "Batman".
Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.