Slashdot Mirror
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.'"
Proof is part of science too. Reproducible experimentation. Heard of it?
Prove there is a god or even a GOD.
Please.
Jesus is not the Holy Spirit
QFT
Fuck the Holy Spirit! And fuck Santa Claus! And the FSM! Fuck them all! There, now I can be sure of going to at least 3 different types of hell, if they exist. Oh, and everyone who reads this is also going to hell, because my god said they were faithless bastards. He's a bit shy though and only talks to me, so I'm the only human ever to actually be going to heaven. Sorry guys!
which is totally what she said
"Very few Christians believe much of the Old Testament."
Huh? The OT is part of the bible and is part of the basis of Christianity. Being a Christian REQUIRES one to believe the OT.
If you mean that the fundamentalists are the only Christians that attempt to practice their religion consistent with its teachings, then yes. Most Christians are the cafeteria type.
"Applying scientific rigor to religious faith generally doesn't work."
Actually it works very well. But those with faith really dislike being shown faith is based on faulty logic. And make life miserable for those who point out those facts. Considering the fact that atheists are considered militant for merely not believing in a god, is it an wonder why a scientist would avoid a religious discussion? Especially if it was not related to their research or when it would most likely hurt their research.
Yeah, but the premise is rather like asking if pesticide inventors would like to have a discussion with cockroaches.
That would make sense if a few loud and obnoxious religionists weren't Hell bent on forcing religion back into aspects of culture we've been successfully removing religion from in the first place.
Fixed that for you.
Science appeals to people who search for truth, and traditionally so has religion.
Why do you assume that those who follow religion have the slightest interest in the truth? If they did they would have to, in practice, acknowledge the possibility that their religion is a bunch of made up nonsense. They would be de-facto agnostics. You cannot search for "truth" while deciding what the truth is ahead of time. Go into any church and inform the congregation that they have to give up their ideas about god so that they can search for the truth. Let me know how that works out for you.
"...intelligent being who would not want to associate with people who spent their lives believing in him without adequate proof."
If we Christians are right, then patently, he wants our faith and belief, not knowledge. Monty Python got it right, we each have to make a choice. If he were to come and prove himself to you, your only choice would be between obedience and rebellion. To the best of my knowledge, no one can prove God exists, and no one can prove that he does not.
emt 377 emt 4
Fuck the holy spirit. The holy spirit doesn't exist. I deny everything you can think of about the holy spirit. I deny the holy spirit itself (but I repeat myself). You can take Jesus, shine him up, turn him sideways, and shove him up the holy spirit's ass.
Did I hit the magic incantation?
And you would LOSE!!!! Hell, look how dedicated al qaeda and the taliban are...against the entire USA!
There are far more people on this earth of faith than not. Save yourself the trouble and put a bullet to your head now. You CANNOT WIN THAT WAR!!! EVER!!!
Life is not for the lazy.
Well, it appears that Carl Sagan was profoundly ignorant of every form of religion other than American fanatic Christianity -- just like most of the rest of the "New Atheists". Now that he's dead, I wonder if God has taught him the folly of drawing universal conclusions from minuscule sample sizes.
On the other hand, he could be thinking "What the fuck? I flooded the world, sprung the Hebrews from Egypt, smote some cities, and sent my son down to teach these people and die for his sins. He turned water into wine, healed some blind dude, and rose from the dead... and people still didn't believe he was real! How much more fucking proof do these jerks want?"