do scientists believe in God?

[alphaparticle]

I have posted something like this before, but as it is coming up in the OC and it's a topic that interests me very much I am doing it again.

 

Here I want to point out some specific things from this (http://www.pewforum.org/2009/11/05/scientists-and-belief/) survey that I found most interesting.

 

- First, a number of surveys have been done over the years on this, including a 1914 study, which have shown consistently then that at least starting in the 20th C scientists are much less likely to believe in a personal God than the general public.

 

- Among the general public 83% believe in God, whereas 33% of scientists do.

 

- Among the general public 28% identified as 'evangelical'. Among the scientist group 4% did.

 

- Among scientists 52% were secular (no opinion/atheist/agnostic) whereas that is true for only 18% of the general public.

 

This is not a slight effect. This is an incredibly noticeable effect.

 

Thoughts on why this is?

Thoughts on if there are ways to mitigate this?

[alphaparticle]

If you are curious how this breaks down by discipline, and other issues surrounding the state of knowledge of religion among scientists check this out: http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~ehe/doc/Ecklund_SocialProblems_54_2.pdf. The information specifically about the disciplines is on page 8/296.

 

Some excerpts that I found interesting anyway:

in response to the assertion "there is the most truth in one religion" 3.4% of physicists agreed, 2.6% of chemists, 1.9% of sociologists, 8.5% of political scientists and 1% of psychologists.

 

The number who said that they had some doubts about God but believed combined with the number who are certain that God exists: 19% of physicists, 29% of chemists, 20% of socioloigsts.

 

The paper also offers up some potential explanations for this.

"It is an assumption of much scholarly work that the religious beliefs of scientists are a function of their commitment to science. The findings presented here show that indeed academics in the natural and social sciences at elite research universities are less religious than many of those in the general public, at least according to traditional indicators of religiosity. Assuming, however, that becoming a scientist necessarily leads to loss of religious commitments is untenable when we take into account the differential selection of scientists from certain religious backgrounds. Our results indicate that people from certain backgrounds (thenon-religious, for example) disproportionately self-select into scientific professions. In contrast, being raised a Protestant and in a home where religion was very important, for example, leads to a greater likelihood that a scientist will remain relatively religious

 

...

 

Another possibility is that religious individuals might select into science graduate programs equally but that the graduate programs and scientific environments themselves have strong

anti-religious messages and reward structures, either passive or active, such that some abandon their faith in the process and others leave programs. To study the previous we would need data

not just on faculty at elite institutions but a data collection including a broader set of individuals in the academic sciences (graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, researchers, in addition to

faculty) as well as the ability to follow these same individuals over time."

[missmuffet]

Their are some scientists who are Christian.Many are not.My brother was a scientist and he was an atheist.

[alphaparticle]

Their are some scientists who are Christian.Many are not.My brother was a scientist and he was an atheist.

There are some bopeep, this is true, but a very small number when compared to the general population. Any ideas about why that is?

[missmuffet]

 

Their are some scientists who are Christian.Many are not.My brother was a scientist and he was an atheist.

There are some bopeep, this is true, but a very small number when compared to the general population. Any ideas about why that is?

 

Yes,that is true their are very few.My brother always wanted to see to believe.Since as Christians we have blind faith in God that is not possible.

[alphaparticle]

 

 

Their are some scientists who are Christian.Many are not.My brother was a scientist and he was an atheist.

There are some bopeep, this is true, but a very small number when compared to the general population. Any ideas about why that is?

 

Yes,that is true their are very few.My brother always wanted to see to believe.Since as Christians we have blind faith in God that is not possible.

 

Hmm, do you think that science people makes people this way, or that people who are already thinking this  way just tend to get into science more?

[missmuffet]

 

 

 

Their are some scientists who are Christian.Many are not.My brother was a scientist and he was an atheist.

There are some bopeep, this is true, but a very small number when compared to the general population. Any ideas about why that is?

 

Yes,that is true their are very few.My brother always wanted to see to believe.Since as Christians we have blind faith in God that is not possible.

 

Hmm, do you think that science people makes people this way, or that people who are already thinking this  way just tend to get into science more?

 

I try to not catagorize people.So I do not know.

[alphaparticle]

That's fine bopeep. I am in the sciences so that is why this issue particularly interests me because it affects me a lot. It's caused me a great deal of thought.

[missmuffet]

That's fine bopeep. I am in the sciences so that is why this issue particularly interests me because it affects me a lot. It's caused me a great deal of thought.

My brother just thought different than a Christian.We had discussions about it.

[nebula]

I think the people in general who are less likely to believe in God are those that are trying to "be God" - "I am the master of my fate and the captain of my soul," I can change the world, I can do it on my own, etc.

 

Because scientists know more about the inner workings of things and are capable of, or learning to be capable of, manipulating and changing such things, it's a lot easier for them to (subconsciously) believe they are "God" - there is no "Grand Master" who created and ordained it all but we have the power to order things as we please.

 

Make sense?

 

(And notice I indicated this is subconscious - a person does not think in these terms, but that's the essence of what is in the heart, however one might express the wording of it.)