Religion vs. Science

Elaine Ecklund is a sociologist who has made one of the most extensive studies for the relationship between science and religion, and is the author of an earlier book on what scientists really think – this new volume gives the perspective of religious people, and challenges a lot of assumptions based on a comprehensive survey. She argues that the two fundamental shaping issues for religious Americans relate to science and the existence or activity of God (for instance in relation to miracles), and science and the sacred. The findings move us beyond stereotypes and myths, while individual chapters are devoted to propositions such as religious people not liking science and scientists, all being young earth creationists and climate deniers, or against scientific technology. With a wealth of charts and statistics, the authors distinguish between myth and the reality of their findings, drawing out certain lessons. One interesting finding is that 22% of atheist elite university scientists and 27% of agnostics in the same category consider themselves as spiritual people. The climate change data showed a relatively even split between those taking the view that human actions are significant and those who aver that humans are only partially responsible; interestingly, only 11% thought that the climate was changing but not because of human actions. The final chapter summarises the findings on which future discussions of these topics should be based, while the appendices describe the interview guide and survey instrument. This is certainly a landmark study that should be widely read.