Reading a report on religious practice and science

[benlehman]

Reading a report on religious practice and science for a class presentation.

Interesting things:
* Around %50 of scientists at top-level American universities report having religious beliefs. Around %70 say that they have some "spirituality."

* The "hard sciences" report more religion than the "soft sciences" report more religion than the "social sciences." The least religious science is psychology. The most is chemistry.

* Scientists are less religious than the population as a whole. The only Christian denomination represented more among scientists than the population at large is "liberal protestant." Several minority religions are over-represented among scientists by 2-3x : Jews, Buddhists, and Hindus. If you consider Atheism a religion, it is also over-represented, about on the same scale as Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.

I'd really like to see a cross-comparison by social class and income bracket, but the study didn't have one.

Comments

[platonic1.livejournal.com]

I wish science education were not so neglected in religiously-oriented institutions of learning, at least all the ones I've experienced.

[benlehman.livejournal.com]

Yeah. There were a couple of religions that had really dismal numbers, and sadly to me, "traditional Catholic" was one of them.

Personally, I think "does God exist?" and "science v. religion" are simply the wrong questions to ask. Like "Why are leaves pink?" You can argue a lot about why leaves are pink, but it doesn't change the fact that it's the wrong question to ask.

yrs--
--Ben