The best-selling author of Why Evolution Is True discusses the negative role of religion in education, politics, medicine and social policy, explaining how religion cannot provide verifiable or responsible answers to world problems.

"A devastating attack upon the dominance of atheism in science today." Giovanni Fazio, Senior Physicist, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics The debate over the ultimate source of truth in our world often pits science against faith. In fact, some high-profile scientists today would have us abandon God entirely as a source of truth about the universe. In this book, two professional astronomers push back against this notion, arguing that the science of today is not in a position to pronounce on the existence of God—rather, our notion of truth must include both the physical and spiritual domains. Incorporating excerpts from a letter written in 1615 by famed astronomer Galileo Galilei, the authors explore the relationship between science and faith, critiquing atheistic and secular understandings of science while reminding believers that science is an important source of truth about the physical world that God created.

That the longstanding antagonism between science and religion is irreconcilable has been taken for granted. And in the wake of recent controversies over teaching intelligent design and the ethics of stem-cell research, the divide seems as unbridgeable as ever.In Science vs. Religion, Elaine Howard Ecklund investigates this unexamined assumption in the first systematic study of what scientists actually think and feel about religion. In the course of her research, Ecklund surveyed nearly 1,700 scientists and interviewed 275 of them. She finds that most of what we believe about the faith lives of elite scientists is wrong. Nearly 50 percent of them are religious. Many others are what she calls "spiritual entrepreneurs," seeking creative ways to work with the tensions between science and faith outside the constraints of traditional religion. The book centers around vivid portraits of 10 representative men and women working in the natural and social sciences at top American research universities. Ecklund's respondents run the gamut from Margaret, a chemist who teaches a Sunday-school class, to Arik, a physicist who chose not to believe in God well before he decided to become a scientist. Only a small minority are actively hostile to religion. Ecklund reveals how scientists-believers and skeptics alike-are struggling to engage the increasing number of religious students in their classrooms and argues that many scientists are searching for "boundary pioneers" to cross the picket lines separating science and religion.With broad implications for education, science funding, and the thorny ethical questions surrounding stem-cell research, cloning, and other cutting-edge scientific endeavors, Science vs. Religion brings a welcome dose of reality to the science and religion debates.

Science and faith are often seen as being in opposition. In this book, award-winning sociologist Elaine Howard Ecklund questions this assumption based on research she has conducted over the past fifteen years. She highlights the ways these two spheres point to universal human values, showing readers they don't have to choose between science and Christianity. Breathing fresh air into debates that have consisted of more opinions than data, Ecklund offers insights uncovered by her research and shares her own story of personal challenges and lessons. In the areas most rife with conflict--the origins of the universe, evolution, climate change, and genetic technology--readers will find fascinating points of convergence in eight virtues of human existence: curiosity, doubt, humility, creativity, healing, awe, shalom, and gratitude. The book includes discussion questions for group use and to help pastors, small group leaders, and congregants broach controversial topics and bridge the science-faith divide.

This is not a book on theology, nor is it a highly technical scientific analysis. It's really just a conversation-between me and a hypothetical, non-hostile unbeliever. My purpose is to help scientific people see that religion is not just for kooks and to help religious people see that science is not just for atheists. Persons skilled in debate will quickly notice that I have utilized a variety of methods to advance my arguments such as logic, rhetoric, presentation of scientific/experimental data, and even narrative. I realize this mixture of methods is in itself a fault and sometimes appears self-contradictory. However, keep in mind that this book is written in a conversational tone. In real life conversations, people utilize a variety of methods to make their points. That's what I'm doing here-opening up a reasonable, educated conversation about God, science, and life itself in ways that work best for me. AUTHOR BIO - He received his bachelor's and master's degrees in biological science from the University of Mississippi in 1979 and 1981, and his Ph. D. degree in medical entomology from Mississippi State University in 1984. In December of 1985 he was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Air Force and served as a medical entomologist in the Epidemiology Division of the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine, Brooks AFB, Texas, for three and a half years. In 1988 he was named Best Academic Instructor in the Residents in Aerospace Medicine Course and Company Grade Officer of the Year. For two decades, Dr. Goddard served in the capacity of State Medical Entomologist at the Mississippi Department of Health, Jackson, Mississippi, where he designed, implemented, and supervised all vector control programs relating to public health throughout the state of Mississippi. Dr. Goddard has authored or co-authored over 160 scientific publications in the field of medical entomology and is the author of Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases Affecting Military Personnel, published by the U.S. Air Force, Infectious Diseases and Arthropods, Second Edition, published by Humana Press, and Physician's Guide to Arthropods of Medical Importance, Fifth Edition, published by Taylor and Francis (CRC). In 2003, the physician's guide won an award in the British Medical Association's best medical book of the year competition. Dr. Goddard has been featured in Reader's Digest and on a series entitled Living with Bugs on the Learning Channel. In 2001, Dr. Goddard published a novel about a mosquito-borne disease outbreak entitled, The Well of Destiny, and in 2006-07, published two more novels, this time about virus behavior (Vital Forces) and unethical scientific research (Endless Present). Dr. Goddard frequently presents seminars and guest lectures nationally and internationally on Arthropods and Medicine and related topics. He is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Mississippi Mosquito and Vector Control Association, and the Mississippi Entomological Association. His main research interests are the ecology and epidemiology of tick-borne diseases, but he also publishes on a wide range of medically important arthropods. Keywords - Faith, Science, Religion, Evolution, String Theory, Fossils, Prophets, God, Human, Universe, Bible, Creation

"Has science made religion intellectually implausible? Does it rule out the existence of a personal God? In an age of science can we really believe that the universe has a "purpose"? And, finally, doesn't religion hold much of the blame for the present ecological crisis?" "These questions form the nucleus of today's debate between science and religion. This book is a guide for that debate, identifying the questions, isolating the issues and pointing to ways the questions can be resolved." "There are four possible ways, says John F. Haught, that we can view the relationship between religion and science. First, they can stand in complete opposition - the conflict position. Or, we can believe they are so different that conflict is impossible - the contrast position. A third approach holds that while science and religion are distinct, each has important implications for the other. A fourth way views them as different but mutually supportive."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved