Thursday, April 10, 2008

Are All "Real" Scientists Atheists?

"The idea that all scientists and educated people are atheists is a myth. The Sigma Zi [Xi] Scientific Honorary Society did a poll of 3,300 PhD’s and concluded that scientists are anchored in the US mainstream and that 1/2 participate in religious activities regularly."

"Richard Feynman (Nobel prize in physics) has said, "Many scientists do believe in both science and God, a God of revelation, in a perfectly consistent way."

http://www.reallifeboston.com/resources/12questions/3.php

4 comments:

Jeff said...

From Wikipedia:

"Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society is a non-profit honor society which was founded in 1886 at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a handful of graduate students. Members elect others on the basis of their research achievements or potential. Despite the name, Sigma Xi is neither a fraternity nor a sorority, and today is open to all qualified individuals who are interested in science and engineering.

Today the Society comprises about 60,000 scientists and engineers belonging to more than 500 Sigma Xi chapters at universities and colleges, government laboratories and industry research centers. Almost all are in the United States, though there are about 20 in Canada and single chapters in about 20 other countries. In effect, however, Sigma Xi is an American society. In addition to publishing the award-winning American Scientist magazine, Sigma Xi provides grants annually to promising young researchers and sponsors a variety of programs supporting ethics in research, science and engineering education, the public understanding of science, international research cooperation and the overall health of the research enterprise.

The Greek letters "sigma" and "xi" form the acronym of the Society's motto, "Spoudon Xynones," which translates as "Companions in Zealous Research."

More than 200 winners of the Nobel Prize have been Sigma Xi members, including Albert Einstein, Enrico Fermi, Linus Pauling, Francis Crick and James Watson.


Mission
-------
Culture: The Society is a diverse chapter-based organization dedicated to the advancement of science and engineering through outstanding programs and services delivered in a collegial and supportive environment.

Mission: To enhance the health of the research enterprise, foster integrity in science and engineering, and promote the public's understanding of science for the purpose of improving the human condition.

Vision: To be the global honor society of science and engineering."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigma_Xi

Anonymous said...

Jeff,
I understand how that 'mythical idea' may develop and stay in our societies. May be people put God and Science at the same level as if they are competitors, so one can say What an idea from God and the other say 'wow this discovery' is what sounds.
People should understand that GOD has no competitor,not even the devil competes with God.He is alone at His level,period!
Science is their only to convinience man's livilihood, suiting his own interrests.
I am of the view that The few scientific discoveries that we have are but an infinetismally small idea about things that God ALLOWS man to discover. Any accredited philosopher of science will agree that Science is tentative.
It changes, in terms known as paradigm shifts.
Our God is the same from eternal times to eternal times.
May be SOME scientists' boasting about the too little they know, causing them to brush away the presence of God in their worlds of form and even sometimes their worlds of matter makes the general public feel scientists are all the same,boastifull and full of ethiesism.
I agree with you Jeff, not all scientists are as such. I believe in Jesus Christ the messiah, yet I'm a chemist with lots of philosophies and all that stuff, I know they are but of this world only for man's convinience.
Consider the 'order of the universe' in cosmological perspectives.
GOD is real and all His Biblical attributes are real. Other scientists like any other man CHOOSE to believe and trust in Him or not.
Jeff, those are my few words!
Andrew Glory

Anonymous said...

Andrew Glory said...
Jeff,
I understand how that 'mythical idea' may develop and stay in our societies. May be people put God and Science at the same level as if they are competitors, so one can say What an idea from God and the other say 'wow this discovery' is what sounds.
People should understand that GOD has no competitor,not even the devil competes with God.He is alone at His level,period!
Science is their only to convinience man's livilihood, suiting his own interrests.
I am of the view that The few scientific discoveries that we have are but an infinetismally small idea about things that God ALLOWS man to discover. Any accredited philosopher of science will agree that Science is tentative.
It changes, in terms known as paradigm shifts.
Our God is the same from eternal times to eternal times.
May be SOME scientists' boasting about the too little they know, causing them to brush away the presence of God in their worlds of form and even sometimes their worlds of matter makes the general public feel scientists are all the same,boastifull and full of ethiesism.
I agree with you Jeff, not all scientists are as such. I believe in Jesus Christ the messiah, yet I'm a chemist with lots of philosophies and all that stuff, I know they are but of this world only for man's convinience.
Consider the 'order of the universe' in cosmological perspectives.
GOD is real and all His Biblical attributes are real. Other scientists like any other man CHOOSE to believe and trust in Him or not.
Jeff, those are my few words!
Andrew Glory

Jeff said...

Andrew,

Thank you very much for dropping by and commenting!

People should understand that GOD has no competitor,not even the devil competes with God.He is alone at His level,period!

AMEN!

Any accredited philosopher of science will agree that Science is tentative.
It changes, in terms known as paradigm shifts.


I agree, and it is obviously the case that Science changes in its views. Even Atheists would agree with that, I think.

Our God is the same from eternal times to eternal times.

Amen!

"Every good present and every perfect gift comes from above, from the Father who made the sun, moon, and stars. The Father doesn't change like the shifting shadows produced by the sun and the moon." (James 1:17, GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995))

I believe in Jesus Christ the messiah, yet I'm a chemist with lots of philosophies and all that stuff, I know they are but of this world only for man's convinience.

Cool that you're a chemist!
Even more cool that you accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah!
One of the books I'm currently reading is Michael J. Behe's "Darwin's Black Box."

Other scientists like any other man CHOOSE to believe and trust in Him or not.

Excellent point!