Darwin or divinity? The crucible or the cross?

In recent decades, it seems, religion and science have been at perpetual odd – irreconcilable odds, at times.

Not so says a new study by Rice University sociologist Elain Howard Ecklund, who studied the attitudes that some of the nation’s “elite” research scientists held regarding religion.

Her findings:

• 15 percent said they view religion and science as always in conflict.

• 15 percent said the two are never in conflict

• 70 percent said they believe religion and science are only sometimes in conflict.

Ecklund’s research was based on interviews with a scientifically selected sample of 275 participants, pulled from a survey of 2,198 tenured and tenure-track faculty in the natural and social sciences at 21 “elite” U.S. research universities.

About half of the original survey population expressed some form of religious identity; half did not.

Other findings:

• Scientists as a whole are substantially different from the American public in how they view teaching "intelligent design" in public schools. Nearly all of the scientists – religious and nonreligious alike – have a negative impression of the theory of intelligent design.

• Sixty-eight percent of scientists surveyed consider themselves spiritual to some degree.

• Scientists who view themselves as spiritual/religious are less likely to see religion and science in conflict.

• Overall, under some circumstances even the most religious of scientists were described in very positive terms by their nonreligious peers; this suggests that the integration of religion and science is not so distasteful to all scientists.

Ecklund said the study's findings will go far in improving the public's perception of science.

"I think it would be helpful for the public to see what scientists are actually saying about these topics, rather than just believe stereotypes," she said in a statement. "It would definitely benefit public dialogue about the relationship between science and religion."

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