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Asked by shaanzafar to PB, Lyn, Katy, Paul, Ruth on 14 Jun 2013. This question was also asked by anon-33496.
Question: do you think that belive in god is important for a scientist?
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Peter Balfe answered on 14 Jun 2013:
“Render unto Caeser that which is Caeser’s” is I think the quote.
For me, religion is as relevant to science as disco dancing is to gardening, that is: you can eventually make a link, but it takes real work!
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Katy Brown answered on 20 Jun 2013:
I don’t think it’s very important – there are lots of scientists who believe in God and lots who don’t. Usually, our beliefs or lack of beliefs don’t affect our science, with some exceptions.
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Ee Lyn Lim answered on 20 Jun 2013:
It used to be really important! Hundreds of years ago, people only did science because they believed that they were finding out more about God’s work, and it was the Church that gave them money to do it. So science only got started because of people who believed in God.
But science has come a long way since then, and I don’t think it is important anymore. Science has to be supported by numbers and photos (proofs), and whether or not the scientist believes in god doesn’t change what the numbers say. So a person can be a great scientist whether he/she believes in god or not!
(Personally I am Buddhist – we’re generally not too bothered about these things…)
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Ruth Mitchell answered on 20 Jun 2013:
I am a practising Christian and to answer your question directly: no, it’s not important for a scientist to believe in God. There are many good scientists who don’t believe in God. But to take your question another way around: being a scientist doesn’t mean you can’t believe in God. God is interested in who the person is(He loves them and wants a relationship with them) and science deals with how God made us and the universe.
I find being a scientist and believing in God amazing because I am able to see God the Creator in all the work I do: understanding how fearfully and wonderfully God created the immune system. Also, being a Christian means honouring God in all I do and that includes the science that I do. -
Paul Waines answered on 27 Jun 2013:
Hi shaanzafar- not at all. I know people who do believe in god, and people who don’t- they are all good scientists who are able to separate the two…
Years ago- your scientific discoveries could land you in real hot water with the church- look up ‘Galileo’ for an example of this. The irony was that he believed in God too!
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Paul commented on :
Now that’s a good question and one which I have encountered a few times, particularly when talking about evolution!
I think that believing in God and being a scientist are two different things. I know several scientists who have a strong belief in God (both Muslims and Christians), and I know many more that don’t believe in God at all!
Also, if you look back in history, there are lots of examples of famous scientists who did/did not believe in God. Occasionally trying to balance belief in God with being a Scientist got them into a lot of trouble (e.g. Galileo). However, they were/ are all good scientists regardless and so therefore I would have to say ‘no, I dont think it is important’- belief in God is very much a personal choice.
Ruth commented on :
I am a practising Christian and to answer your question directly: no, it’s not important for a scientist to believe in God. There are many good scientists who don’t believe in God. But to take your question another way around: being a scientist doesn’t mean you can’t believe in God. God is interested in who the person is(He loves them and wants a relationship with them) and science deals with how God made us and the universe.
I find being a scientist and believing in God amazing because I am able to see God the Creator in all the work I do: understanding how fearfully and wonderfully God created the immune system. Also, being a Christian means honouring God in all I do and that includes the science that I do.