"The United States is a highly religious nation. Almost all Americans believe in God (83%) or a higher power (12%). But scientists are not your typical American. While only 4% of the public say they do not believe in a deity or higher power, a plurality of scientists do not (41%). Scientists are also far more likely to identify religiously as unaffiliated than is the general public (48% vs. 17%) or as atheist (17% vs. 2%). However, unlike the general population, younger scientists are more likely than older scientists to have a belief in God or a higher power. In addition, more chemists than those in other specialties say they believe in God."
The most obvious conclusion that can be drawn from this is the fact that, because only 4% of the general public reject belief in a god, whereas 41% of the scientific community does the same, the more you investigate and seek truth, the more likely you are to become an atheist. It reminds me of the all the periods of history in which the term "intellectual" had a negaive connotation, as if knowledge was a bad thing. I admit, the truth may be harmful to those in power, to the status quo, because no one will go to church and donate money for the preist's salary if they don't beleieve in a god, but that is the direction our society needs to go in.
While the chart on the whole is informative and useful, I find some of the individual statistics fascinating!
"However, unlike the general population, younger scientists are more likely than older scientists to have a belief in God or a higher power."
One would think that it would be the opposite, that the younger, more progressive scientists would be less likely to believe than the older, more traditional scientists. However, a have a theory that may explain the difference. The older scientists have presumably spent their entire life dedicated to their respective field, whether it be chemistry or biology or astrophysics. Being older has given them much more time and exposure to science and the scientific community. The younger scientists, on the other hand, are not as experienced or as knowledgeable as their elder counterparts. This seems to indicate that the longer you have to investigate the known world, the more likely you are to reject all assertions of the existence of a god or higher power.
Another interesting tidbit was the stastistic that:
In addition, more chemists than those in other specialties say they believe in God.Again, at first glanced I was seemingly stumped by this, but then I slowly began to realize why it might be. Chemistry is "The branch of natural science that deals with the composition and constitution of substances and the changes that they undergo as a consequence of alterations in the constitution of their molecules", according to Wikipedia. Chemistry's scope is relatively small, scientifically speaking, and while its work is relavent to every other scientific field, in general chemists don't investigate the origins of the universe, or the evolution of animals, etc. When biologists study biology, they come to the (correct) conclusion that evolution is the best explanation for the existence of life on this planet. This conclusion requires them to reject other, theistic explanations. When astroners study the universe, they come to the (again, correct) conclusion that the big bang theory is the best explaination we have at this time for the origins of the universe, whcih require, again, requires them to reject any flimsy theistic alternatives. Chemists, on the other hand, don't get the same kind of exposure to these types of theories and evidence. For them, its much more plausible that a creator god made the universe and all the matter and chemicals in it, and set the rules for their interactions.
Overall, it is a good sign that so many people of the scientific community are rejecting theistic claims and continuing their search for knowledge uninhibited by the chains of religion. These people are tackling the toughest issues head on, and they are't accepting straw man arguments as explanations. While I freely admit, science may never be able to answer all of the questions that humankind has and will ask, it is the single most reliably consistent method we currently possess to acquire knowledge and better understand the world around us. That's it for the first SOTW, I hope you enjoyed it and, as always, I welcome feedback. Feel free to comment or email me at TST(at)SecularThinker(dot)com or click here.
