This has me conflicted about the conflict between science and religion. How do we extract it from our churches, especially those that witness the ways science works alongside the Christian faith? Will it go away if we focus on the cooperation and don’t give voice to the opposition? Or must we acknowledge the conflict and work to reframe it?
Evolution is the primary example of the conflict thesis between religion and science. But The Clergy Letter Project has over 15,500 (as of August 2021) signatures of clergy on a statement that suggests “evolutionary theory [is] a core component of human knowledge, fully harmonious with religious faith.”
What do scientists actually think about religion? And what do religious people actually think about science? The stereotypical answers to these questions will come up short once you’ve looked at sociologist Elaine Howard Ecklund’s books.
You have heard of the White and Draper “conflict thesis” about the historical relationship between religion and science, right? It is a myth historians have debunked, but recent scholarship suggests that in debunking it they have missed some fascinating complexity.
Does history show a conflict between religion and science? According to Peter Harrison, a careful study of history finds a very different narrative.