Christian Scientists of the past

[Radrook]

This is posted for informative purposes:

 

[Resha Caner]

And?

 

[sfs]

The video successfully rebuts the claim that all Christians are and always have been too stupid to be successful scientists. Mind you, I've never heard anyone make that claim, but anything is possible I suppose.

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

Why are they all so old?

 

[Speedwell]

Why are they all so old?

Because more recent eminent scientists who are also Christians are generally not creationists and the producer of the video did not want to bring it up?

 

[Jimmy D]

Christian scientists, whatever next?

What does the video say? I've got no sound.

 

[Resha Caner]

The video successfully rebuts the claim that all Christians are and always have been too stupid to be successful scientists. Mind you, I've never heard anyone make that claim, but anything is possible I suppose.

My undergrad chemistry T.A. made that claim.

 

[Loudmouth]

My undergrad chemistry T.A. made that claim.

People can have wrong opinions. News at 10!!

 

[Resha Caner]

People can have wrong opinions.

srs said he'd never heard anyone make the claim. I was informing him that I have.

 

[jayem]

Interesting that Galileo was mentioned. His story illustrates what I exceedingly dislike about religion. Which is not personal faith. It's creeds and dogmas of churches, and claims that ancient scriptures are infallible. Science has had issues with infallibility too. But good science is self-correcting. It will admit when it's wrong, and will change long and dearly held doctrines when the evidence demands it.

 

[Speedwell]

My undergrad chemistry T.A. made that claim.

My undergraduate chemistry prof was a member of a religious order and no one who knew him doubted his faith in Christ, but he was certainly not a creationist.

 

[Resha Caner]

My undergraduate chemistry prof was a member of a religious order and no one who knew him doubted his faith in Christ, but he was certainly not a creationist.

Where was that?

 

[Speedwell]

Where was that?

St. Mary's College of California.

 

[Resha Caner]

St. Mary's College of California.

Is that a teaching college?

 

[Loudmouth]

My undergraduate chemistry prof was a member of a religious order and no one who knew him doubted his faith in Christ, but he was certainly not a creationist.

About half of the biology department at the university I attended went to the same Methodist church.

In my experience, other scientists really don't care what religious beliefs other scientists may or may not have. The only time they care is when a scientist's religious beliefs get in the way of their science.

The metadebate conflict that you may be alluding to is the question of how someone can believe something on faith in one area of their life (religion) yet demand evidence in another area of their life (science). I guess we could argue back and forth on how they do it, but it remains a fact that in the majority of cases there is this dichotomy between religious and professional approaches.

It is also true that in any group of people you will have a standard bell curve for things such as tact, civility, and empathy. I don't doubt that there are atheist scientists who think no Christian can be a true scientist. I have met more than a few scientists who sit at greater than one standard deviation from the norm on many different types of scales. Being a scientist doesn't stop you from being flawed, but we wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[Speedwell]

Is that a teaching college?

It's a small Roman Catholic liberal arts college in the SF bay area.

 

[Resha Caner]

It's a small Roman Catholic liberal arts college in the SF bay area.

Yeah, I assumed RC. "Small" probably means it's a teaching college, i.e. they teach students for the purpose of conferring degrees rather than the larger universities (R1, R2) that focus on research.

Nothing wrong with that. I just wondered. I've tried connecting to a few organizations for research purposes.

 

[Speedwell]

Yeah, I assumed RC. "Small" probably means it's a teaching college, i.e. they teach students for the purpose of conferring degrees rather than the larger universities (R1, R2) that focus on research.

Nothing wrong with that. I just wondered. I've tried connecting to a few organizations for research purposes.

You're right, though some of the profs did significant research. When I was there (over half a century ago) the head of the bio department, also a brother, was considered a leading expert on the evolution of bats. He wasn't a creationist, either.

 

[Resha Caner]

He wasn't a creationist, either.

Though very open to new and challenging ideas I'm sure.

My financial security took a nasty turn for the worse in 2016. But, in years past I financed an arts program at a university and I was looking to branch out into financing some of my biology interests since I don't have the skills to do it myself.

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

Because more recent eminent scientists who are also Christians are generally not creationists and the producer of the video did not want to bring it up?

He shoots... he scores!!