Elaine Ecklund: Do Science and Faith Need Each Other?

I’m perfectly happy with religious pluralism, in fact I rather like it.

I only started calling myself an Atheist at all, because it was easier to simply acquiesce to various conservative Christians hitting me with the label than to assert that I was a Taoist, when in fact I’d long seen Taoism more as a metaphor and a source of wisdom than a supernatural worldview.

I “don’t like that reality” when the reality starts to involve death-threats to atheists (not uncommon from conservative Christians when the atheists bring a court case pointing out that what they’re doing is unconstitutional) and religious minorities.

Given that baseline fact, whether we like it not, is there a way to have a more productive relationship between Christians and science? Is there a way for us to serve the common good together? A way to seek more racial diversity and fairness in science? Better cooperation around climate change? Peace in the creation wars?

I don’t see how Elaine Ecklund eagerly throwing atheists and secular scientists under the bus (which appears to be her general shtick) is “productive”.

We should hope so, and Ecklund gives a new perspective with new information on these questions.

What new information? The book doesn’t appear to contain anything new, but appears to simply cherry-pick anecdotes from her earlier work on Christian (not even other religions, as far as I can see) scientists, in order to make Christian church-goers feel warm and fuzzy.

A more accurate title might be Does Christianity Need to be Worried about Science?

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