|
MODERN
AMERICAN SCIENTISTS, GOD AND ATHEISM
The ”American Atheists” web site dedicates a page to
Edward Larson’s 1998 study that “supposedly” proves that most scientists in
America are now Atheists or Agnostics. Let me quote from their page and
please then proceed to the analysis.
…members of the scientific community are "more likely than ever to reject
God and immortality," discloses Britain's Daily Telegraph.
That claim is
based on another study which repeats a historic survey first made in 1916 by
Dr. James Leuba of Bryn Mawr University.
It revealed that over eight decades ago, only about 40% of the scientists
surveyed expressed belief in any supreme being. Leuba predicted that
advances in education and technology would further erode faith in religious
claims.
In 1997, Edward
Larson of the University of Georgia
decided to revisit Leuba's study and evaluate the prediction that religious
belief was disappearing, at least in the scientific community.
Larson closely followed Leuba's methodology (, repeating the same questions
and attempting to find a representative sample which met the original
survey profile.
60% responded,
a figure considered high for any surveys.
Of those,
40% expressed belief
in a deity, while nearly 45% did not…
(http://www.atheists.org/flash.line/atheism1.htm
(Viewed December 15, 2007)
This is another classic example of biased reporting that the militant
atheist world abounds in. To start, you should be informed that Edward
Larson asked scientists if they believed in “...a
God in intellectual and affective communication
with humankind.”(1) This is clearly a belief in a “Personal God” that Christians, Jews
and Muslims believe in. This question does not include a belief in a
“Creator” who is not involved in human affairs, such as the divinity
that Deists and Pantheists believe in. Without doubt, a significant
number of scientists would describe themselves as such. Einstein, in fact,
defined himself as a Pantheist. The famed British physicist, Hawkins believes in a Creator but, reportedly,
not a “Personal God” and is, therefore, either a Pantheist or a Deist. If
Deists and Pantheists had been factored in, the number of believing
scientists would have been higher. (A few years ago, Edward Larson, in our
correspondence, encouraged me to do a study that would ask a more
all-encompassing question. I have not done so yet, but I am sure it would be
quite revealing.)
Not surprisingly, “American
Atheists,” in their continuing effort to elevate unbelief, skillfully
transformed the results into, “40 % believed in
a deity, while 45% did not.”
Fortunately, there are many analytical minds around
who can quickly spot such manipulations. On the other hand, there are lots of
fanatical atheists who will hastily gloat at anything that appears to imply the
gradual death of God and Religion.
Unfortunately for them, what is amazing is that decades of brainwashing by
unbelieving evolutionists who heavily influence Education has not sufficed
to transform all scientists into disciples. Furthermore, with the backlash
that is presently in full bloom on the part of Creationist scientists, they
can be assured that the number of unbelieving scientists who in the future
will turn to Religion will be significant.
_____________________
1) "Leading Scientists Still
Reject God, Steven Jay Gould Web Site. <http://www.stephenjaygould.org/ctrl/news/file002.pdf>
(5 October, 2008)
RELATED SOURCES
|
