Science belongs to the religious too [View All]

[rug]

Sadly, we've reached a point where I have to declare my atheism and some scientists are scared to 'come out' as Christian

Fern Elsdon-Baker guardian.co.uk, Thursday 20 October 2011 03.00 EDT

A respected friend and scientific academic colleague confided in me last week that she didn't feel able to tell people in the science community that she was a Christian. It was an assertion, she felt, which would lead other colleagues to assume she was in some way stupid.

Her "coming out" as a Christian struck a chord with me because, to a large extent, it mirrored my own experiences of how faith is often portrayed by those whose job it is to communicate science. It is also indicative of how many young scientists are beginning to feel about their personal faith.

Now it is at this point in any discussion about the science v religion debate that I have to declare my own position: I am an atheist and unquestionably pro-science. It is actually a point of some consternation that I do feel the need to state this because, quite frankly, what I do or do not believe is my own business.

How I chose to define myself in terms of identity markers should be inconsequential to my career as a science communicator and academic. In fact reading down my own personal top 10, atheist comes at the very bottom after woman, British, partner, daughter, sister, friend, academic, sci-fi geek and Marmite lover.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2011/oct/20/science-religious