• Question: Do all scientists have the view that there is no higher power i.e. 'God'?

    Asked by Giller_98 to Colin, John, Kevin, Shikha, Triona on 12 Nov 2014. This question was also asked by mnormanly.
    • Photo: Tríona O'Connell

      Tríona O'Connell answered on 12 Nov 2014:


      Not at all.
      Scientists are humans, and have the same beliefs as teh rest of society. Not everyone in society believes in God or even in the same God. I have many friends who don’t believe in God who are and are not scientists. I know plenty of scientists who are Christians, Muslims or Hindu. A colleague of mine used to leave her Holy Book on top of the incubator to see if it would help the cells to grow (they didn’t but the book had a lovely cover).

    • Photo: Shikha Sharma

      Shikha Sharma answered on 12 Nov 2014:


      Hi Giller _98,
      No..no..no… that’s a wrong perception about scientists. For some scientists, atheism is a matter of faith, not of evidence.
      Scientists need to be open to any and all possibility in order to make progress.Brilliant minds over the ages have recognized that there are some things scientists can’t explain but that doesn’t mean they aren’t true.
      I love science because I love the process of solving the riddle and uncovering the clues to unraveling whatever problem I am trying to solve. I believe in God, because I want to, because I can, and because it makes me happy to believe in Him. 🙂

    • Photo: Kevin Motherway

      Kevin Motherway answered on 15 Nov 2014:


      Is there a more important or personal question than this…..Faith is belief in things unseen. Whereas science is based on observation of facts, formulating a theory to explain it and then observing to see if data fits with your theory and revising your views or theory based on what you observe.

      The world of science and faith do not easily mix, as one is based on what you can observe and you don’t draw any more conclusion than you should; while the other is recorded as a definitive and unbreakable and unvarying truth often set down in scripture by a deity. Some faiths encourage skeptical questioning of faith while other do not tolerate any doubt whatsoever. Personally I find it hard to square the two but each to his own.

      Either way your existence is to be cherished whether it’s a fleeting time on this earth or you are certain that this is just an interlude in a wider plan. Try and leave the world a better place.

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