It's a big, fat myth that all scientists are religion-hating atheists

[Moonwalk]

16. I know plenty of religious scientists--and I don't know a single atheist who is "anti-wonder"--

...though I do know many religious people who are so all-fire eager to find atheists to be hypocrites that if an atheist says the word "wonder," the religious person will jump all over them. No atheist worth listening to is unaware that any human being can have what is commonly called a numinous experience--meaning a moment of "Wow" when looking at a distant galaxy or a beautiful sunrise. But it's hardly surprising that certain religious types insist that, like morality, a belief in the divine is necessary to experience such things. It's yet another way to scare people into not being atheists--"You'll lose your sense of wonder!"

Such religious groups also tend to use the "scientists are atheists" meme as a way of keeping their members from learning anything outside of what the religion wants them to believe (i.e. thinking and researching things for themselves). The stereotype of the atheist scientist isn't, after all, new. Look at all the old movies where the scientist "plays at being god" and something horrible happens. The message: godly folk stay away from science! Knowledge is dangerous and god doesn't want you to think. This has always been a way for certain religious groups to keep their followers believing only what the "church" tells them.

I had presumed, however, that those of us who actually read and research and are informed (theists and atheists) would know better: that science won't turn you atheist any more than gay marriage will turn you homosexual. Apparently not if someone felt the need to write an essay assuring us well-informed thinking types (who else would be reading it?) that scientists can believe in god. It's doubly sad that you felt this essay needed to be posted on the DU--do we really need to be told something so friggin' obvious? If so, how very tragic for us.

If we here on the DU can't think of anything better to argue about than whether a scientist who finds a cure for cancer has the ability to believe in god or not--then we might as well pack our bags and give into the climate change. I really thought we were better informed than that--or at least that a scientist's religious belief (or lack thereof) shouldn't matter to us.