Science and Religion – Can they be Allies?
PZ Myers has responded to an interview with Ron Numbers in a post titled I’m proud to be non-human. His main point seems to be that those of us who favor evolution need to go all the way and stick totally with the scientific evidence.
He says:
There is a strong cultural aspect to this struggle that is independent of the facts, I won’t deny that. But calling the science “irrelevant” is throwing away the sharpest tool in our toolbox. We are going to win people to the side of science and reason by promoting, well, science and reason. Stop running away from it! Stop being ashamed of the fact that the evidence is on our side! We aren’t going to win by engaging in theological debates, or by getting the right legislation, or by winning court battles
Another thing I think PZ completely misses the boat on is that people’s objections to science are theological. The evidence and theory behind evolutionary biology, or an old earth, or whatever are not what creationists are building their worldview upon. Rather it’s their theological understanding. And in my opinion, that’s the most fruitful area to discuss, because that’s the foundation of their rejection of the finding of science.