Does Science Destroy or Enhance Spirituality?

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In-depth interviews with scientists from around the world about their spirituality may surprise those who believe that science kills religion. Spiritual yearning is a far more common experience among scientists than many might think.

Some look into the clear night sky, the magnificent web of a tiny spider, or the murmurations of starlings in flight, and are convinced that these wonders are nothing more than the random, purposeless interactions of matter rigidly following laws that appeared from nowhere for no apparent reason. They are convinced by many scientists and science writers who claim this is what science reveals as the truth. Others feel a deep connection in these experiences to something beyond themselves and sense a transcendent purpose behind all that we observe.

There is a widespread belief that science is a primary contributor to the disenchantment and secularization that characterizes Western culture in particular. The belief is bolstered by the fact that science has revealed many mysteries that were previously attributed to divine action. Yet, as we gain ever greater knowledge about the universe, more and deeper mysteries emerge. As a theist and Christian, it has always puzzled me how scientists can observe the wonders and mysteries of cellular life, the continuing creation of the universe in the vast galaxies we observe…