Excerpt from huffingtonpost.com
(RNS) Meet the “Post-Seculars” — the one in five Americans who no one seems to have noticed before in endless rounds of debates pitting science vs. religion.
They’re
more strongly religious than most “Traditionals” (43 percent of
Americans) and more scientifically knowledgeable than “Moderns” (36
percent) who stand on science alone, according to two sociologists’
findings in a new study.
“We were surprised to find this pretty
big group (21 percent) who are pretty knowledgeable and appreciative
about science and technology but who are also very religious and who
reject certain scientific theories,” said Timothy O’Brien, co-author of
the research study, released Thursday (Jan. 29) in the American
Sociological Review.
Put another way, there’s a sizable chunk of
Americans out there who are both religious and scientifically minded but
who break with both packs when faith and science collide.
Post-Seculars
pick and choose among science and religion views to create their own
“personally compelling way of understanding the world,” said O’Brien,
assistant professor at University of Evansville in Indiana.
O’Brien
and co-author Shiri Noy, an assistant professor of sociology at
University of Wyoming, examined responses from 2,901 people to 18
questions on knowledge of and attitudes toward science, and four
religion-related questions in the General Social Surveys conducted in
2006, 2008 and 2010.
Many findings fit the usual way the science-religion divide is viewed:
—
Moderns, who stand on reason, scored high on scientific knowledge and
scored lowest on religion questions regarding biblical authority and the
strength of their religious ties.
— Traditionals, who lean toward
religion, scored lower on science facts and were least likely to agree
that “the benefits of scientific research outweigh the harmful results.”
However,
the data turned up a third perspective – people who defied the familiar
breakdown. The authors dubbed them “Post-Secular” to jump past a
popular theory that Americans are moving way from religion to become
more secular, O’Brien said.
Post-Seculars — about half of whom
identify as conservative Protestants — know facts such as how lasers
work, what antibiotics do and the way genetics affect inherited
illnesses.
But when it comes to three main areas where science and
Christian-centric religious views conflict — on human evolution, the
Big Bang origin of the universe and the age of the Earth — Post-Seculars
break away from the pack with very significantly different views from
Traditionals and Moderns.
Areas where the factions are clear:
The universe began with a huge explosion:
Traditional: 21 percent
Modern: 68 percent
Post Secular: 6 percent
Human beings developed from earlier species of animals:
Traditional: 33 percent
Modern: 88 percent
Post-Secular: 3 percent
The continents have been moving for millions of years and will move in the future:
Traditional: 66 percent
Modern: 98 percent
Post-Secular: 80 percent
“Post-Seculars are smart. They know what
scientists think. They just don’t agree on some key issues, and that has
impact on their political views,” said O’Brien.
When the authors
looked at views on the authority of the Bible and how strongly people
said they were affiliated with their religion, Post-Seculars put the
most faith in Scripture and were much more inclined to say they were
strongly religious. And where science and faith conflict on hot-button
issues, they side with the religious perspective.
For example,
Moderns are the most supportive of embryonic stem cell research and
abortion rights for women, but Post-Seculars, who are nonetheless
largely positive about science and society, are more skeptical in both
areas, O’Brien said.
Candidates running in the 2016 elections might take note.
Where
people fall in these three groups can predict their attitudes on
political issues where science and religion both have claims, O’Brien
said, even after accounting for the usual suspects — social class,
political ideology or church attendance.
Source Article from http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AscensionEarth2012/~3/K2FPBbycYME/new-religion-and-science-study-reveals.html
New Religion and Science Study Reveals 'Post-Seculars' Reject Evolution
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