Religious apologists like Dr. Ecklund fail to understand that the problem is not intolerance of faith. In my experience, even though most of my colleagues are likely atheists, those that are religious … Hindu, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Mormon mix perfectly well.
The problem on campus is that it is impossible for any scientist to be tolerant of physical truths that are not based in science. We have to deal with the all too real presence of creationism, miracles, infusion of a “soul” onto the zygote, anti global warming, etc. These false beliefs a make evaluation of scientists who profess belief very difficult.. Most western religions are tied to arbitrary belief systems that replace the essence of science itself, the ability to find reality by experiment with the “reality” of truth by some form of revelation.
Elaine Howard Ecklund
“…. a large number of academic scientists firmly feel that they should not discuss religion in their classrooms. ….. Many scientists believe that religion has no legitimate place in the modern American academy; 54 percent mentioned the dangers that religion could bring to universities (and in particular to science) when it goes wrong. About 36 percent of scientists I talked with said they have a model of university life that does not allow any positive role for religious people, institutions and ideas. And they have few models for how scientists (with or without faith) might sustain productive interaction with or respond to religious people and ideas. In their models of the university, such people and ideas exist primarily as a threat to science.
…… (since)those scientists who are religious often keep their faith closeted, their nonreligious colleagues have little reason to think there is any place for religion in the academy, or any way for science and religion to be reconciled. This is too bad because many scientists who fear the encroaching impact of religion generally fear the most fundamentalist forms of it. And since their fellow scientists with religious views are reluctant to talk openly about their own beliefs, such stereotypes are rarely dispelled.”