• Question: why do many scientist don't believe in God.

    Asked by aajb355 to Cheryl, Christina, Daniel, George, Ivy on 17 Jan 2017.
    • Photo: Christina Obiero

      Christina Obiero answered on 17 Jan 2017:


      I believe that religion is a personal choice and hence one may choose to believe in God or not depending on one’s upbringing, exposure and education. Some scientist believe in God while others do not. This is similar to people who engage in other professions e.g. some musicians believe in God and other do not. I therefore do not believe that science makes people turn away from God.

    • Photo: Cheryl Andisi

      Cheryl Andisi answered on 17 Jan 2017:


      Hi aajb355,
      I think that is a perception that people have of not just scientists, but most academics that is not true. One of the characteristics of people in academia ie professors, PhD holders, Masters degrees Holders etc is that they are curious. We ask questions. Not just about God, and the universe but about everything else. This curiosity, actually is the pillar of research. You are trained to read, gather knowledge, and ask questions about the information you gathered so that you can be able to advance the knowledge.
      I think this asking of questions about God and the universe might be one of the things that fuels the perception that we do not believe in God.
      Ultimately, whether or not someone believes in God or not is a personal conviction. It might be influenced by how they were brought up or even their field of study in academia!

    • Photo: Ivy Kombe

      Ivy Kombe answered on 17 Jan 2017:


      I agree with Christina, religion is a choice, and there are many other people in different professions that do not have any religious beliefs. As with science, religious beliefs are variable, with some religions being more open to science while others are not. Some of the answers that science gives contradict what was initially though to be an act of God. Remember the potassium permanganate ‘miracles’ of Pastor Kanyari? The more you learn as a scientist about the natural world, the more you question and it can be easy to let go of certain beliefs. I believe that to be objective, one should read as much about religion and its history as they do about science. Some of the terms we use today to distinguish science from religion did not exist 500 years ago.

    • Photo: George Mochamah

      George Mochamah answered on 17 Jan 2017:


      I would say it is just cockiness. Where did the first baby come from, before that one grew up to start giving birth? I will leave you to ponder. All in all, it is a personal choice to believe or not. It is strange that some of us “believe in things created” but not “the Creator!”

    • Photo: Daniel Mbuthia

      Daniel Mbuthia answered on 17 Jan 2017:


      It’s true that some scientists do not believe in the existence of God. However, this is not to mean that most scientists do not believe in God. Most of them do. The reason why some scientists do not believe in God is because religion is viewed to be based on ‘belief’ or ‘faith’ rather than evidence. Some scientists especially those in materialism school of thought believe that there is nothing in the cosmos besides energy and matter, so to them, the supernatural, consciousness and the soul do not exist.

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