Any research undertaking in the social sciences must confront the following questions: What is the evidence on which you base your conclusions? How reliable is that evidence? These questions permeated the papers and discussions at the workshop. As has been noted, speakers and participants concluded that the existing datasets all have limitations that inhibit their […]
Polls show that Americans have a healthy respect for science. But what happens when scientific findings conflict with religious beliefs? In the case of evolution, religious people, who make up a majority of Americans, rely primarily on their faith for answers.
by David Masci, Senior Research Fellow The relationship between faith and science in the United States seems, at least on the surface, to be paradoxical. Surveys repeatedly show that most Americans respect science and the benefits it brings to society, such as new technologies and medical treatments. And yet, religious convictions limit many Americans’ willingness […]
Key West, Florida Some of the nation’s leading journalists gathered in Key West, Fla., in May 2008 for the Pew Forum’s biannual Faith Angle Conference on religion, politics and public life. Recent advances in neuroscience and brain-imaging technology have offered researchers a look into the physiology of religious experiences. In observing Buddhist monks as they […]
Twenty years after a landmark Supreme Court decision, Americans are still fighting over the teaching of creationism and other alternatives to evolution in the nation’s schools.
by David Masci, Senior Research Fellow, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life Twenty years ago, on June 19, 1987, the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling that dramatically reshaped the debate over teaching evolution in public schools. In Edwards v. Aguillard, the high court struck down a Louisiana law requiring that schools teach creation […]
