Religion and Science: Erastus C. "Topher" Dudley

Years ago, noted science teacher and writer Chet Raymo embarked upon his own quest to reconcile the miracle stories he learned as a child with the science he learned as an adult.Skeptics and True Believersis the culmination of that search—a passionate, ever-inquisitive statement that science and religion can mutually reinforce the way we experience the world. Acknowledging that the scientific and the spiritual communities are increasingly split, Raymo builds strong bridges between them. He illustrates his argument with an array of thought-provoking stories, such as the remarkable migratory flight of a small bird called the red knot; the long, glorious glide of the Comet Hyakutake across the night sky; a hilarious alien abduction that didn't happen. Together, they are compelling evidence that religion should embrace the reliable knowledge of the world that science provides, while at the same time science should respect and nourish humankind's need for spiritual sustenance. "Miracles are explainable," Raymo paraphrases the writer Tim Robinson, "it is the explanations that are miraculous." For anyone drawn to reflect on life's meaning and purpose, Chet Raymo's uncompromising skepticism and reverence for mystery will affirm and inspire.

"Raymo does what I find to be a very creditable job of explaining some of the differences in the ways in which we see and understand the world, finding distinctions in patterns of understanding. The book is subtitled “The exhilerating connection…”, at which it falls miserably short. Raymo wraps up the book with a discussion of mysticism, and how it can serve as a connection between science and religion. I found this part to be very unhelpful, but others may see it differently." -- Topher Dudley

The author brings unique qualifications to his exploration of the possibilities of believing in God in an age of science. This thought-provoking book focuses on the collegiality between science & theology, contending that the inquiries of these intellectual cousins are parallel.

"This book, written by a physicist become Anglican priest, lays out many of the same themes as Chet Raymo’s book. It differs in pointing out similarities between the approaches. It, too, however, does little to help find ways of easing the perceived, and sometimes real, tensions." -- Topher Dudley

" ... (W)orking to address a range of serious issues that might not have obvious answers. Fundamentally, science, a way of interpreting the world, does not provide us with ethical guidelines. However, we have a desparate need for such guidelines. The question becomes one of how to find them." -- Topher Dudley

"I consider this to be an excellent book, illustrating different ways science and faith can interact with each other in a series of case studies. Generally considering interactions of conflict, independence, dialog, and integration. I think the last one is more a pipe dream than anything else. However, it is something we can work towards." -- Topher Dudley