Dr Pamela L. Gay is an astronomer, writer, and podcaster focused on using new media to engage people in science and technology. Explore online, learn, and discover!Browsing all posts in Beliefs.
Separation between Scientific Truth & Belief
UPDATE: People have been making a lot of assumptions about things that didn’t actually happen. I’m adding asterisk (*) places people have made assumptions and clarifying at the end.
I’d like to start this blog post by saying just one simple thing I know to be true: I am a scientist. I may spend my days [...]
Lost in the vastness of space
Tonight I co-gave the opening address at the Templeton Foundation supported Q3 conference on Cosmology and Theology. It was perhaps the most nerve wracking talk I’ve ever given. While I am a Christian, I must admit to being terrified of conservative Christians. I’ve just realized I can’t count the number of churches who have made [...]
Between the Romans and the Lions
The other day I had an Astronomy Cast fan send me an email asking where I fall on the Dawkin’s Continuum. He was referring to the belief scale that Richard Dawkins laid out in his new book, The God Delusion. Within this system, individuals are divided by their level of belief that God does or does not exist. On his scale of 1 to 7, a person who is a strong theist, with 100% certainty that God exists, rates a 1. A person who is a firm atheist, who knows with 100% certainty that there is no God, rates a 7. Discussion of both this book and this scale are currently popular within skeptics circles and on atheist websites. Faced with this listener question, I have to admit to being a bit scared, because to many there is a “right answer.” This is a problem both when I deal both with scientists and with theologians (however the correct answer depends on the grader).
