This interview has been edited for length and clarity. <\/p>\n
How often do people ask you religious questions? <\/p>\n
I get these kinds of questions all the time. Some are antagonistic. But most people are genuinely curious. <\/p>\n
I have my own personal rule, which is I never, ever tell people what to believe. And I never, ever tell people they're wrong. I share with them what I know and how I know it. If someone says, \"Well, I think the Earth is a lot younger,\" I say, \"OK, fair enough. But give me the chance to explain why I think the universe is 13.8 billion years old.\" <\/p>\n
There's a century of very difficult work that went into giving that answer and I think that how we got there is far more interesting than the actual number itself. I love the chance to explain that process. <\/p>\n
What do you say when someone wants to know how science dovetails with their faith? <\/p>\n
These kinds of questions are a lot harder than those coming from people whose faith conflicts with science. Of course I have my own personal beliefs. But when I'm in front of the public I'm not Paul Sutter the human being with complex beliefs. I'm Paul Sutter the astrophysicist. So I'm only going to share what I know from science. <\/p>\n
If someone says, \"Help me understand the nature of divinity or this section from the Bible,\" I honestly can't help them. They might want to talk to a theologian or a philosopher. I'm in the astronomy department. <\/p>\n
But when you tell people you can't help them with their faith questions because you're a scientist, aren't you sending a message that there's an incompatibility between faith and science? <\/p>\n
I personally believe that there is only a conflict between science and religion if you want there to be one. People ask if scientists are religious. I tell them that I personally know many scientists who are atheists, and many scientists who are very devout Catholics, and Muslims and Jews and Hindus and they all seem to sleep at night and they all are able to get work done and they all are able to pray, if they're the praying kind. And we all get along. <\/p>\n
I bet you often get asked about your own religious beliefs or perhaps lack of beliefs. <\/p>\n
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Read more from the original source: <\/p>\n
Faith and the cosmos: An astrophysicist fields the big questions ... - Salt Lake Tribune<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This interview has been edited for length and clarity. How often do people ask you religious questions? I get these kinds of questions all the time. Continue reading