How should we respond to prejudices about belief?

By Stephen H. Jones Reflections on Islamophobia: Still a Challenge for Us All The publication of The Runnymede Trust’s report Islamophobia: A Challenge for Us All in 1997 was a watershed moment in the history of recognising and opposing anti-Muslim prejudice. The first British policy report to focus on the problem of Islamophobia, it is […]
PRESS RELEASE: results of major new survey on evolution

NEW EVOLUTION SURVEY SHOWS THAT WHILST THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE IN UK AND CANADA ACCEPT EVOLUTIONARY SCIENCE, NON-RELIGIOUS AND ATHEIST INDIVIDUALS SHOW SIMILAR DOUBTS ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF HUMANS AND HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS AS RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL INDIVIDUALS. Brighton, 5th September 2017 A Newman University/YouGov survey examining public perceptions and attitudes towards evolution has found […]
One Nation, United? Science, Religion, and American Public Opinion

By Shiri Noy and Timothy L. O’Brien Debates about science and religion—whether they conflict and how they factor into public opinion, policies, and politics—are of longstanding interest to social scientists. Research in this area often examines how those in elite positions use science and religion to justify competing claims. But, more generally how do members of […]
Revelatory Evolution and Cosmological Creation Tales: when science is presented like a religion

By Will Mason-Wilkes When you sit down to watch a science documentary you’re probably expecting to learn something about science. You might even be hoping to pick up a few facts to impress your colleagues at the office or your friends at the pub. However, along with these nuggets of knowledge, a science programme will […]
Perpetuating the Myths

By Thony Christie ***This post originally appeared on The Renaissance Mathematicus on May 17th, 2017 – for the original click here*** Since the re-emergence of science in Europe in the High Middle Ages down to the present the relationship between science and religion has been a very complex and multifaceted one that cannot be reduced […]
Authority, Authenticity, and Belief: British and Canadian life scientists and publics’ narratives of evolution and religion

In April 2017 the team from the Science and Religion: Exploring the Spectrum project hosted a symposium in Birmingham. In this video, project member Dr Tom Kaden presents some of the preliminary findings of the qualitative sociological research being undertaken as part of the project.
Studying Public Perceptions of Evolution and Religion from a Multidisciplinary Perspective

In April 2017 the team from the Science and Religion: Exploring the Spectrum project hosted a one day symposium in Birmingham. In this video, project Principal Investigator Professor Fern Elsdon-Baker opens the symposium by introducing and contextualising the research being undertaken by the team.
Science and religion conflict for non-religious Britons and Canadians
By Rebecca Catto ***This original version of this post was published on the Nonreligion and Secularity Research Network website on 6th April 2017*** The “conflict thesis” is the label historians of science give to the purported essential and enduring incompatibility or clash between science and religion. However, today this thesis is considered historically inaccurate (Harrison, […]
Australian neo-Pentecostal perspectives on anthropogenic climate change

By Mairead Shanahan As the seriousness of the human impact on a changing global climate becomes evident, many religious movements are developing theological responses to such ecological issues. As one of the fastest growing Christian denominations on the globe, Pentecostal and Charismatic churches are now formulating theological positions on anthropogenic climate change. Australian neo-Pentecostal churches […]
Fake news, media framing, and the case of Pope Francis’ ‘shocking’ comments on evolution

By James Riley If you can believe what you read, “FAKE NEWS” is everywhere these days. Shot onto the media scene like a lexical gag, the phrase was fired from the mouth of President Donald J. Trump as he confronted CNN reporter Jim Acosta during the then president-elect’s first press conference. Although the words are […]