Recently I have noticed a stance taken by some members of the new wave of atheists and scientifically-informed ‘sceptics’, who define themselves largely by that which they oppose. This is the stance that someone’s belief in a god is akin to an infection, from which the rest of their beliefs has no immunity. To some, a question like this:
Can you be a creationist and be a good scientist?
has to be answered in the negative, since creationism lacks strong evidence and, therefore, a belief in it is incompatible with a rigorous following (I won’t say ‘worship’) of the scientific method. Now, I think that this is a pretty bold position to take. It goes much further than saying either of these things: Continue reading “Religious belief as an infection”