A new study conducted by Rice University and the University of Buffalo shows that a healthy percentage of atheist scientists join their families in religious services, even if they themselves do not agree with the message. Nearly one in five of these non-believing scientists attend church for what they call “social and personal reasons.”
“This was so surprising to us just because of all of the public discussion about the ways in which scientists are very against religious people,” said Elaine Howard Ecklund, a sociologist at Rice. “When in fact, those we might most expect to be against religious people are sitting alongside them.”
Some of the survey respondents said they attend because of the religious preferences of a spouse, but some said they attend because they want to educate their children on religious choices. “We thought that these individuals might be less inclined to introduce their children to religious traditions, but we found the exact opposite to be true,” Ecklund said. “They want their children to have choices, and it is more consistent with their science identity to expose their children to all sources of knowledge.” These non-believers also often attend other churches with their children to expose them to various traditions and belief systems.
The research was published in the December issue of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.
