• by Fern Siegel , July 16, 2008

Science is good. It gave us penicillin, angioplasty and Velcro. And that's just for openers. In my family, if you could identify the chemical symbol for water, there were stage-whispers of a medical career. Now, just because a 7-year-old can administer his own Band-aids does not a surgeon make. But like all Jewish parents, they lived in hope. As it turned out, hope was futile. Their children chose journalism and law, rather than tee-offs on Wednesday.

Still, we all retained a healthy respect for science. It improves life; it produces better snow tires. It may even, if we utilize alternative energies, help save the planet -- a goal devoutly to be wished. Which is why the premise of Science & Spirit is so intriguing. It explores the relationship between science and religion in the context of our daily lives. The magazine is supported by the John Templeton Foundation, he of mutual-funds fame. Templeton made a fortune in the market, where worship is usually limited to Mammon.

Science & Spirit makes a nice change of pace. Here, science is approached from dual perspectives, sometimes in conflict with religion, sometimes in harmony. But always, the topic is rendered with gravitas -- not digestible bites of propaganda.

This is a thoughtful bimonthly that expects readers to ruminate on its articles. The front-of-book entries report on science news, such as how lack of sleep may increase your risk of Type 2 diabetes. Also included is a profile on Greg Graffin, an atheist punk rocker who doubles as a professor of zoology at UCLA. Talk about versatile. The features are equally provocative, ranging from the United Church of Christ's outreach to the practice of "biologizing religion."

Let's go to the marketing, first.

The article "Selling God to Science" explores the UCC's multimillion-dollar ad campaign that hopes to get beyond the science vs. faith caricatures. The ultimate thrust is to position the church as one that embraces science as well as religion, rather than suggesting the arenas are mutually exclusive. One ad trumpets: "God makes room for quantum mechanics," another says "Even Churches Evolve," teamed with an image of a skeleton that begins on all fours and gradually, through several incarnations, stands upright. Here's my question: What agency did the edgy ads? An open-door church policy is all well and good, but let's not forget that creativity is its own calling. Especially at awards time.

Similarly, the piece "What Happens to Religion When It Is Biologized?" did two things. First, it introduced me to a new word, "biologizers," made up of three groups: cognitivists, neurotheologians and evolutionary biologists. To radically simplify, they attempt to explain religion using scientific methods. Recently, there was talk of a "God spot" in the brain, which has excited neuroscientists. Second, it gave the discussion real depth. Whether researchers accept or reject a divinity to the cosmos, or accept spirituality but reject organized religion, the intense discussions - and findings - are fascinating.

Of course, no topic is more controversial -- in political and religious circles -- than evolution. Since Charles Darwin published "On the Origin of Species" in 1859, it's aroused reactions in everyone from a clueless public to crusading evangelicals to well-educated scientists. Even Hollywood got into the act with "Inherit the Wind," which recreated the controversial 1925 Scopes "Monkey Trial."

Frankly, I'm less worried about where we came from than where we're going. If the numnuts who populate the news are anything to go by, we're regressing at an alarming rate. I can't see monkeys drilling offshore for nine years just to extract enough oil for 300 days. Or watching "Jerry Springer," either.

Like S&S, I'd rather put my faith in the world's riches -- scientific and spiritual.

MAG STATS

Published by: Heldref Publications

Frequency: Bimonthly

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