WASHINGTON — There are few places University of Delaware
physicist Stephen Barr would rather be than in a roomful of 100 or so of his
science colleagues discussing quantum mechanics without having to confront the
oft-perceived divide between science and religion.
Barr, president of the fast-growing Society of Catholic
Scientists, was in his element June 9 during the society's 2018 conference at
The Catholic University of America in Washington.
He delivered his talk on observing the behavior of atoms and
subatomic particles to an audience of like-minded Catholic scientists from
various disciplines who appreciate that their research is helping unravel creation's
mysteries.
Barr, 64, has long wanted to see such an opportunity for Catholic
scientists to come together to discuss their scientific expertise, network and
share their faith.
The conference was the society's second, the first taking place
in Chicago in 2017. More than 100 professional and student scientists gathered
to explore "The Human Mind and Physicalism" with nearly a dozen
presenters incorporating scientific findings in physics, ecology, free will and
the human mind with philosophical perspectives during a weekend of reflection
and discovery.
Barr said he had long suspected there was interest among Catholic
scientists for a forum such as the society. It wasn't until 2016 when the
society was founded that he and others learned that the interest is deeper than
they could have imagined.
"There are many religious scientists," Barr said.
"The militant atheists you read about are a tiny minority."
As they have formed the organization, Barr and the society's
board learned that scientists have been so receptive to recruitment pitches for
joining because they felt they often were maneuvering in professions where
religion and faith values are not always appreciated.
Since the Chicago conference society membership has grown from
330 to 750, Barr said. Members are on six continents — Barr noted there are no
members from Antarctica — with about 80 percent in North America.
Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia is the group's
bishop adviser.
Conference attendees welcomed the opportunity to mix among
Catholics like themselves and to discuss their work in light of their faith.
Karin Oberg, 35, associate professor of astronomy at the
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass., said she
welcomed the chance to join the society's board of directors because she wanted
to support other scientists as well as her students and did not want to leave
her faith values outside of the laboratory.
"My biggest motivation is for the students so they don't
think they have to choose to live their scientific vocation separate from their
faith," said Oberg, who grew up Lutheran in Sweden and became Catholic in
2012.
Oberg said she rediscovered her Christian faith while in the
United States and determined there was no conflict between the religious values
she cherishes and her research into how chemistry and physics interact during
star and planet formation.
Oberg, like many of the conference attendees who work in
nonreligious settings, said they have not experienced outright hostility about
their faith, but that they do face occasional questions or comments from
colleagues about whether their beliefs conflict with the science they practice.
Barr acknowledged that a small vocal minority of critics push
scientists with deeply held religious values to reconcile their work with their
faith.
"The words sort of grate me because I don't experience
anything to be reconciled. It's not like there's a problem and I found the
solution to this problem," he said.
"I'm a scientist and a Catholic for many of the same
reasons, a sense of wonder about the world, a sense that everything makes sense
at some deep level and that all things hold together in some coherent way. Both
are part of what makes me a Catholic and believe in God and to do science. So
what's to reckon?"
Steve Mrenna, who has researched particle physics for 16 years at
the U.S. Department of Energy's Fermilab in Batavia, Ill., agreed. He expressed
concern, however, for what he sees as a "rampant" acceptance of
scientism — that science alone can render truth about the world and reality.
"When you come down to it, there's nothing about faith that
defers any scientific fact that contradicts belief in God," Mrenna said.
Overall, the scientist participants said that when confronted,
even mildly, they respond by explaining that their work of discovery reinforces
their faith as they better understand the natural world.
Membership in the Society of Catholic Scientists is limited to
those who hold a doctorate and are practicing Catholics. Students in graduate
and doctoral studies also can belong. Some scholar associates who have a
particular expertise in fields such as theology, philosophy and ecology have
been invited to participate as well.
Barr said the society planned to recruit members from other
continents in the hope that the society becomes truly international in scope
and that similar conferences can be convened worldwide.
Find out more
Go to catholicscientists.org.