ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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Thanks Bill, It's good to have a voice of reason for a change. Up to now what I've heard is a bunch of people preaching to the converted and dumping on those perceived as not. How about more tolerance and less hysteria.

John Bowditch



> ----------
> From: 	Bill Watson
> Reply To: 	Informal Science Education Network
> Sent: 	Thursday, March 24, 2005 4:40 PM
> To: 	[log in to unmask]
> Subject: 	Re: religion AND science (as opposed to versus)
> 
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
> 
> Because I am currently still trying to be thoughtful and thorough in my
> consideration of the complexities of the relationships among religion,
> spirituality, and science, I have resisted contributions to this discussion.
> It doesn't seem the right place to send ideas up the flagpole to see what
> reaction they get.
> 
> I will, however, offer two observations about the discussion itself:
> 
> 1) I find it somewhat disturbing that some posts are not only treating a
> commitment to science as mutually exclusive from a commitment to religion,
> but also holding so firmly to beliefs in evolution (or science more broadly)
> as to do exactly what some of us accuse those who hold firmly to their
> religious beliefs of doing: belittle the views of other people who embrace
> an alternative view of the world. I think it is unfair to belittle a
> person's belief system when it leads him to view an event as a "gift from
> God" or "designed by God." If we are ever to have real dialogue about the
> complexities of the relationships among religion, spirituality, and science,
> an outright resistance to (and perhaps even disgust with) alternative views
> won't be the way to get there. If we are more committed to a scientific
> worldview than a religious one, we cannot presume to fully understand the
> religious worldview, or even assume that there is one umbrella religious
> worldview that is embraced by all those who claim a commitment to
> "religion."
> 
> 2) If the people who have suggested a position statement on evolution are
> committed to that idea, I think we need to move forward very cautiously.
> ASTC represents a wide range of institutions in a wide range of contexts.
> While I agree that we need to remain committed to our collective and
> respective missions, I believe that regional and other contextual factors
> would be very important to consider in the development of such a statement.
> The issue at hand is greater than "evolution vs. creationism." It seems to
> me that the current dialogue is a proxy for "science vs. religion." I'm not
> so sure that's not a false dichotomy, and I would hesitate to commit
> categorically, institutionally, and rigidly to one side of that dialogue
> until we are absolutely sure what's being argued and what's at stake.
> 
> 3) We're far off topic from the discussion of the "Volcanoes" in the IMAX
> format, and I am probably taking us further afield. Nevertheless, as
> institutions respond to the reality of their contexts, I see no problem with
> a science center opting not to show a film on the basis of the
> appropriateness of its content for its audience. I do not see this as
> "caving in," nor do I see it as a "loss" in what some perceive to be a
> battle. Rather, I see it as a science center choosing its battles. We are
> not evolution centers. We are science centers. The ways in which we relate
> science to the public are many and varied and will rely upon the "entrance
> dialogue" of the various publics we serve. No one is in a better position to
> make those important decisions than the local management of the science
> centers in each context.
> 
> Bill
> 
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> More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
> Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at http://www.astc.org.
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> 

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More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at http://www.astc.org.
To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
message  SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
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