ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************

Thank you for your thoughtful approach.  It's refreshing.

Beth Bussey
 
 

-----Original Message-----
From: Informal Science Education Network
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Bill Watson
Sent: Thursday, March 24, 2005 3:40 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.
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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