Seduced by science : how American religion has lost its way / Steven Goldberg.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Goldberg, Steven, 1947-2010.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Religion and science--United States.

Religion and science.

Bible and science.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (230 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New York : New York University Press, c1999.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

American religion, Steven Goldberg claims, has fallen into a trap. Just at the moment when it has amassed the political strength and won the legal right to participate effectively in public debate, it has lost its distinctive voice. Instead of speaking of human values, goals, and limits, it speaks in the language of science. In the United States, science has extraordinary influence and respect. American religious leaders seeking prestige for their point of view regularly couch their responses to technological developments, or defend their faith, in scientific terms. They claim, for instance, t

Contents:

CONTENTS; Acknowledgments; 1 Introduction; 2 Gene Patents and the Soul; Setting the Stage: Religion Enters the Public Square; Patenting Life: The Legal Background; Religion, Genes, and the Death of Dualism; Cloning Dolly and Cloning Humans; 3 Using the Bible as a Science Text; Early Religious Reactions to Evolution; Modern Creation Science; The Legacy of Creation Science; Alternative Approaches to Evolution; 4 The Medical Power of Prayer; Scientific Studies of Prayer; Grouping Prayer with Other Therapies; The Distinctive Power of Prayer; The Threat to Prayer's Traditional Role

5 How Free Speech and Due Process Protect Religion Depicting Religion as a Victim in the Courts; The Constitutional Framework for American Religion; Free Speech and Religion in the Public Square; Due Process and the Right to Attend Religious Schools; The Ultimate Safety Valve: Religious Schools Today; 6 How the Free Exercise of Religion Clause Works Today; Protecting Religious Belief and Practice from Political Attacks; Reconciling Free Exercise with Neutral Laws; The Rise and Fall of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act; The Legislative Role in Protecting Free Exercise

7 Banning Established Religion in Public Schools and Public Places Government Support for Science; Prayer in the Schools; The Lure of Watered-Down Religion; The Unhappy Fate of Christmas, Hanukkah, andGood Friday; Government and Religious Schools: The Danger of Vouchers; 8 The Overlap between Religious Values and Law; Justifying Sunday Closing Laws; Striking Down Solely Religious Statutes; Religious Involvement in the Abortion Debate; A Christian Nation?; 9 Hearing Religion's Distinctive Voice; The Central Message of Humility, Values, and Faith; The Places Where Religion Should Be Heard

A Personal Observation10 Alternative Perspectives on Religion and Science; Other Places, Other Times; Secular Limits on Science; Using Science to Find God; 11 Conclusion; Notes; Bibliography; Index; About the Author

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 197-213) and index.

ISBN:

0-8147-3275-5

0-585-31993-6

OCLC:

779828089