Rejecting the conflict narrative: American Jewish and Muslim views on science and religion

Sociological research on the US population’s views of science and religion has recently burgeoned, but focuses primarily on Christian fundamentalists and evangelicals. Our study advances understandings of how Americans of non-Christian faiths - namely Judaism and Islam - perceive the relationship be...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social compass
Authors: Vaidyanathan, Brandon 1980- (Author) ; Johnson, David R. (Author) ; Prickett, Pamela J. (Author) ; Ecklund, Elaine Howard 1973- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Sage [2016]
In: Social compass
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B USA / Natural sciences / Religion / Debate / Judaism / Islam
RelBib Classification:AA Study of religion
AB Philosophy of religion; criticism of religion; atheism
BH Judaism
BJ Islam
KBQ North America
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
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Summary:Sociological research on the US population’s views of science and religion has recently burgeoned, but focuses primarily on Christian fundamentalists and evangelicals. Our study advances understandings of how Americans of non-Christian faiths - namely Judaism and Islam - perceive the relationship between science and religion. We draw on in-depth interviews (N=92) conducted in Orthodox Jewish, Reform Jewish, and Sunni Muslim congregations in two major cities to elucidate how respondents’ respective traditions help them frame the relationship between science and religion. Findings demonstrate that members of these religious communities distance themselves from the pervasive conflict narrative. They rely on religious texts and historical traditions to instead articulate relationships of compatibility and independence between science and religion, while developing strategies to negotiate conflict around delimited issues. Findings push the social scientific study of religion and science beyond a specifically Christian and conflict-oriented focus.
ISSN:1461-7404
Contains:Enthalten in: Social compass
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/0037768616664473