There is a common misconception that all scientists are atheists but that couldn’t be further from the truth. While studies have found that scientists tend to be much less religious than the general public, a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & The Press found that just over half of scientists (51%) believe in some form of deity or higher power; specifically, 33% of scientists say they believe in God. Some of the greatest Nobel laureates and pioneers in science believed in God. Here are eight famous scientists who fall into this category.
Francis Collins
Francis S. Collins, director of the Human Genome Project, the world’s largest collaborative biological project, is a scientist and believer and finds no conflict between those worlds. However, the former atheist didn’t always embrace these perspectives. It wasn’t until he went to medical school and encountered life and death issues at the bedside of his patients where he was constantly challenged with the question “what do you believe, doctor?” that he began searching for those answers. Through that journey, he found Jesus Christ. Collins has led a consortium of scientists to read out the 3.1 billion letters of the human genome, our own DNA instruction book. As a believer, Collins said he sees DNA as “the information of all living things, as God’s language, and the elegance and complexity of our own bodies and the rest of nature as a reflection of God’s plan.”
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Albert Einstein, one of the most highly recognized and revered scientists of the twentieth century believed in religion. The founder of modern physics and Nobel laureate recognized the impossibility of a non-created university, quoted saying “Everyone who is seriously committed to the cultivation of science becomes convinced that in all the laws of the universe is manifest a spirit vastly superior to man, and to which we with our powers must feel humble.” Another famous quote of his was “Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.”
Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
It may be surprising to see the English naturalist and geologist, Charles Darwin on this list, given his contributions to evolutionary theory but the scientist did believe in God and believed there could be a relationship between faith and science, quoted saying “I have never denied the existence of God. I think the theory of evolution is fully compatible with faith in God. I think the greatest argument for the existence in God is the impossibility of demonstrating and understanding that the immense universe, sublime above all measure, and man were the result of chance.”
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Rene Descartes (1596-1650)
Recognized as the father of modern philosophy, the French mathematician and scientist was a devout Roman Catholic until his passing, and along with Sir Francis Bacon was comparatively more devout than the average scientist for their era. He believed in systems in which God was important, even central to his philosophy. He was passionate about discovering the truth of God.
Johannes Kepler (1571-1630)
The brilliant mathematician and one of the greatest astronomers could not deny God or his power, quoted saying “God is great. Great is his power, infinite his wisdom. Praise him, heaven and earth, sun, moon, and stars in your own language. My Lord and my Creator. I would like to proclaim the magnificence of your works to men to the extent that my limited intelligence can understand.” He was a practicing Lutheran, who also believed space and the heavenly bodies represent the Holy Trinity.
Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1627)
The philosopher known for establishing the scientific method of inquiry based on experimentation and inductive reasoning was committed to the service of country, the discovery of truth, and the service of church. While his goal as a philosopher was based on experimentation and reasoning, he denounced atheism, believing it is the result of insufficient depth of philosophy. He is quoted saying “It is true, that a little philosophy inclineth man’s mind to atheism, but depth philosophy bringeth men’s minds to religion; for while the mind of man looketh upon second causes scattered, it may sometimes rest in them and go no further.”
Sir Isaac Newton (1543-1727)
The founder of classical theoretical physics is known for his genius in the world of optics, mechanics and mathematics. But what many people don’t know is that he was devoutly religious and did a considerable amount of work in biblical numerology, drawing a connection between numbers in understanding God’s plan for history from the Bible. He is quoted saying, “What we know is a drop, what we do not know is a vast ocean. The admirable arrangement and harmony of the universe could only have come from the plan of an omniscient and omnipotent being.”
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