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Harmonia Macrocosmica by Andreas Cellarius, depicting the Ptolemaic geocentric universe. This image is in the Public Domain
Discovery and Revelation: The Changing Dance Between Science and Religion
April 15, 2022
Science and religion are often portrayed as the bitterest of enemies, or, as Stephen Jay Gould termed them, “non-overlapping magisteria.” But the reality is often much more complex.
Science and Religion: Making Sense of Things April 17, 2022
Dr. Peter Manseau, the curator of American religious history at the National Museum of American History, discusses the purpose of the Smithsonian’s new exhibit, “Discovery and Revelation: Science, Religion and Making Sense of Things.” The exhibit, which runs through March 2023, hopes to reframe the way Americans think about science and religion; from bitter enemies with nothing in common to companionable characters in the American story.
Myrna Sheldon, courtesy The Ohio University
Henrietta Lacks: Patron Saint of Science and Religion April 17, 2022
As a consultant to the Smithsonian’s “Discovery and Revelation” exhibit, Dr. Myrna Sheldon, a historian of religion and science at Ohio University, wanted visitors to understand the direct impact science and religion have on individual lives. She singles out one object from the exhibit as instrumental in this – a life-size portrait of Henrietta Lacks by the artist Kadir Nelson. Mrs. Lacks was a Black woman with cervical cancer whose cells were harvested without her permission in the 1950s. Since then, they have helped doctors and scientists develop vaccines, cures, and breakthroughs. Sheldon describes the portrait – which is painted in the style of religious iconography and includes a bible and halo-like images – and what it illustrates about religion and science in American history.
Beyond Belief: Science and Religion and Individual Rights April 17, 2022
Dr. Adam R. Shapiro is the co-author of “Science and Religion: A Very Short Introduction.” The book was originally published in 2008, but the interplay between science and religion has changed so much in the last decade, 50 percent of the book has been revised for re-release this month. Dr. Shapiro describes what has changed so much in the last decade, including changes in the perpetual debate over evolution in public schools, the use of technology by religious groups during the COVID crisis, and the general trend away from “what do we believe” to “what are our rights” in current conflicts between religion and science.