God & BeliefAnswer
Can someone love science and still believe in God?
Many scientists believe in God and many do not, so here is what the surveys show, what science can and cannot say about God, and where both sides meet.
SECTION
God & Belief.
What do I believe—and why?
Faith, doubt and the limits of science, explored with respect. The strongest versions of different views, kept apart from the evidence.
FROM THE QUESTION LIBRARY
Short answers, with sources.
God & BeliefAnswer
Can you accept evolution and keep your faith?
Evolution is established science; many faith traditions make room for it and some reject it, so here is what several of them say in their own words.
God & BeliefAnswer
Did Jesus exist, and what do historians conclude?
Nearly all historians, of every background, conclude that a Jewish preacher named Jesus lived and was crucified; here are the sources, the debates over them, and the questions history leaves to faith.
God & BeliefAnswer
How can two people talk about big beliefs without it turning into a fight?
Big beliefs touch identity, family and what feels sacred, so here is what research says helps a hard conversation, a step-by-step way to try it, and why you are allowed to stop.
God & BeliefAnswer
How do different religions describe the beginning of the universe?
There is no single religious creation account. Here are three selected texts: Genesis, the Quran and a Rigveda hymn. These examples do not speak for every religion or…
God & BeliefAnswer
How do I tell my family I have doubts about my faith?
Many believers live with questions and many stay in their faith, so here is what research says about telling family, how to make the talk kinder, and how to stay safe.
God & BeliefAnswer
Is it okay to question what you were raised to believe?
Doubt is common among people who stay in their faith and people who leave it, so here is what surveys, scriptures and research say, and how to talk about it at home.
God & BeliefAnswer
Was the Big Bang first proposed by a priest?
Georges Lemaître, a Belgian priest and physicist, proposed the ideas that grew into the Big Bang, and he worked hard to keep his science and his faith distinct.
God & BeliefAnswer
What are the main arguments for God’s existence, and how do people respond to them?
Five classic families of arguments, plus Pascal’s wager, each at full strength and each with the strongest replies, for believers and skeptics alike.
God & BeliefAnswer
What is the difference between an atheist, an agnostic and a “none”?
The three words answer different questions, so here are fair definitions, where “agnostic” came from, and what Pew’s surveys show about the nones, many of whom still believe in God.
God & BeliefAnswer
What was the Star of Bethlehem?
A short passage in Matthew’s Gospel has kept sky-watchers searching for centuries, so here is what astronomers have proposed, why none has won, and how believers read the star.
God & BeliefAnswer
Where do right and wrong come from?
Religions, philosophers and scientists each offer part of an answer, so here is what research shows about our moral sense and what it cannot settle.
All 15 answers in God & Belief
- Can someone love science and still believe in God?
- Can you accept evolution and keep your faith?
- Did Jesus exist, and what do historians conclude?
- How can two people talk about big beliefs without it turning into a fight?
- How do different religions describe the beginning of the universe?
- How do I tell my family I have doubts about my faith?
- Is it okay to question what you were raised to believe?
- Was the Big Bang first proposed by a priest?
- What are the main arguments for God’s existence, and how do people respond to them?
- What is the difference between an atheist, an agnostic and a “none”?
- What was the Star of Bethlehem?
- Where do right and wrong come from?
- Why do bad things happen to good people?
- Why do I still feel fear or guilt after I stopped believing?
- Why has religion appeared in so many human cultures?
God & BeliefEssay · personal view
What Is My Religion? Not Knowing
Where and when we are born shapes what we believe. That is why the most honest answer I can give about my own religion is not certainty, but “I don’t know.”
God & BeliefEssay · personal view
Does the Devil Exist? The Answer Depends on You
Whether the devil is understood as a being, a symbol, or a name for our worst impulses, one question remains: what responsibility belongs to us?
God & BeliefEssay
Science and Faith: Enemies, Strangers, or Partners?
The 'war' between science and religion makes a dramatic story, but the real history, and what scientists actually believe, is more surprising and more welcoming.
God & BeliefEssay
Can You Be Good Without God?
Most Americans now say you don't need God to be moral, though views differ sharply around the world. The harder question is what makes goodness real, and there thoughtful believers and skeptics part ways.
God & BeliefExplainer
What Did Einstein Mean When He Said God Does Not Play Dice?
A century after Einstein wrote to Max Born, the famous line is still a useful doorway into what quantum physics can—and cannot—tell us.
God & BeliefEssay
Can Science Decide Whether God Exists?
The answer depends on the claim being made, the observations it predicts, and what a finding would actually establish.
God & BeliefEssay · personal view
The Courage to Say “I Don’t Know”
An editorial adaptation of Ricardo Maldonado’s reflection on belief, humility, and the freedom to keep asking.