If You Are a Scientist, Do You Believe in a Creator?

It depends on what level theyre at professionally.If youre talking about elite scientists like Neil deGrasse Tyson, Stephen Hawking, and Carl Sagan, well over 90% are atheists.There are, of course, outliers like Francis Collins, an evangelical Christian who was head of the Human Genome Project and is currently Director of the National Institutes of Health.

However, scientists as a whole are far less likely to believe in a deity than non-scientists, according to The Pew Research Center:According to the poll, just over half of scientists (51%) believe in some form of deity or higher power; specifically, 33% of scientists say they believe in God, while 18% believe in a universal spirit or higher power. By contrast, 95% of Americans believe in some form of deity or higher power, according to a survey of the general public conducted by the Pew Research Center in July 2006. Specifically, more than eight-in-ten Americans (83%) say they believe in God and 12% believe in a universal spirit or higher power.

Finally, the poll of scientists finds that four-in-ten scientists (41%) say they do not believe in God or a higher power, while the poll of the public finds that only 4% of Americans share this view.Given their much lower levels of belief in God or a higher power, it is not surprising that the percentage of scientists who are unaffiliated with any religion is much higher than among the general public. Nearly half of all scientists in the 2009 Pew Research Center poll (48%) say they have no religious affiliation (meaning they describe themselves as atheist, agnostic or nothing in particular), compared with only 17% of the public.

Thus, it follows that most faith traditions are represented in smaller numbers in the scientific community than in the public as a whole. For instance, the scientific community is far less Protestant (21%) and Catholic (10%) than the general public, which is 51% Protestant and 24% Catholic. And while evangelical Protestants make up more than a fourth of the general population (28%), they make up only a small slice (4%) of the scientific community.

One notable exception is Jews bold mine, who make up a larger proportion of the scientific community (8%) than the general population (2%).Scientists and BeliefNote that this was a 2009 poll, and in the intervening ten years, approximately 16% (some studies say more) of Americans claim to be atheists

· Other Questions

What actor playing a supporting role outshone the star of the movie so much they had to make a major change?

This is a reprint of my answer to a previous question, When Did A Background Actor Steal The Show From A Main Character?

My answer remains the same.My vote goes to The Pink Panther, (1963) directed by Blake Edwards. The movies top star was the legendary David Niven, who played Sir.

Charles Lytton, the glamourous and sophisticated jewel thief who stole the Pink Panther diamond. Mr. Niven signed on to give his stalling career a jump-start, hoping to turn the movie into a vehicle for a series of sequels akin to the famous Thin Man movies.

Dashing, handsome, rising young Hollywood star Robert Wagner also anticipated the movie being a vehicle for him to go on to bigger and better things, as well. Peter Ustinov was tabbed to play Inspector Clouseau, and he was cast to play it straight off Niven and Wagners clever, charming, witty hijinks.So what happened?

Peter Sellers happened.Ava Gardner was originally supposed to play the female lead, Madame Simone Clouseau, (who also happened to be Sir Charles secret accomplice, spoiler alert!), but her behavior was considered too erratic by that time for the studio to give the go-ahead.

French movie actress Capucine was asked to take over the role, with two weeks to go before production began. Mr. Ustinovs wife thought the switch in casting wouldnt work and she advised her husband to bow out, which he did.

Blake Edwards had to find another Clouseau, and fast, and a relatively unknown Peter Sellers stepped forward. And movie history was made. Mr.

SellersAlthough Mr. Niven was understandably disappointed his star vehicle launched another stars career, it didnt stop him from working alongside Mr. Sellers in Murder by Death in 1976.

Ironically, after Mr. Ustinov bowed out of The Pink Panther, he quickly found work in the movie Topkapi (1964), replacing another actor who had to bow out at the last minute because of scheduling conflicts, a fellow named Peter Sellers. Mr.

Ustinov won an Oscar for his performance.Mr. Sellers reprised the role for four sequels.

Eventually other actors took on the character of Inspector Jacques Clouseau and a total of eleven movies were made, including portrayals by Roberto Benigni, Alan Arkin, and Steve Martin. None of these portrayals came close to Sellers brilliance

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Which person has influenced your life the most?

My first real boss.

(I dont count my dad nor the teen supervisor I had at the lunch counter up town!). No, this one was after I finished getting my Bachelors Degree and as I was getting my Masters Degree.

And, for a couple of reasons.He really taught me the importance of honesty. Long story short (one example), a rumor was going around about the big bosss wife (not a good story) and he got wind of it.

I got pulled into a meeting in his office with several others and was the only one who admitted to having helped spread the rumor. Not my best day when I was 22. But, my immediate boss took things in stride, saw something in me worth cultivating (he told me later) and thanked me for being honest, impressing on me the need to always be so.

It really resonated with me. Another exampleI learned more about compassion. Masters studies were hard, especially on top of a full time job.

And, that was the true advent of computers, when they took up a full room and the programming was done on punch cards. (You had to keep everything straight!) I was floundering in my computer class, even though still young, about the same time as my sister was having marital difficulties while 8 months pregnant and 2 states away.

My boss said, take 3 days and talk with your class instructor, get some help and then take a quick trip (which also included the weekend) and visit your sister. Thats all it took for me to turn my class work around and lend her some moral support. He didnt want me to make up the time.

He said a Masters Degree is too important. Youve already come so far. Finish it!

He was a wonderful man and a great example of a great boss. Plus, he showed me the ropes of that industry and made my time there so enjoyable. I will never forget him.

Its 40 years later and we eventually lost touch. Not sure if hes still living as he was about 25 years older than I when we met. I was so glad our paths crossed at that impressionable time in my life.

Ive taken those gifts and tried to emulate him in life and work. A true mentor and life coach and friend. Thanks, Jim!

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What will be the likely results of the US midterms and what will they mean for Trump?

Thanks for the ask, but not being Nostradamus reincarnated, Iu2019d be presumptuous to venture a guess. When I give my opinions, I try to base them on facts, not memes, narratives and tropes.

Unfortunately, the water is a bit muddy out there this year. Here are some problems in predicting. Polling data.

I have a lot of problems with polls. First, who responds to them? I, for one, donu2019t answer my phone when an unknown number pops up on the caller ID.

Most people I know donu2019t either. Before I firmly established this policy, I canu2019t count how many times I was offered the opportunity to resolve my student debt (if which I have none) or refinance my home (which I just did) or pay off my credit card balances before I have to file bankruptcy (I have none of that either) or spend a wonderful weekend at no cost to Massanutten Resort in the Blue Ridge mountains or a trip to Hawaii (been there, not worth it). So, from my perspective, there is something defective about anyone who actually answers these calls.

Next, polls are often national. Weu2019ve read recently that Democrats are favored in national polling. Yeah, well, there are the same population centers which voted heavily for Hillary Clinton in 2016, thereby skewing the numbers.

Not counting the 45% of eligible voters in America who never vote, there may be more Democrats than Republicans. But not in my District. How do a majority of Democrats in New York accurately reflect whatu2019s going on in Virginia or Wyoming?

They donu2019t.Finally, based on the two preceding reasons, the polls simply canu2019t be believed, but they make good press for the Democrat-loyal mass media. They keep pushing those results, either oblivious to their irrelevance or disingenuously in spite of them.

People feel good in a herd, and some will believe the polls and vote accordingly.Some races will be close; others not so much. Based on what people say are the issues (see above, again), it seems what the Democrats are pushing isnu2019t what the people are buying.

People have money in their pockets, and that counts for a lot. Weu2019ll see if the misrepresentations and outright lies of the Democrats motivate their voters.Please prove Jon Gruber wrong

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What unpopular thoughts do you have about Harry Potter?

Ron did nothing wrong by dating Lavender."She can't complain," he told Harry. "She snogged Krum.

So she's found out someone wants to snog me too. Well, it's a free country. I haven't done anything wrong.

"I have seen many people claim that Ron used Lavender to make Hermione jealous. That is simply not true to the books. The first kiss between Ron and Lavender happens after a series of events:Hermione tells Ron that she's not going to ask him to Slughorns Christmas party, and that she still writes letters to Viktor Krum.

Ginny tells Ron that Hermione kissed Viktor. Ron then believes that she is in love with him, and that the letter she wrote in the Common Room was love letters all the time.Ginny virgin shames Ron (when she is very angry) and advices him to get some snogging done.

He listened to her advice. After the Quidditch match, Hermione more or less says that she doesnt think Ron would have been a good keeper without Felix Felicis. This is, for Ron, the final proof that she doesnt love him back.

Ron wanted to get over his crush on Hermione. He didnt realise that she loved him back, that she would get so mad if he kissed someone else. Because she had kissed someone else, too, hadnt she?

Considering how many people still denies the fact that Hermione was in love with Ron and not Harry, thirteen years after the last book was published who can blame him?As for the relationship itself, it is very physical - but theres nothing wrong with physical relationships, is it? Lavender seems to be totally cool with that, too!

After all, the book says that -Harry had to put up with the frequent presence of Lavender Brown, who seemed to regard any moment that she was not kissing Ron as a moment wasted.Lavender thought Ron was hot and wanted to spend all her time kissing him. Ron was flattered and wanted to spend lots of time kissing her as well.

Its a win-win!-The one who actually used someone to make their crush jealous is Hermione, not Ron. She even said it herself, straight out, that she took Cormac to the party because that would annoy Ron.

She was the one who talked loudly about what a good Quidditch player he was when she knew that Ron was within hearing distance.But that is another answer