The author of this work claims that American religion has fallen into a trap: that, just when it has amassed the political strength and won the legal right to participate effectively in public debate, it has lost its distinctive voice. Instead of speaking of human values, goals and limits, Goldberg says, it speaks in the language of science. In the United States religious leaders seeking prestige for their point of view often couch their responses to technological developments, or defend their faith, in scientific terms. It is argued, for instance, that medical studies demonstrate the power of prayer, that science validates the Bible (including its account of creation), and that patenting the genetic code is dangerous because genes are the essence of who we are. The book examines how, by allowing scientific discourse to set the terms of the debate, American religious leaders facilitate religion's move away from more appropriate and important concerns of values, morality and humility. Discussing recent collisions between science and religion, such as the medicinal benefits of prayer, the human genome project, and cloning, Goldberg considers what the appropriate role of religion might be in public life today. He tackles the legal aspects of religious debate and suggests ways in which religious leaders might confront new scientific developments in a more significant way.
Steven Goldberg is a Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law Center. He is the author of Culture Clash: Law and Science in America, winner of the Alpha Sigma Nu Book Award, also available from NYU Press.
"A readable book that will be a valuable addition to university libraries and useful reading in courses on science and values." -Religious Studies Review "Goldberg's expertise in the legal system, science, and contemporary social issues allows him to frame public debates in their proper perspectives. His presentations of the relations between law and religion offer insights that tend to be ignored and he convincingly shows that religious values have a central place in today's controversies." -Journal of Church and State "Provides the reader with a lucid and accessible entre to the contentious issues surrounding the role of religion in American public life." -Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies "Insightful and penetrating." -Science "This interesting book makes a strong demand on religiously inclined readers ... warning not to justify things of the spirit by signs material... Goldberg's warning is one to take seriously." -The Christian Science Monitor
