Unbelievable: 7 Myths About the History and Future of Science and Religion

by Michael Newton Keas

Lies Bill Nye and Neil deGrasse Tyson Told Me You’ve probably heard the stories before. They’re everywhere. Maybe you heard them from Bill Nye the “Science Guy,” or celebrity astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson, or the late Carl Sagan.

And what do the stories say?

That science and religion have been at war with each other for centuries. That ­religion is anti-science.

There’s just one problem: these stories are pure myth.

Unbelievable explodes seven of the most popular and pernicious myths about science and religion. Michael Newton Keas, a historian of science, lays out the facts to show how far the conventional wisdom departs from reality. He also shows how these myths have proliferated over the past four centuries and exert so much influence today, infiltrating science textbooks and popular ­culture.

The seven myths, Keas shows, amount to little more than religion bashing—especially ­Christianity bashing. 

Unbelievable reveals:

Why the “Dark Ages” never happened
Why we didn’t need Christopher Columbus to prove the earth was round
Why Copernicus would be shocked to learn that he supposedly demoted humans from the center of the universe
What everyone gets wrong about Galileo’s clash with the Church, and why it matters today
Why the vastness of the universe does not deal a blow to religious belief in human significance
How the popular account of Giordano Bruno as a “martyr for science” ignores the fact that he was executed for theological reasons, not scientific ones
How a new myth is being positioned to replace religion—a futuristic myth that sounds scientific but isn’t
In debunking these myths, Keas shows that the real history is much more interesting than the common narrative of religion at war with science.

This accessible and entertaining book offers an invaluable resource to students, scholars, teachers, homeschoolers, and religious believers tired of being portrayed as anti-intellectual and anti-­science.

Genres: Science, History, Religion, Nonfiction, Christianity, Theology, Atheism

246 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[Lucas G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've ever heard someone say that Galileo was imprisoned by the Church for his scientific proofs or that the Church was the cause of the so-called "dark ages," then I'd encourage you to check out this book. It is a highly accessible book that tackles several myths surrounding the relationship between science and religion throughout history (including the two myths mentioned in the previous sentence). Keas not only corrects each myth using historical data, he also identifies where in history each myth began and the motives behind them.

Much of the latter chapters, however, reveals how anti-theistic motives result in a lack of care by modern science popularizers when discussing the history of science. This carelessness ultimately perpetuates the myths discussed in the earlier chapters. Keas uses the famous "Cosmos" series, both the Carl Sagan version and the Neil deGrasse Tyson version, as a prime example of this behavior and further demonstrates the dangers of this disregard for truth.

Given the influence such myth-perpetuating popular science programs currently have on our culture, this book provides an important correction that ought to be considered by every thoughtful science-interested person.

[Alan Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author examines science-religion warfare myths that are present in as much as 71 percent of science textbooks today. For instance, have you heard the one about people believing that Christopher Columbus would sail off the edge of the earth? From the time of Augustine (354-430), virtually no biblical scholars made arguments for the flat earth.  The "Copernican principle" is another myth that is examined. Copernicus would have been appalled at the idea. Protestants unwittingly prepared the way for antitheists to argue against Christianity with their anti-Catholic rhetoric. The astronomer Johannes Kepler is sometimes portrayed as a champion in the battle of science against religion.

"Kepler was a devout Christian who believed that the Bible and the “book of nature” were fully compatible and mutually supportive. He recognized them both as God’s revelation. He studied both intensely." p.158

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is loaded with worthwhile information. Much of the earlier parts I was already familiar with, but his exploration of future issues was a gold mine for me. Also, I particularly enjoyed his chapter on Johannes Kepler.

[Jalen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first section on the 7 myths was a good overview and I certainly learned a bit about Giordano Bruno. This book is essentially an attempt to explain the genealogy of various “myths” in the field of astronomy. One issue I have is that the book is exclusively focused on astronomy, rather than on an analysis of science as a whole. I think issues in modern quantum mechanics and general relativity are just as compelling, if not more so. This emphasis on astronomy should be indicated in the title in some way because I felt a bit mislead by the title of the book.

I didn’t find the second half of the book particularly compelling and the main issue for me was the author’s lack of philosophical depth in his analysis. I just didn’t find the detailed discussion of the future of ET and AI very interesting because, from a philosophic perspective, it is simply irrelevant: we can be certain about the spiritual nature of the human mind and the transcendent nature of God and there is no “scientific” discovery that will invalidate any of these philosophic truths. A much more compelling analysis of both science and faith can be found in Stephen Barr’s “Modern Physics and Ancient Faith.” I’ve read pretty extensively now in this area of science and faith and this is by far the best work I’ve read.

[Caleb McCary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meticulously researched. Accessible. Humorous, sarcasm in some places. The weakness of this book is that large chunks of it read more like a summary of vast quantities of research and we don’t hear as much of Keas voice as I’d like.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give 3.5 stars if I could. Some very good information and Keas writes well. However, I think that if one were going to pick up one book on the topic one would be better going with one of the anthologies edited by Ronald Numbers.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were definitely some good things in this book, but overall, I was expecting more. The latter portion of the book, I found myself reading just to get it done.

[Aaron Gomez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Other then one or two quibbles I enjoyed this book.

[Hany Abdelmalek · Rating 4 out of 5]

A close study of the history of science shows that Science and Christianity were not at war and need not war with one another. In this book, Dr. Keas successfully debunks seven of the most prominent narratives/myths about the history and future of science and faith. He divides his book into two parts. In the first part, Keas shows how and why each one of these narratives is nothing but a myth. For instance, Giordano Bruno was not executed for his belief in the Copernican principle but rather for his notorious heresy (p.57-74).

In the second part, the author carefully tracks down the origins and developments of these false narratives through the centuries (16th -21st century) as they gradually permeate textbooks, media, and popular culture. Although these myths have different origins and have developed in diverse settings, they all have one thing in common, “they have been used to oppose the Christian faith more than any other religious faith.” (p.193). Contrary to popular claims, Christianity contributed to the rise of modern science and the scientific method in many ways. Read the complete review on https://hanyabdelmalek.org/2021/06/29...