Evolution & Faith

The AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER) program has facilitated many conversations between scientists and members of faith communities around the topic of evolution. While we support the theory of biological evolution, we are strong proponents of engaging with people of faith in whatever space they may come from.  AAAS DoSER is proud to have hosted many conversations that led to mutual understanding and positive engagement on difficult scientific topics.

While the history of Christianity’s engagement with the theory of evolution has many difficult periods, the majority of Christians in the United States agree that their faith is compatible with the scientific consensus on evolution. Much of the disagreement seems to arise when some people claim that you must be an atheist to believe in evolution, an argument which AAAS DoSER does not agree with!

In our resource center, you will find a large amount number of videos, syllabi, and articles on engagement with evolution from a variety of religious traditions. These include several videos in our “Science: The Wide Angle” film series, such as “Biological Evolution and the Kinship of All Life,” “Tiktaalik: Evidence of Evolutionary Change,” “To Be Human: Genetics, Origins, and Identity,” and “What Makes Evolution a Theory?”

Finally, we have several resources for scientists and science communicators, who should always be mindful of the religious audiences when giving talks on evolution for a general audience! And be sure to read some of the new profiles of scientists engaging faith communities in difficult conversation, such as Nalini Nadkarni, Rick Potts, and Pamela Payne-Foster!

Click here to view the entire list of commonly asked questions.