"There Is a God," Most Scientists Declare.

• Position: RELIGION

In Stephen Hawking's final book, Brief Answers to the Big Questions, the renowned physicist declares, 'There is no God. No one directs the universe." However, the jury still is out for many members of the scientific community.

"Stephen Hawking left a great scientific legacy," says Elaine Ecklund, chair in social sciences, professor of sociology, and director of the Religion and Public Life Program at Rice University, Houston, Texas. "I do not think it is the intent of this recent work, but it is dangerous for science it Hawking's religious legacy is to leave the public with the impression that scientists are all against God or--worse yet--against religious people. Unfortunately, this seems to be how some media sources and pundits are framing his book."

Between 2011-16, Ecklund and her fellow researchers conducted "Religion Among Scientists in International Context," or RASIC, the first-ever worldwide survey on what scientists think about religion. They have published 17 papers and book chapters related to the study, and Secularity and Science: What Scientists Around the World Really Think About Religion will be released in spring 2019.

"More than half of scientists in India, Italy, Taiwan, and Turkey self-identify as religious, and it's striking that approximately twice as many 'convinced atheists' exist in the general population of Hong Kong (55%), for example, compared with the scientific community in this region (26%)."

Ecklund notes that...