A Call for Peaceful Coexistence

Martin Rees, an astronomer royal and Cambridge cosmologist, “has called on anti-religion campaigners to abandon their tactics and strive for "peaceful coexistence" with mainstream religious groups.”

Martin Rees, who is master of Trinity College, Cambridge, describing himself as an “accommodationist” and a “tribal Christian” that does not believe in God, but is happy to attend church services, has recently accept a £1m prize given annually by the Templeton Foundation for work of a spiritual nature.

But, according to Mr. Rees, “campaigning against religion can be socially counter-productive. If teachers take the uncompromising line that God and Darwinism are irreconcilable, many young people raised in a faith-based culture will stick with their religion and be lost to science. Moreover, we need all the allies we can muster against fundamentalism – a palpable, perhaps growing concern.”

However, what do you think? Do you think that Mr. Rees is right that we should accept “moderate stances of faith?” Do you think that “we shouldn't set up this debate as 'religion v science'; instead we should strive for peaceful coexistence with at least the less dogmatic strands of mainstream religions?”