Brother Guy Consolmagno, scientist and Vatican astronomer, sees past the differences between science and religion and embraces the connections between them. In this volume, he explores the way scientists and engineers reconcile these two seemingly divergent world views. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Starred Review. Sidestepping the acrimony of recent science vs. religion debates, Consolmagno, a Vatican astronomer and self-described "techie," intends that "demonstrating the existence of a lot of people like me, who flourish as scientists while practicing a religion, should be proof enough that science and religion can be perfectly compatible." Combining personal memoir with conversations within the techie world, Consolmagno describes questions about the universe and the meaning of life that attract techies into religious belief and practice, concluding that "techies are not looking for proof. They're looking for confidence." When he tests his initial hypotheses with a survey project, Consolmagno finds that for many religiously-involved techie types, the value of community and moral support may actually be more important than the search for religious answers. As one atheist interviewee puts it, "You think you are selling truth, but your audience has already brought their own truth with them to church. All you are selling them is tech support." Is this all there is to religion? Certainly not for Brother Guy, who defends a specifically Christian and Catholic version of religious truth. Yet Consolmagno's adroit and self-effacing style defuses any suggestion of theological point-scoring, as in his dryly Dilbertian defense of papal infallibility: "Unlike some of the other bosses I've worked for in my life, this one admits that he's only infallible under certain extremely limited conditions." Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Introduction: The Lord of the Techies	1
Part 1 Why would a Techie Believe in God?	5
1 How Techies Believe	7
2 Where God Is Useful	19
3 Good Science, Bad Philosophy	31
Part 2 Why would a Techie Join an Organized Religion?	45
4 Big Science, Big Religion	47
5 The Functions of Religion	61
6 The Dangers of Organized Religion	71
Part 3 What is the Techie Experience of Religion?	87
7 Talking to Techies	89
8 Listening to Techies	97
9 The Rule of Rules	119
Part 4 Why would a Techie be a Christian?	131
10 What Does the Truth Look Like?	133
11 The Root of Christianity	145
12 A Techie's Contemplation on the Trinity	165
13 The Supernatural in Nature	183
Part 5 The Confession of a Vatican Techie	201
14 Why Would a Techie Be a Catholic?	203
15 How I Stay a Catholic	213
Acknowledgments	231
The Author	233
Index	235

Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.