Francis Collins is an American physician–geneticist, who led the much acclaimed Human Genome Project. Through his scientific work Collins became a Christian and authored the New York Times bestseller, The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief. John Polkinghorne was professor of Mathematical physics at the University of Cambridge, but resigned his chair to become a priest and a prominent voice explaining the relationship between science and religion. Kenneth R. Miller is a Roman Catholic and aprofessor of Biology and Royce Family Professor for Teaching Excellence at Brown University. He is the author of New York Times bestseller Finding Darwin’s God, where he argues that acceptance of evolution is compatible with a belief in God.

Clearly these scientists, although all religious, are not ignorant. Science deals with facts, but any true scientist knows, that fact is relative and ultimately we cannot be truly sure of anything. Therefore, it could be argued, that scientific facts are in essence based on faith. Religion promotes the idea of traditional God, who physically exists in some place beyond our comprehension and is present in the daily management of human affairs. Yet, religion cannot offer credible evidence, that such a God is in fact real and not a mere matter of faith, while science fails to prove that such a God does not exists. Who is ignorant here?

Francis Collins was asked a simple question: Are you sure that God exists? He answered: Of course I’m not sure that God exists. I believe with all my heart that God exists, but I cannot be absolutely sure of this fact. Richard Dawkins, an ethologist, evolutionary biologist, writer and most prominent amongst the new atheists was asked: Do you know that God does not exist? He answered: As a scientist I have to acknowledge the possibility that God could potentially exist, but personally I don’t believe it does.

To summarize: An educated theist (believer) is aware, that believing in traditional God does not equal knowing, that such a God physically exists. An educated atheist (non-believer) is aware, that dis-believing traditional God does not equal knowing, that such a God does not exist. Believing or dis-believing in the traditional God is a human thing to do, but claiming to “know” the fact of God – is ignorant.