Science, Religion, Templeton Prize

As a Templeton Prize winner, I wish to reply to the letter of Mark Friesel, not to defend myself, but to defend the Templeton Foundation against the accusation that the prize “is a bribe … that has successfully lured more than one well-known scientist into becoming a spokesman for the right-wing religious cause.” The foundation is well aware of the harm that has been done in the past by religious intolerance and fanatical belief and does not discriminate between Christianity and other religions. Templeton prizes have been awarded to Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists as well as to Christians. The main purpose of the foundation is to change religion from a regressive to a progressive force in the modern world. This is a goal that all scientists, whether or not they are religious believers, can share.