Jefferson's Scissors

About the Book

Many books have appeared that argue at the ends of the Christian spectrum on the reality of God. On the left there are such books as, God Is Not Great (Christopher Hitchens) arguing that a god and religion are not needed in today’s world, and at the far right Fundamentalists push books which speak of near term disasters to non-believers of God, The Rapture and The Second Coming of Jesus (Finis Dake). Compounding the agitation on sides has been the religious bias of the Bush Administration which has push religious ideology into positions in the government at the federal level with power to diminish science’s contribution to our country and at the state level to lower the standards for science education of students. Outraged scientists fear the future of a country where ¾ of the population believe in angels and only one-quarter believe that our ancestors were ape-like. Darwin is now both a science hero and an enemy to the religious. Embattled religious fundamentalists fear that modernity is changing the country into a secular materialistic nation and push to convert the country into a Christian nation. Heightened activity from both sides to attract converts has only increase the conflicts. Neither of these extremes addresses the question of how to bring all three parties, all needed in the future, together to reduce conflicts. Understanding the profound and interlinked changes to religion, science and governance forged by modernity is necessary to support a solution to the conflicts of religion with science and democracy today. Jefferson’s Scissors presents a path to a solution to the conflicts by defining acceptable roles for religion and science in our secular democracy by employing a common link between religion, science and democracy that can bring citizens together even with a wide diversity of beliefs. The insight into a solution to the conflicts was first evolved by Thomas Jefferson during his personal search for his own philosophy.

About the Author

Growing up in the South Lou Perry was immersed in many religious and democratic conflicts. With an education in physics (B.S. physics, University of Alabama and M.S. physics, Texas Christian University) he was an Air Force officer and worked on nuclear weapon development at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory. Later in industry he worked on nuclear reactor development and nuclear energy research projects. Attacks on science education by states (Alabama’s infamous insert into biology textbooks) and the government (Bush Administration rejection of Darwinian evolution) led to a series of lectures on the conflicts of religion, science and government delivered at the University of California San Diego. These lectures were collected into a textbook, Jefferson’s Scissors, Solving the Conflicts of Religion with Science and Democracy. His latest book, Thank Evolution for God, Nature and God’s Creations and Designs, addresses the Christian dilemma how to accept Darwinian evolution and retain their religion. Lou Perry is presently an Emeritus at the University of California San Diego where he continues to lecture. He lives in La Jolla, California where he enjoys tennis and traveling with his family.