Although these studies have highlighted the ways science communication
reifies existing forms of structural inequality, while primarily focusing on race,
gender and disabilities, the particular challenges posed by science communica-
tion for religious minorities have received less attention. While the study of
science and religion has flourished over the past two decades, it has mainly
focused on conservative, White protestants (Bolger & Ecklund, 2018). In con-
sequence, the focus on the perceived conflict between religious teachings and
science, and particularly on evolution, has dominated literature and public dis-
course on science-religion conflicts (Bolger & Ecklund, 2018). These studies
also tend to amplify theological tensions while endorsing a “conflict narrative”
(Evans & Evans 2008) that primarily characterizes people of faith in stark
opposition to science (Carlisle et al., 2019; Chan, 2018; Elsdon-Baker, 2015).
For example, researchers have argued that some religious groups do not seek
out scientific knowledge because they are opposed to the all-encompassing
veracity of science (Allum et al., 2014). Others suggest that Americans operate
either religious or scientific epistemologies (O’Brien & Noy, 2015), reflecting
the perceived conflict between science and religion in U.S. society (Ecklund,
2010). While these studies have tended to solely focus on theological tensions,
Bolger and Ecklund (2018) recently suggested to pay attention to issues of bias
and authority. For example, scholars have shown that conservative Protestants
are not skeptical of science per se, but rather of scientists and their authority
over truth (Bolger & Ecklund 2018; Evans, 2011).
