Editing Freeman Dyson (section)

===Science and religion===
Dyson was raised in what he described as a "watered-down [[Church of England]] Christianity".{{sfn|Dawidoff|2009}} He was a [[Nondenominational Christianity|nondenominational Christian]] and attended various churches, from [[Presbyterian]] to [[Roman Catholic]]. Regarding doctrinal or [[Christological]] issues, he said, "I am neither a saint nor a theologian. To me, good works are more important than theology."<ref name=edge68 />

{{Blockquote | style=font-size:100% | Science and religion are two windows that people look through, trying to understand the big universe outside, trying to understand why we are here. The two windows give different views, but they look out at the same universe. Both views are one-sided, and neither is complete. Both leave out essential features of the real world. And both are worthy of respect.

Trouble arises when either science or religion claims universal jurisdiction when either religious or scientific dogma claims to be infallible. Religious creationists and scientific materialists are equally dogmatic and insensitive. By their arrogance, they bring both science and religion into disrepute. The media exaggerate their numbers and importance. The media rarely mention the fact that the great majority of religious people belong to moderate denominations that treat science with respect or the fact that the great majority of scientists treat religion with respect so long as religion does not claim jurisdiction over scientific questions.<ref name=edge68 />}}

Dyson partially disagreed with the remark by his fellow physicist [[Steven Weinberg]] that "With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil – that takes religion."{{sfn|Dyson|2006c}}

{{Blockquote | style=font-size:100% | Weinberg's statement is true as far as it goes, but it is not the whole truth. To make it the whole truth, we must add an additional clause: "And for bad people to do good things – that [also] takes religion." The main point of Christianity is that it is a religion for sinners. Jesus made that very clear. When the Pharisees asked his disciples, "Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?" he said, "I come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance." Only a small fraction of sinners repent and do good things but only a small fraction of good people are led by their religion to do bad things. |source= {{harvnb|Dyson|2006c}}}}

Dyson identified himself as agnostic about some of the specifics of his faith.{{sfn|Gbenu|2003|p=110}}{{sfn|Giberson|Yerxa|2002|p=141}} For example, in reviewing ''The God of Hope and the End of the World'' by [[John Polkinghorne]], Dyson wrote:

{{Blockquote | style=font-size:100% | I am myself a Christian, a member of a community that preserves an ancient heritage of great literature and great music, provides help and counsel to young and old when they are in trouble, educates children in moral responsibility, and worships God in its own fashion. But I find Polkinghorne's theology altogether too narrow for my taste. I have no use for a theology that claims to know the answers to deep questions but bases its arguments on the beliefs of a single tribe. I am a practicing Christian but not a believing Christian. To me, to worship God means to recognize that mind and intelligence are woven into the fabric of our universe in a way that altogether surpasses our comprehension. |source= {{harvnb|Dyson|2002a}} }}

In ''[[The God Delusion]]'' (2006), evolutionary biologist and atheist activist [[Richard Dawkins]] singled out Dyson for accepting the [[Templeton Prize]] in 2000: "It would be taken as an endorsement of religion by one of the world's most distinguished physicists."{{sfn|Dawkins|2006|p=152}} In 2000, Dyson declared that he was a (non-denominational) Christian,<ref name= edge68 /> and he disagreed with Dawkins on several subjects, such as that group selection is less important than individual selection on the subject of [[evolution]].<ref name=dawkins_dyson />