You are correct. I saw the same comment of Reich and thought how misinformed or uninformed he is.
Piety has a distinctly sobering affect on scientific conduct. It constrains the scientist to not jump to conclusions and to verify again and again any results, claims or projections that are made.
Sir Isaac Newton, without question one of the greatest natural philosophers in human history was devoted to God.
Science as a search for truthful knowledge of creation is governed by the Creator. A pious scientist will seek and discover truth according to the standards of truth finding that their own value system dictates.
There is no higher standard of truth than that put out in holy scripture.
It is important to observe that a Church doctrine can present an obstacle to scientific discovery. In each case where this occurs, one can find a nonbeliever has set the Church doctrine. Churches are not infallible to the influence of disobedient nonbelievers.
I'm not so sure I agree. I was in science for a time, and found few scientists to be truly devout. Most would probably say they were atheists, although a large minority would lay claim to a religion. However, neither side was really passionate about it.
The thing is, science is tough. The folks who do it for a living - genius though they may be - don't have a lot of brainpower left over for anything else.
Drew Garrett