ABSTRACT
When I became a Jesuit I had already been a scientist for fifteen years, yet most of my friends and colleagues in my field had no idea I practiced a religion. Once they found out I was a Jesuit, however, a surprising number came up and started telling me about the churches they attended. I recall a memorable dinner with half a dozen MIT professors where, over coffee, every one of them chipped in with complaints about the organists at each of their churches—some things are universal in all religions! Indeed, in my experience religious belief appears to be just as prevalent among people working in technical fields as it is in the general community from which those people come. But why do we Techs—scientists and engineers—find belief, believable? What follows are personal reflections, examining how religion works in my own life. But they have been informed by two important outside sources. First, these reflections are clearly influenced strongly by the philosophical and theological training I have received as a Jesuit. (Much of what I say can be directly traced to the German Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner, for instance.) And, as a technically trained person living and working in a world populated by fellow Techs—my friends—I have also benefited from long talks into the night, discussing how they in turn also look at the Big Questions.
