Those who generalise about history without actually knowing much about it often say that science and religion were enemies from the start. This is nonsense. A scientific genius like Newton e.g. was a man of deep faith. So too was the great astrophysicist A. S. Eddington (1882-1944). As a “modernist” Quaker he believed that religion had nothing to fear from modern science (including evolution). His whole theory was that both believers and scientists were “seekers” (a Quaker term) after the truth, wherever it be found. People had a deep need, a quest, for spiritual enlightenment, just as scientists explored the deeper meaning of nature and the universe. I will be saying more about ASE in future blogs.