Although many scientists don’t believe in God, there are scientists who do. Unbelief for anyone, not just scientists, is ultimately a matter of the heart, not just intellect.
Faith in God is a matter of will, where one commits to believing in God despite the limitations of human reason. This commitment is not just an intellectual exercise but involves a willing acceptance and love of God (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37). The human intellect, no matter how lofty, must be redeemed by Christ (Psalm 14:1)
Some scientists do believe in God, and they have learned how faith and science work together in harmony. Addressing the problem of Godless worldviews, Colossians 2:8 gives a warning to believers to not be taken captive by worldly philosophies that are based on human tradition. This includes materialism and naturalism, which many scientists adhere to.
Unbelieving scientists choose to limit their definition of truth to what can be empirically discovered. However, the truth of God cannot be discovered via the scientific method, because God is a transcendent being beyond the natural world (1 Kings 8:27). Reasons for unbelief include personal experience, skepticism, fear of social consequences (John 12:42-43), and misunderstanding God's grace.
Scientists who reject faith in God do so for the same reasons anyone else does. Their atheism is built on some foundational choices noted in the verses below.
Scientists’ beliefs about God vary widely, but studies indicate that a significant portion of scientists, particularly those in elite institutions, are less likely to believe in God compared to the general public. This trend is also true in other professions, such as law, economics, and administration. Scientists in elite institutions might feel cultural pressure to conform to a secular professional ideal, which could influence their personal beliefs. Notably, biologists are more likely to be non-believers compared to those in other scientific fields, such as physics or chemistry.
Even so, many scientists do maintain a belief in God, and there are numerous examples of eminent scientists who have been devout Christians throughout history. This includes Francis Bacon( one of the fathers of the scientific method), Galileo Galilei, Johannes Kepler, Robert Boyle, and Isaac Newton. The Reverend Thomas Bayes (1701-1761) discovered probability rules that are widely used today in machine learning algorithms. Other Christians who contributed to the foundations of modern science include James Clerk Maxwell, Lord Kelvin, George Washington Carver, Georges Lemaîre, and John Polkinghorne.