Martin Rees on science and religion

Lord Martin Rees, Britain's Astronomer Royal, was interviewed by The Guardian's Ian Sample in the wake of Lord Rees' winning of the Templeton Prize. There is much to be said about (not necessarily "for") the prize and what it means as regards the interaction between science and religion: the Guardian has a number of articles and opinion pieces on the subject that I plan to read. Perhaps it was unsurprising, then, that much of Sample's interview focused on Lord Rees' opinion of religion and his personal practice thereof. That it was not surprising does not mean that focus was well-received by Lord Rees, though.

I am sorry you focused on science and religion rather than what I think are the interesting things I do.

I felt rather sorry for Lord Rees, whose discomfort with Sample's heavyhanded attempts to elicit controversial remarks was evident from the start.