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In\\nthis conversation with D.J. Grothe, Taner Edis explains reasons he\\nthinks religion persists, and explores the complex relationship between\\nscience and nonbelief, detailing how the institutional interests of\\nscience may prevent some in the science community from working to\\ndiminish religion, the New Atheists excepted. He talks about how\\nscientific theories are often misused by paranormalists or\\nsupernaturalists to advance their cultural position, focusing on the\\nNew Age movement\'s use of quantum physics and on the intelligent design\\nmovement. He examines differences between science and pseudoscience,\\narguing that often it is not possible to demarcate what is uniquely\\nscience. And he surveys various scientific approaches of examining\\nreligion, such as rational choice theory, the secularization\\nhypothesis, and various evolutionary approaches, such as group\\nselection theory, the byproduct theory of religion, and memetic\\napproaches (that religion is a "virus of the mind").