Religion and Science • Scientific and Christian ideas about the origins of the world and life and the relationship between the two • The place of humanity in relation to animals and attitudes towards the treatment of animals • Responses to environmental issues and the concept of stewardship

Are they compatible or are they in conflict? Sc Re Sc Religion and Science Are they compatible or are they in conflict?

The Relationship Religion and Science are often seen as being in conflict: one based on faith (speculative), one based on fact (correct) They can be seen as entirely separate: science asks ‘How?’; religion asks ‘Why?’ They can be seen as intimately linked: science teaches about the world; religion uses this to understand more about God and His creation

Aristotle’s Science The Greek philosopher Aristotle, based his study of the world on logic He believed the earth was at the centre of the Universe (geocentrism) and everything moved around us. The “Prime Mover” (God) caused these things to happen

Aristotle’s Science and Christianity Christians like Thomas Aquinas were happy with this idea They believed this showed how our planet and humans were the most important part of God’s creation

Then came the Scientific Revolution Copernicus (1473-1543) looked at the planets and the stars and concluded that the Sun must be at the centre of the Universe (heliocentrism); not Earth Suddenly our planet seemed no more significant than any of the others

Most Christians supported this new science There is little reason to think that Christians rejected Copernicus. His new idea supported the evidence better than the Aristotelian model.

The Scientific Revolution Other scientists of the time such as Kepler and Galileo (both Christians) took to the ideas of Copernicus Their work on Astronomy and Physics backed up his claims Kepler (1571-1630) Galileo (1564-1642)

The Scientific Revolution The final break from Aristotle’s view of the world was with Isaac Newton (1643-1727) His laws of Maths and Physics showed a world proceeding through natural laws, apparently independent of God. Newton believed that God created the laws of nature (deism).

How did the Scientific Revolution leave the relationship? For many, a world explained by physical laws left no room for God “…man at last knows that he is alone in the unfeeling immensity of the universe, out of which he emerged only by chance.”: Jacques Monod

How did the Scientific Revolution leave the relationship? For others, there was evidence of design in these laws that affirmed their belief in God “I feel much more comfortable with a concept of God who is clever enough to devise the laws of physics that make the existence of our marvellous Universe inevitable, than I do with the old-fashioned God who had to create it all, laboriously piece by piece.”: James Trefil

What do you think about the relationship between Science and Religion? Does Science supersede religion? Is religion just talking a different language to Science?