| Why
is it important for young people to learn about the place of both
science and religion in the modern world? One obvious answer is
that, in their different ways, these two cultural forces dominate
the political landscape. Some of the greatest challenges we face
arise from our relationship with the natural world. Debates about
the reality of global warming and the steps that might be taken
to control it are frequently in the news. New technologies, such
as the genetic modification of crops, and ethical concerns about
the use of embryonic stem cells for scientific research have attracted
widespread comment and appeals for caution. References to scientists
‘playing God’ remind us that anxieties are still expressed
in language that has religious roots. This means that the question
of how to relate scientific and religious beliefs is both topical
and important. It is also fascinating, to teachers and their pupils
alike, because there is no single answer.
Since
the European Enlightenment, it has often been claimed that scientific
knowledge threatens and supersedes religious belief. The authority
of sacred texts has been challenged and gaps in our understanding
of the natural world have been closed. A very different view is
maintained by those who argue that, properly understood, a religious
perspective may complement the picture of the world we derive
from the sciences. As Einstein famously put it, “Science
without religion is lame; religion without science is blind”.
Einstein did not believe in a personal God but spoke of a great
‘mystery’ behind the order and beauty of nature. The
very fact that science is possible at all, that nature is ordered
and intelligible, invites religious and spiritual reflection.
The
teaching materials available on the CD-ROM have been designed
to help teachers excite the interest of their pupils in some of
the major issues of our time. What do we mean by ‘religion’
and what do we mean by ‘science’? How do they differ
in their practices and in their ways of knowing? Are the two spheres
of scientific and religious authority best kept apart?
The
case for separation can look attractive since it grants freedom
to scientists to pursue their research without interference from
religious pressure groups and it also respects the claims to moral
insight and wisdom deriving from the faith traditions. Indeed,
many would see this preference for independence as the most balanced
view. It certainly deserves to be explored in the classroom where
it engenders lively debate. On the one hand, it is difficult to
deny that the great scientific revolutions of the last four hundred
years have had a profound bearing on how we see our place in the
universe. For Sigmund Freud, the Copernican and Darwinian revolutions
had diminished human significance, first by appearing to dislodge
us from the centre of the cosmos, then by affirming our continuity
with the animals. The fact that Freud’s own system of psychology
meant that we no longer seemed to have control of our own minds
delivered a further blow to human dignity. Conversely, it is important
for pupils to learn that some of the greatest scientists have
been devout religious believers who have seen in their study an
exploration of a divine creation. For Isaac Newton, the beauty
of the solar system testified to the existence of a God “very
well skilled in mechanics and geometry”.
A
further reason for encouraging young people to study the ways
in which the sciences and the main world religions may be relevant
to each other is that this is a field often occupied by extremists.
Their strongly held opinions can so easily lead to a polarisation
in which each extreme feeds off the other. The battle, particularly
in North America, between young-earth ‘creationists’
and dogmatically atheistic proponents of ‘evolution’
would be an obvious example. The teaching resources developed
here should help young people to appreciate distinctions that
encourage a more mature understanding of the issues than is often
conveyed by the media. The distinction, for example, between a
well-attested scientific theory and a dogmatic world-view, whether
sacred or secular, is of great importance when assessing the debates
over biological evolution. Pupils enjoy discussing such questions
and relish the opportunity to express their own ideas.
In
preparing these teaching resources we have been careful to avoid
adopting approaches that might elicit charges of indoctrination.
This is a sensitive issue and one that lies at the heart of concerns
in North America about the teaching of ‘religion’
in state schools. To be aware of debates in the philosophy of
science and in the philosophy of religion is, however, one of
the best means of protection from doctrinal assertion. In the
United Kingdom, examination syllabuses for Religious Studies require
that attention be given to issues at the interface of cosmology
and religion. These are intended to include reference to different
concepts of creation and how these might be affected by a scientific
cosmology, such as that enshrined in the Big Bang. They are also
intended to include such questions as whether it is possible to
infer anything about a creator from the appearance of design in
the natural order. We are confident that the SRSP materials will
help teachers to engage their pupils on these and many other topics.
The aim has been to create a wide-ranging resource, respectful
of scientific methods and understandings and at the same time
sensitive to what religious believers find valuable in their faith
traditions.
Lastly
it is important to mention the many highly successful scientists
who have either a deep interest in questions about God and faith
or a strong personal faith. Francis Collins, Paul Davies, Arthur
Peacocke, John Polkinghorne and Russell Stannard are just a few
who are mentioned in the materials. |
