Activities on Relating Science & Religion for School Age Kids
The debate regarding science versus religion is a heated one that may never be resolved. While science involves the presentation of fact, religion is based on faith and the foundations of these two disciplines often comes into conflict. While religion is a touchy subject that many schools tend to avoid, there are some ways to teach science and religion that give children an opportunity to hear both sides of the story and to make their own decisions.
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Science, Religion or Both?
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Engage students in an activity that explores the differences between science and religion as well as the ways these often discordant disciplines overlap. Create a list of questions relating to both science and religion and ask students to rate, on a scale of one to 10, how much that statement applies to science and how much it applies to religion. Sample questions might include "can it explain how humans came to exist," "can it provide meaning for people's lives," and "does it use evidence to draw conclusions." Discuss the results with the students and explore the areas in which science and religion overlap.
Evolution vs. Creation
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Teach a lesson that explores the theories of both evolution and creationism. Be sure to create an objective presentation of both theories. Ask students to create a two-column list and to write down the key facts and observations relevant to each theory. For evolution, students might note that certain species adapted to their environment while others died out. For creationism, students might write that many species of plants and animals were created to inhabit the earth. Ask students to share their observations and discuss any observations that are similar between the theories of evolution and creationism as well as those that are very different.
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Faith vs. Facts
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Discuss with students the difference between the way scientific and religious views are formed and how they come into conflict. Scientific theories are based on facts and things that can be seen and documented whereas religious views are formed on the basis of faith in what cannot be seen. Ask students to think of examples of how science and religion come into conflict and discuss the work of Galileo and his theories that challenged the beliefs of the Roman Catholic church.
A Difference of Purpose
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Discuss with students what makes science different from religion and encourage students to remain objective during the discussion, to state facts and observations rather than opinions or personal beliefs. Turn the discussion to the purpose served by science versus religion. To focus the discussion you might ask students to consider what purpose the Bible serves versus the purpose of a science textbook. Students might state that the purpose of the Bible is to tell God's story or to encourage believers whereas a science textbook exists to provide factual information. Ask students to consider how these purposes might come into conflict and in what ways science and religion might serve a similar purpose. To provide an example you might make the observation that both the Bible and science attempt to explain the origin of man.
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References
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