Assessment: Religion & Science - Year 9 Religious Studies

Quick Recall

What is Conflict Thesis?

Answer: Religion and science are enemies.

Four models of religion & science?

Answer: Conflict, Independence, Dialogue, Integration.

Why was Galileo persecuted?

Answer: Heliocentrism contradicted Church teaching.

What is "in God's image"?

Answer: Humans have moral value and capacity for reason.

How do Muslims reconcile evolution?

Answer: Evolution is God's creative process.

What is natural selection?

Answer: Helpful traits become more common.

What is Theistic Evolution?

Answer: God uses evolution as creation mechanism.

Hume on miracles?

Answer: Testimony less reliable than natural law.

What is miracle?

Answer: Event attributed to divine intervention.

What is "God of Gaps"?

Answer: Flawed assumption that God fills knowledge gaps.

Review: Key Teachings

Lesson 1: Conflict Debate

Four models: Conflict (enemies), Independence (separate), Dialogue (learn), Integration (complementary). Most scientists favour Independence or Dialogue.

Lesson 2: Creation

Religions teach creation differently. Interpretations: literal, metaphorical, framework, day-age. Many integrate evolution.

Lesson 3: Evolution

Evolution is unifying biology principle. Theistic evolution (most common), Intelligent Design, Young Earth (minority). Buddhism, Islam, Catholicism accept evolution.

Lesson 4: Miracles

Hume: doubt miracles (testimony unreliable). Aquinas: God works through nature. Science explains most; "medically inexplicable" ≠ divine.

Lesson 5: Limits of Science

Science excellent at "how"; struggles with "why" (meaning, morality, consciousness). NOMA: science and religion answer different questions.

Test Understanding

Francis Collins led?

Answer: Human Genome Project.

Big Bang proposed by?

Answer: Georges Lemaître (priest).

Scientists who believe in God?

Answer: About 45%.

Dependent Origination?

Answer: Buddhist natural causation doctrine.

Buddhism and evolution?

Answer: No creator God, natural causation.

Catholic teaching on evolution?

Answer: Officially accepts it.

Spontaneous remission?

Answer: Rare natural healing; happens 1-2%.

NOMA?

Answer: Non-Overlapping Magisteria (Gould).

Hard problem of consciousness?

Answer: Why do we have subjective experience?

Science and beauty?

Answer: Science measures response, not beauty itself.

Extended Response

Reflect on the unit's big question: "Are religion and science in conflict?" Write your reasoned answer using examples.

Words: 0/400

Guidance

Use specific examples: Galileo, evolution, miracles, consciousness. Show understanding of two religious traditions.

Reflection

What was most surprising about religion and science in this unit? How has your thinking changed?

Words: 0/300

Unit 14 Summary

The Answer: It Depends on the Model

Religion and science are not necessarily in conflict:

Conflict model: They cannot both be true (Galileo vs Church)
Independence model: Different questions, both valid (Theistic evolution)
Dialogue model: Can learn from each other (Buddhist-science)
Integration model: Complementary (Francis Collins)

Key Learning

Religion answers "Why?" and meaning. Science answers "How?" Science is powerful for factual questions about physical world. But meaning, purpose, consciousness, morality are beyond science's scope. Both science and religion offer value.

Final thought: Many of the world's best scientists are people of faith. Being scientific and faithful are compatible.

What You'll Learn