Religion and Science

Question 1

Scientific Truth

Answer 1

Truth that has been found by theory and evidence experiments and testing

Question 2

Religious Truth

Answer 2

Truth that is claimed by religious believers due to faith and belief evidence comes from conscience, experience and tradition.

Question 3

Big Bang

Answer 3

Explanation for the origins of the universe happening 10-15 billion years ago where the universe is still evolving.

Question 4

Creation Story

Answer 4

The story of Genesis about how the world was created.

Question 5

Creationist

Answer 5

People who believe that the story of creation is true.

Question 6

Myth

Answer 6

A story with truth within it - but not necessarily scientific truth but moral truth.

Question 7

Cosmological Revolution

Answer 7

Scientific period of time when people realised the world was round and not at the centre of the universe.

Question 8

Evolution

Answer 8

The fact that the world as we know it has come about by billions of years of change and survival.

Question 9

Natural Selection

Answer 9

The fact that some species survive and others die off depending on their surrounding and survive.

Question 10

Absolute Truth

Answer 10

Fixed unchangeable fats that something will be true for all time and in all cultures

Question 11

Authority

Answer 11

Something that has power and deserves obedience.

Question 12

Briefly explain the Big Bang

Answer 12

This is the theory that the world was formed 15 billion years ago. The universe is a constantly changing and evolving one. After the initial event the universe expanded and when the temperatures had cooled (after around 1/2 million years) It took another billion years before the stars and galaxies appeared. Billions of years later here we are.

Question 13

Explain the Genesis view of Creation

Answer 13

Day one: Night and Day
Day two: Sky and Earth
Day three: Land and Sea
Day four: Sun and Moon 
Day five: Sea Creatures
Day six: Plants, Animals and Humans 
Day seven: God rested

Question 14

Why are the Big Bang the creation story not compatible?

Answer 14

Creationists say that the Big Bang is not in the bible therefore it cannot be true. The bible said that it took God 6 days to create the Earth, the Big Bang took millions of years. The bible says that God created the world and therefore the Big Bang was just by chance. Science and Religion are opposites and there is no God in science.

Question 15

How can the Big Bang and the Creation Story be compatible?

Answer 15

God could have made the Big Bang happen. Many scientists believe in both. If you are reading the bible non literally days could have been longer maybe even billions of years. Depends on your interpretation of the bible and could you agree believe or say it is a myth.

Question 16

What did St. Augustine say about the way we used to view the Earth?

Answer 16

The world view that humans had for hundreds of years revolved around the evidence that they believed they could see with their own eyes. It seemed that heavens revolved around the earth, the planets and the sun were in orbit around us. Humans appeared to be the centre of creation. How could the earth be moving, surely id it was we would have the winding buffeting us constantly? Humans trusted evidence of their eyes, the world was flat and the heavens went around the flat earth. The story in the Bible, in Genesis seemed perfectly believable.

Question 17

What did Nicholas Copernicus do during the Cosmological Revolution?

Answer 17

He was an astronomer, who was appointed by the church to make a calendar. In his research he relised that the earth was in fact round and we went around the sun. He was not the first to say this but was the first to be believed by others. His theories were not completely correct as he believed that heavenly bodies travelled around in perfect circles which they don’t but most of his other findings were correct. Many at the time said his views went against the bible.

Question 18

What did Galileo do during the Cosmological Revolution?

Answer 18

He supported findings of Copernicus. He used his powerful telescopes that he had invented to discover that there were sunspots on the sun and craters on the moon proving that the heavens were not unchanging. The planets movement had nothing to do with God but they were natural. Catholic church said that is views contradicted the Bible as the sun was not the centre of the universe. Was sentenced to house arrest for the rest of his life.

Question 19

What was the impact of the Cosmological Revolution?

Answer 19

The Earth and humanity were no longer the centre of the universe. Science became free to do things and no longer refer to God as the cause of all physical things and did not have to match Christian teachings. However God was still the explanation for things that people couldn’t understand, the idea that everything had never changed was beginning to be questioned.

Question 20

What did Lamarck say about Evolution?

Answer 20

He believed that organisms changed due to their environment and that the most successful will grow the strongest. He also suggested that changes to life forms, which happen to benefit their survival are inherited by the species offspring and that it will be passed on to the next generation

Question 21

What did Darwin say about his Theory of Evolution?

Answer 21

The process of Evolution happens due to natural selection. Nature selected the species that will survive because they can adapt to certain areas an their surroundings. Species that cannot adapt die away as those who adapt well are able to survive. Darwin was brought up a Christian however he travelled around the world looking for information. He became more and more convinced that even though God created life that there was no immanence and God left the details of life to Natural Selection. He eventually doubted that God had any control over nature and finally rejected the Creation Story. He then described himself as and agnostic and would not deny the existence of God just criticised by Christians as it was against scripture.

Question 22

What are the religious reasons for rejecting evolution?

Answer 22

Contradicts Genesis, Suggest nature is cruel but if God created the nature then why would he make it cruel? How can humans be created in God’s image if they have evolved? There are gaps in fossil records.

Question 23

What are the religious reasons accepting evolution?

Answer 23

God created everything so evolution can be true if he also created it. God created things to adapt and create for themselves. Evolution could be seen as God plan.