Use these questions to practice discussing science and religion — conflict, dialog, and coexistence — in English. The goal is to think critically, argue clearly, and express yourself with confidence.
Some people say science and religion are in direct conflict — that every advance in science makes religion less credible. Others say they answer completely different questions and need not conflict at all. Which view do you find more convincing, and why?
Try to use: conflict thesis, compatible, domain, overlapping, complementary
Galileo, Darwin, and the Big Bang all triggered fierce religious resistance — but many religious people today fully accept these theories. What does that history of adaptation tell us about religion's relationship with scientific discovery?
Try to use: adapt, reinterpret, resistance, reconcile, accommodate
Many of the greatest scientists in history were devout believers. Does that fact complicate the idea that science and religion are fundamentally at odds — or is it simply possible to keep the two in separate mental compartments?
Try to use: compartmentalize, coexist, tension, devout, reconcile
Should religious accounts of creation — such as creationism or intelligent design — be taught alongside evolution in schools? What are the arguments on each side, and where do you stand?
Try to use: curriculum, creationism, evolution, secular, equal standing
Science asks "how?" Religion often asks "why?" — and "why?" questions may simply not be scientific questions. But is "why?" a meaningful question at all — or is asking why the universe exists like asking what is north of the North Pole?
Try to use: purpose, meaningful question, category error, beyond science, ultimate
In your own experience, do you know people who hold both deep religious faith and serious scientific knowledge? How do they navigate the tension — or do they not experience it as a tension at all?
Try to use: integrate, navigate, tension, personal experience, faith