Section 3 — Religion and Faith
Session 11 of 16
Monday, September 1, 2026
The oldest argument
Science and religion are often presented as enemies — locked in a war that science is slowly winning. But this story is more complicated than it sounds. In this session we examine the actual relationship between scientific and religious ways of knowing: where they genuinely conflict, where they can coexist, and how to discuss the debate in English with precision and fairness to all sides.
Vocabulary for this session
creationismevolutionconflict thesiscomplementaritymagisteria
Grammar focus
Grammar focus: Reporting the views of others in debate — the language of fair representation. "Proponents of X argue that..." / "Critics respond that..." / "The standard objection is..." / "One way to reconcile these views is..." These structures let you present a position accurately without personally endorsing it — an essential skill for discussing any contested topic.
Come prepared to discuss
"Does believing in science require you to give up religion? Or can a person hold both — and if so, how?"
Before this session
Prepare: Read a short extract from both a scientist who is religious and a scientist who is not. What are they actually arguing about? Is the disagreement about facts, about meaning, or about something else entirely?
Task-Based Activity
Map the Positions. Students work together to map five distinct positions on the science-religion relationship: young-earth creationism, intelligent design, theistic evolution, non-overlapping magisteria (Stephen Jay Gould's NOMA), and scientific atheism. For each: What does it claim? Who holds it? What evidence does it cite? The goal is accurate representation — not agreement. Debrief: Which position is most common in your country? Which do you find most intellectually coherent?
Discussion Activity
Structured Debate. Motion: "Science and religion are fundamentally incompatible." Assign students to argue for and against regardless of their own position. After the debate, debrief: Were there arguments on either side that surprised you? Did anyone change their mind? What would it actually take to resolve this question?
Career-Oriented Take — How to Frame It
Navigating discussions between people with different belief systems — including beliefs about science itself — is a core skill in multicultural professional environments. Scientists, engineers, and business leaders who can discuss these questions without condescension or dismissal are more effective collaborators. The grammar focus of this session (reporting others' views fairly) is directly applicable to any situation where you need to represent a perspective you don't personally share.
Big Picture
The supposed "war" between science and religion is largely a 19th-century invention — popularized by two books (John William Draper's and Andrew Dickson White's) that historians of science have since thoroughly dismantled. Historically, most great scientists were religious: Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, Mendel, Lemaitre (who first proposed the Big Bang). The relationship between science and religion is far more complex, varied, and interesting than the "conflict thesis" suggests.
Homework (assign after session)
Write 200 words: What is your own view on the relationship between science and religion? Use at least three of the reporting structures from the grammar focus to represent the views of others accurately before stating your own position.