1. 6.10 Science v Religion in the modern world

2. The world has become more SECULAR Fewer people attend a place of worship Fewer have children introduced into a faith People are very ignorant or confused about basic religious knowledge (Jewellery assistant)

3. "I definitely want Brooklyn to be christened, but I don't know into what religion yet."

4. Religion to become 'extinct' in nine nations, census data shows ‘The countries in question include Australia, Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland.’ Someone responded to this article Religion should be relegated to nothing more than a hobby and given the same respect and funding that something like train spotting gets. No more faith schools, no more indoctrination and children actually get to make a choice whether or not they want to be religious when they are old enough to make the judgement for themselves

5. Have we ‘grown up?’ During the youthful period of mankind's spiritual evolution human fantasy created gods in man's own image, who, by the operations of their will were supposed to determine, or at any rate to influence, the phenomenal world. Man sought to alter the disposition of these gods in his own favour by means of magic and prayer. Albert Einstein

6. God of the Gaps Science has now explained the solar system, mapped the genome, may even be able to clone humans Who needs God as an explanation for anything now? Religion has been squeezed more & more as science has increasingly explained the laws of the universe.

7. Pierre Laplace 1749 - 1827 He was so sure that science would soon have all the answers that he thought there would soon be no need to refer to God at all.

8. If the world is a machine There’s no place for seeing God as IMMANENT – controlling everything A clockwork universe has little place for the spiritual Science deals with the every day workings of the cosmic clock Religion deals with God & the soul.

9. Was Laplace right? Two theories have shaken the confidence of science since his day Einstein’s Theory of Relativity The theory of Quantum mechanics They’re both ‘true’ But they’re not compatible!

10. Religion has adapted Most religious believers accept that science isn’t going to change its findings to fit with religion. Religion doesn’t need to feel threatened by science. They’re not doing the same job. Religion has outlasted Laplace’s predictions Even science itself has found positive benefits to religion

12. So why hasn’t religion died out? The picture of science steadily advancing & backing religion into a corner doesn’t tell the whole story. People say that they experience God, that prayers are answered, That they are spiritually enriched, that their religious community supports them, that miracles happen ……

13. Topic check Can you describe why modern society favours science over religion? Can you show how religious believers respond to scientific theories?

14. Evaluative question ‘Science is more important than religion’ Do you agree?

15. Presentation by WGSG RS Dept