Religious and Scientific Creation To explore Religious and

Religious and Scientific Creation. • To explore Religious and Scientific creation theories. • To evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of these theories. • To evaluate the relationship between science and religion. Do Now: Which of these terms do you know a definition for? Evolution Irreducible Complexity Big Bang Steady State Theory Creationism Gaia Hypothesis Intelligent Design Cosmological Constant

Today we are filling in this grid with all the scientific/religious themes of creation.

Steady State Theory: Watch the clip Strengths: • Made definite predictions which were easily falsifiable and so therefore meaningful. • The idea of continuous creation is less problematic than the Big Bang because there then rests the question of what existed prior to the Big Bang. Weaknesses: • Cannot explain background radiation or changes in the universe over time. • Scientists have no understanding or evidence for energy or matter being created from nothing.

Cosmological Constant: • Albert Einstein – The universe is static and unmoving. Something must maintain its static appearance or it would collapse in on itself. This ‘Cosmological Constant’ is unexplained and is what is holding the universe together. Einstein proposed that it might be ‘dark matter’, something which isn’t visible but This was later rejected in favour of the Big Bang theory after the Hubble Telescope found the universe to be expanding (Red Shift). Einstein went on to call it his ‘biggest mistake’. • However, this theory has recently been adopted again as physicists have observed the spread of the universe accelerating. Therefore, it would seem that the ‘Cosmological Constant’ or ‘Dark Matter’ is somehow driving the universe further apart. Scientists cannot explain this, they can only observe it happening as dark matter is not observable and thus cannot be measured.

Gaia Hypothesis. • Read the sheet and fill in the grid.

Evaluate the view that science and religion are incompatible. (30 Marks). In your response to this question you must include how developments in the study of religion have been influenced by one of the following: • Religion and Ethics. • New Testament Studies. • Philosophy of Religion. Here you need to pick whether you’re linking to Islam and Science or Ethics (Gaia). Include – • Differences in method/approach. • Theories for creation of the universe • Miracles.