Religion in a Science Class?

How is science different from religion? More to my point: Why shouldn't religion be taught in science classes?

My stance is that they are completely different processes. And while evidence of one may affect belief in the other - they should not be taught in the same arena.

Here's why. Science is based on the Scientific Method. For those who don't remember 7th grade science class, it is as follows:

1. Define the question
2. Gather information and resources (observe)
3. Form hypothesis
4. Perform experiment and collect data
5. Analyze data
6. Interpret data and draw conclusions that serve as a starting point for new hypothesis
7. Publish results
8. Retest (frequently done by other scientists)

It is a gradual, truth gathering process. Scientists across the globe are observing the world, finding things we don't understand, forming hypotheses about these subjects, testing their hypotheses, and then forming new hypotheses based on the information they gained.

The wonderful thing about science is that it takes into account the possibility (or probability, rather) that humans will get things dead wrong, probably over and over. And that is why for a scientific theory to stand, it must be able to be repeated. Scientists around the world try to recreate the experiment over and over again. If the experiment can ever be proven to be false - the whole theory is disproved and scientists go back to the data that they still believe to be true and start again.

Thus, with empirical data we as humans test what we know to be true to be certain that it is true, and then slowly branch out in every possible direction finding new and exciting things that we can show to be true.


Religion is a different animal. It is based on faith. There is no way to prove a religious belief. A religious experience can not be recreated in a laboratory to be tested for consistency.

Now, this is not to say that a religious experience or belief is NOT true - simply that it can not be proven to be so.


Now some would say, "Well, you can't DISPROVE x" (x being God or Zeus or Thor or any other religious belief). Well, this is true. You can't. You also can't disprove Santa Claus, but you probably don't believe in him. Or Zeus or Thor. But if you are a person of faith, you choose one out of the thousands of gods that have been believed in throughout history, and you have faith in that one.

Why? It's a matter of faith.

You still use evidence, just like a scientist. But your evidence is more intangible and unprovable. It's more like, "This is what my parents believed, and I trust them." Or "I felt God inside me." Or "I see the works of God."

Or it could be more of a logical argument. Like, "Look at the beautiful world around us. Where could all this have come from if there wasn't a God?"

Whatever the evidence is, it is evidence, just like a scientist would use. The difference is that it's not empirical evidence - and so, it can not be tested, repeated, or proven.


So, what's the point I'm coming to? Am I saying that religious belief is invalid? No. Am I saying that science is invalid? No.

What I'm saying is that they're not on the same playing field.

Science is based on slowly finding what we can and can't prove and testing everything, so that we can slowly grow our base of knowledge of the world around us.

Religion is based on faith, and what we believe about the things that we can't prove. Where do we go when we die? Where did things come from? These are questions that we all have to answer, and we answer them with philosophy and religious beliefs.

Science can shed light on these questions (Some believe that evolution is a huge key to understanding where we come from, for example.) But it is tied to what is testable and provable. It doesn't postulate about the possibility of things that are unprovable.


So, my point is this. Religion should not be involved in any way with the world of science. It doesn't have a home there. If you want your children to believe that God created the world, then share your beliefs with them at home or take them to church. Do not expect your science teacher to do it for you at school.