Abstract

This thesis is a study on the relationship between science and religion in modern society. The question of “when” focuses not on the historical development of this supposed conflict, but rather when in each of our lives this idea of conflict originates. Before beginning my research, I hypothesized that the idea of a religion vs. science conflict originates sometime in our primary and secondary education, when we study the development of modern science and its early interactions with the church. I found surveys conducted in other countries which addressed this idea, and found that even young students did have at least some trouble reconciling the two fields. Following the lead of these surveys, I conducted my own at Model Laboratory High School and distributed my survey online to college students. The survey asked students to rank their degree of agreement or disagreement to 25 questions about science, religion, and the two together. The results of these surveys confirmed the fact that students still believe there is at least some level of disagreement between science and religion, but did not necessarily confirm my hypothesis that the idea of this conflict originates in grade school. However, two important conclusions were drawn from this study: a level of respect must be developed in each person for both religion and science, and Christians must do our part to love everyone and give people a reason to find value in faith.

Semester/Year of Award

Spring 4-29-2013

Mentor

Michael W. Austin

Mentor Department Affiliation

History, Philosophy, and Religious Studies

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Restricted Access Thesis

Document Type

Bachelor Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Scholars

Degree Level

Bachelor's

Department

History, Philosophy, and Religious Studies

Department Name when Degree Awarded

Philosophy and Religion

IRB Approval Number (if applicable)

13-140

Presentation

http://prezi.com/gqtzwzch3wv-/when-did-religion-and-science-become-incompatible/?kw=view-gqtzwzch3wv-&rc=ref-36655711

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