Learning Objectives:
- Students will explore scientific observations on the nature of the universe, it’s origins and structure.
- Students will investigate the intersection of scientific evidence with the contrasting perspectives on the existence of God, both theistic and non-theistic.
- Students will formulate and articulate their own informed opinions on whether scientific study supports the existence of God.
Success Criteria:
- Students can describe and explain the relevance of scientific theories to a discussion about the existence of God.
- Students can analyse the strengths and limitations of the scientific evidence in relation to individual beliefs about the nature of the universe.
- Students can reflect on and express their own interpretation of the scientific evidence for the existence of God.
Introduce the Question
Wonder Activity
Students look at the images captured by NASA’s James Webb telescope (lesson 8 slides) and complete the ‘See, Think, Wonder’ thinking routine.
Group Discussion
Students explore the Buzzfeed article 53 Facts About Space That Will Either Fascinate You Or Keep You Pondering All Night and share with a small group the one fact that stood out to them, explaining why.
Class discusses how these facts shape their picture of the universe.
Brainstorm & Reflect
Class brainstorms the reasons why people might believe that the universe points to a Creator, and the reasons why people might believe the opposite – that it was created by chance.
Students share their own reflections on whether the universe points to the existence of God or not.
Explore the Question
Resource Response
Use some, or all, of these resources as a basis for the following learning activities.
- Clip: Things that point us to a God (2:12)
- Clip: A finely balanced universe (1:49)
- Clip: Finding order in the universe (1:09)
- Article: What is the nature of the universe? (2 min)
Teacher directs a ‘Compass Points’ thinking routine based on the propositions introduced in the above resources.
Students share their reaction to the quotes from the scientists Hoyle,Davies & Collins. (Lesson 8 slides.)
Resource Reflection
Students choose ONE of the following to watch/read and then write individual responses to the questions:
- Clip: The beauty of the universe (1:33)
- Article: God’s backyard (1 min)
- Article: The ‘terrifyingly small’ reason why so many astronauts find God (4 min)
Students write a personal reflection, responding to the following:
- Is there anything that surprised you from what you heard or read?
- What is one question you have after watching or reading this content?
Students write an email to either Jennifer Wiseman, Matthew McConaughey, or Buzz Aldrin, reflecting on and asking them more about their perspectives on the universe and God.
Bible Focus
Students read Genesis 1:1, Psalm 19:1-4, and Romans 1:20.
- Students write an engaging newspaper headline that encapsulates the main point of these Bible verses.
- Thinking about the points made in the CPX videos and articles, in what ways might Christians believe that “the heavens declare the glory of God”?
Respond to the Question
Class Debate
Hold a class debate on the topic: “Scientific study reveals a universe that is consistent with belief in a Creator God”.
Lesson Debrief
Students revisit their earlier reflection on whether the universe points to the existence of God or not, and consider whether their perspective has changed at all.
Class discusses what has been discovered, or questions that still exist.
The teacher leads a reflection on what the implications are for believing that “the heavens declare the glory of God”.
Extension
In pairs, students conduct some further research on the fine-tuning argument, and create a set of slides summarising the argument, its possible explanations, and its potential implications.