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How Science Works

Hi there, if you're aged between 11 and 18, this space is for you to explore your big questions about science and religious faith.

Use the menu on the left to choose your age range, then click on a question below to read some thoughts about the nature, methods, power and limitations of science, and how it interacts with religious faith. You can also click on ‘Scientists’ to meet some scientists of faith who study this topic!

If you are younger than 11 you can explore these same questions on our kids website, here


  • What is science?

  • Can you be a Christian and a scientist?

  • Hasn’t science replaced religious faith?

  • Scientists

  • More Questions?

  • What is science?

    Science is an exciting way of learning more about our world – all the different natural processes, the way things work, how things have developed over time, the physical laws that govern the universe and more. Science often involves us doing experiments or making careful observations in order to figure out the processes behind the things happening around us, and build a better idea of how things do or don’t work. There are lots of important questions to ask in life, and only some of them count as science. The thing which distinguishes science from other ways of asking questions about the universe is that scientific questions must be testable - we need to be able to investigate them through things like gathering data and conducting experiments.

    People have been doing science for hundreds and hundreds of years. When we learn about science at school we often learn about the amazing discoveries scientists have made in the past. But the really exciting thing is that there is so much left to find out! Scientists will tell you that when we find answers to one question, we end up with even more questions we want to ask, to dig deeper and learn even more. The more we find out, the more we discover how little we know! There is so much left for scientists to discover!

  • Can you be a Christian and a scientist?

    Absolutely! Science is a particular way of finding out more about the world, how things work and where everything came from. Christians believe that God made everything. So, lots of Christians view science as a really exciting way of learning more about how God made the world and the way he makes things work. The more science we learn about, the more amazed they are by the God who they believe made the entire world.

    There are many people of faith who are inspired to do excellent scientific research in order to learn more about the universe they believe God has made. So faith can encourage people to work to be the best scientists they can be. Likewise, because scientists can discover completely amazing, wonderful and mind-blowing things they can often start to ask questions about the meaning and purpose behind the universe. To answer or dig deeply into these questions we need to consider not only scientific research but also other ways of exploring truth, such as philosophical and faith-based conversation and thought.

    Many Christians think that scientific exploration of the world can increase their faith in a creative, powerful, incredible God, and that faith in God can increase their desire to explore his universe through scientific research. Throughout the world, there are lots of Christians who choose to become scientists and lots of scientists who choose to become Christians.

    Click here to check out some scientists who believe in God.

  • Hasn’t science replaced religious faith?

    There is a common idea that religious ideas e.g. ‘trees are green because God made them that way’ are replaced by science as we find out new and better scientific answers e.g. ‘trees are green because their leaves contain a green pigment called chlorophyll’. That could mean that God and faith become less and less important. But that is only true if science and faith are trying to answer the same kinds of questions. 

    In reality, science and faith look at very different kinds of questions. Religious faith primarily explores questions about our meaning and purpose, God and the things he has done. For example, the Bible (the holy book that Christians read) teaches that God made and loves everything and everyone. We use science to explore physical, mechanistic questions about how the world works, like what things are made of and how long they have been here.

    So, for many people of faith, the more we find out using science, the more they feel they can learn about what God has made and how amazing he is.

    Lots of people agree that, with both science and faith, we can get a bigger picture of the universe we live in. For example, ‘trees are green because God made them that way, through amazing processes including a green pigment in their leaves called chlorophyll’. 

  • JW

    Jennifer Wiseman

    JK

    Johannes Kepler

    AD

    Andrew Davison

    BN

    Bill Newsome

    BS

    Bob Sluka

    BW

    Bob White

    RB

    Robert Boyle

    JC

    James Clerk Maxwell

    FC

    Francis Collins

    DW

    David Wilkinson

    DH

    Deb Haarsma

    DA

    Denis Alexander

    EH

    Elaine Howard Ecklund

    EB

    Emily Burdett

    MF

    Michael Faraday

    GG

    Galileo Galilei

    JB

    John Bryant

    JW

    John Wyatt

    RB

    Roger Bretherton

    RP

    Rosalind Picard

    TI

    Tom Ingleby

    JP

    John Polkinghorne

    JF

    Jonathan Foster

  • More Questions?

    ​​Do you have questions which aren't covered here? We want to help!

    Take a look at some of our other topics, activities and resources to see what else you can discover. 

    Or why not get in touch and we'll do our best to help you out!