Science, Religion and the Environment
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 God, the environment, endangered animals and taking care of our planet. 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.
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Why are we talking about the environment?
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How has the Earth changed through its history?
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Why are so many animals endangered?
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Does religion say anything about looking after the world?
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Scientists
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More Questions?
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Why are we talking about the environment?
There are lots of questions today about the world around us and how we can best look after it. Science can help us think about this by exploring the effects of human activities on the planet and all its living things; helping us to work out ways to better protect nature; and, providing evidence of the benefits that come from caring for the planet.
Religious teachings can also help us think about environmental questions. For example, the Bible (the holy book that Christians read) teaches that God made and loves the whole universe - including planet earth and everything on it. Not only that, but the Bible also teaches that God has asked all humans to look after the planet and every living thing.
But the Bible is full of stories of people choosing to go against God’s ideals, messing up, or making mistakes or poor choices. And we might see that pattern in our day-to-day life too! When it comes to the environment, sometimes we and other people have, for all sorts of reasons, done things that are easy or good for us, but that have been very bad for the other people, animals and plants with whom we share the planet. We might not even have known how much our choices were affecting things. The good news is there's always a chance to do better now and in the future. Christians find it helpful to remember that the Bible describes God as kind, patient, and understanding when we make poor choices, and says that he can and will help us make better choices.Many Christians believe that science is a wonderful gift from God that can help us work out how make brave, loving and environmentally-aware decisions.
We’ll be adding more big questions on this topic, so keep checking this page!
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How has the Earth changed through its history?
We’ll be adding more big questions on this topic, so keep checking this page! -
Why are so many animals endangered?
We’ll be adding more big questions on this topic, so keep checking this page! -
Does religion say anything about looking after the world?
We’ll be adding more big questions on this topic, so keep checking this page! -
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!
