Tapestry of Faith: Love Connects Us: A Program on Living in Unitarian Universalist Covenant for Grades 4-5

Activity 5: Religion or Science?

Activity time: 10 minutes

Materials for Activity

Preparation for Activity

  • Print the leader resource and cut it into strips as indicated.
  • Make three signs on sheets of newsprint: "SCIENCE," RELIGION," and "BOTH." Post them in the meeting space where everyone can reach.

Description of Activity

Indicate the newsprint signs that say "SCIENCE," "RELIGION," and "BOTH." Tell the group you have a series of statements that some or all people consider to be true. Say they will decide which way can better test each statement: science, or religion, or both. Tell them some statements might be matters that both science and religion can test.

Invite a participant to select a slip of paper from Leader Resource 1. Read the statement aloud or invite a volunteer to do it. Lead the group to decide where the statement belongs and encourage a participant to use tape to post the statement on the sheet of newsprint the group selects.

Classify all the statements. Then, invite reflection with questions such as:

  • Which statements were easy to place on a sheet of newsprint? Which were harder? Why?
  • Why do some people insist that there is a large difference between science and religious issues?
  • Think back to some of the wondering questions we came up with earlier today (Activity 1, Wondering Ritual and Meditation). Which ones were strictly matters for science? Which ones were strictly questions of faith?
  • How do Unitarian Universalists use both science and religious thought to help us seek truth?

Including All Participants

Do not put any participants on the spot to read a statement aloud. Separate the task of choosing a statement from the task of reading it to the group. You may wish to ask for one or two volunteers to share what is written on the slips of paper.