Understanding Christianity

Understanding Christianity’s goal is to support pupils in developing their understanding of Christianity, as a contribution to their understanding of the world and their own experience within it. It does this by integrating pupils’ developing understanding of significant theological concepts in Christianity with their own self-understanding and understanding of the world, as part of their wider religious literacy. Continue reading “Understanding Christianity”

Science and Religion, A Christian Perspective

Before looking at the detailed issues it is important to correct some misunderstandings. Many pupils will already have their own preconceptions. The media often gives a stereotypical view of scientists and Christians and an over-simplified and often distorted view of the relationship between science and Christianity. The first lesson should be concerned to set the debate between science and Christianity in its correct historical context. Continue reading “Science and Religion, A Christian Perspective”

Science and Religion – A Hindu Perspective

Many attempts have been made to explore the relationship between what science and religion have to say about aspects of reality. Some Hindus want to see the Hindu scriptures anticipating developments in science. Some even look for parallels between the way these two ways of seeing the world talk about specific concepts such as time and energy. Other Hindu thinkers would say that religious and scientific views are in fact at loggerheads; if one is right, the other is wrong. Continue reading “Science and Religion – A Hindu Perspective”

Science and Religion, A Jewish Perspective

This topic aims to present the ancient Jewish texts (Tenakh and Talmud) as being guides to life for Jews which engage in questions about God’s plans and life’s purpose. Scientific enquiry has a part in this and does not necessarily clash with it. Where they seem to clash Jewish writing has often been proactive in dealing with questions. Jewish thought can accommodate the creation/evolution, Big Bang/age of universe debate in different ways. There are different understandings of miracles in ancient and modern rabbinical interpretation. Continue reading “Science and Religion, A Jewish Perspective”

Science and Religion, A Buddhist Perspective

Buddhists have developed a very sophisticated analysis of the mind and mental processes, valuing introspective or ‘contemplative’ methods for understanding the mind, as well as using meditation to enhance positive states of mind. It is interesting to compare Buddhist psychology with its Western scientific equivalent. In Buddhism, mind and body are seen as influencing each other. The mind is described as a stream of mental events, with no separate controlling centre – ‘no-self’. Recent research by neuroscientists has imaged what happens in the brain while people are meditating. Continue reading “Science and Religion, A Buddhist Perspective”

Sacred Texts of Judaism, Christianity and Islam

Sacred texts are fundamental to Judaism, Christianity and Islam; it is through the study of these that people can better understand the three traditions and explore their similarities and differences. This four-week course, guided by leading academics and British Library curators, will be an introduction to the origins and development of the Hebrew Bible, the Christian Bible, and the Qur’an, and offers the rare opportunity to come face-to-face with unique examples from the Library’s unparalleled collection of first-millennium manuscripts. Continue reading “Sacred Texts of Judaism, Christianity and Islam”