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Teaching Materials: Science & Religion Initiative

Catholic Tradition holds that there are two "Books of God": the Book of Nature and the Book of Scripture, both of which point to and reveal the invisible God who is both transcendent to and immanent in the world. Despite the complementarity accorded to faith and reason in Catholic Tradition, the modern period has been marked by conflict and misunderstanding that has polarized science and religion.

In its programming, publications and pedagogical materials, with permission the Science & Religion Initiative adopts as its own the policy of the Society of Catholic Scientists:

The Science & Religion Initiative adheres to the faith of the Catholic Church and will always operate with due regard to her magisterium. It deliberately avoids two approaches to science-faith questions: (a) doctrinal revisionism, and (b) scientific revisionism. By the former we mean denying or calling into question authoritative Catholic teaching (e.g. on original sin, or on the human spiritual soul); by the latter we mean denying or calling into question scientific discoveries that are supported by conclusive evidence and therefore regarded among research scientists as firmly established (e.g. that the universe is billions of years old, or the “common descent” of life on earth, including that the human race has non-human ancestors). The Science & Religion Initiative Leadership Team and collaborators believe that such radical revisionism is neither proper nor needed to show the harmony of the Catholic faith and modern science.

Educational Materials

Explore our educational materials by grade level or category using the filter below. Click on a resource title to view the complete lesson and materials. For a quick overview, simply scroll down to read brief descriptions before accessing the full content.

For Use in Middle School Classrooms

For Use in High School Classrooms

Foundations Seminar Videos

  • Between Time and Eternity

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    Between Time and Eternity

    Through an exploration of deep time through a geological lens, students will uncover how their human experience of time in relation to our ancient world relates to the past, present, and future of the eternal God and His Church.

  • Contemporary Cosmology

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    Contemporary Cosmology and the Question of God

    In this unit, we discuss the modern scientific understanding of the existence and nature of the universe, and how it has both challenged and enriched the Christian’s ability to believe in God.

  • Big bang

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    Foundations Seminar 2023

    This is a collection of lectures from the Science & Religion Initiative's Foundations Seminar 2023 on matters relating to faith and science.

  • Genesis 1 Literature Or Theology

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    Genesis 1: Literature or Theology?

    The lessons in this unit are intended to lead students to an understanding of a Catholic view of Biblical inspiration, inerrancy, hermeneutics, and exegesis.

  • The Golden Dome of the Main Building at the University of Notre Dame at night, with the gold statue of Mary atop it. A reddish lunar eclipse is visible in the night sky.

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    Geology and Theology: Does God Rock?

    This lesson is aimed at introducing students to the concept of cosmic and biological origins through geology, astronomy, and theology while connecting these fields through accomplished figures, namely Nicolas Steno and Father Georges Lemaître.

  • How Can the Study of Life Teach Us About Faith?

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    How Can the Study of Life Teach Us About Faith?

    This lesson aims to connect science and religion by using important figures who have made notable discoveries within the field of life sciences.

  • Humans And Race

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    Humans and Race

    This lesson focuses on the biology of human skin color and the misunderstanding of race as a biological construct.

  • Light From Light

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    Light from Light

    The "Light from Light" lesson unit discusses the nature of science, the scientific method, the humanness of science, and the idea of mystery.

  • Biology and Aquinas

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    Relating the Biological Characteristics of Living Things to the Philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas

    The purpose of this lesson is to show that the way biologists describe living things overlaps with the way living things are described by St. Thomas Aquinas in natural philosophy, and to show that one gets a more complete understanding of the nature of li

  • Sums, Song, and Saints

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    Sums, Songs, and Saints: How Do Catholic Minds Make a Difference?

    In this lesson, we’ll explore the beauty of music, the wonder of math, and the power of invention–all through the lens of Catholic thinkers and creators whose faith inspired their genius.

  • The Difference A Self Makes

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    The Difference a Self Makes

    Participants in this lesson unit will discuss the unique human difference of the “self” and the scientific and theological foundations of human nature.

  • Mystery And Light

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    The Mystery of Light and Wave-Particle Duality

    Through this lesson unit, participants will see the mystery of light unfold as it was studied by philosophers and scientists throughout the centuries.

  • What Makes Humans Unique

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    What Makes Humans Unique

    This lesson seeks to show how the ordinary, everyday phenomenon of language reveals humanity’s extraordinary disposition for truth and, accordingly, for God.