Faith and Science in Our Catholic Schools
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FAITH AND SCIENCE IN OUR CATHOLIC SCHOOLS 2018 CATHOLIC CURRICULUM CORPORATION Catholic Curriculum Corporation Opening Message Our Purpose The Catholic Curriculum Corporation is a consortium of seventeen Catholic school boards across central and western Ontario. As an important partner in Catholic education, we recognize that Catholic education exists to provide a holistic formation of people as living witnesses of faith. We demonstrate our mission when we engage with, and support, our member boards in sustained, substantive school improvement and student growth that is reflective of a Catholic professional learning community. Our Mission Our mission is to build and sustain the Catholic capacity of educators through the development and provision of high quality Catholic curriculum, resources, support and professional development. Our Vision Faith Through Learning – A Distinctive Catholic Curriculum Message from the Executive Director On behalf of the Catholic Curriculum Corporation, I would like to thank Paul D’Hondt, project lead, and the team of contributors for their expertise and dedicated efforts in producing this resource. Thanks are also extended to Grant McMurray for his guidance as Curriculum Manager. As our scientific understanding continues to increase, our students (and educators) may struggle to reconcile what our society touts as scientific progress and understanding, with what our faith tells us. Being unable to reconcile these two sources of knowledge can lead, in some cases, to our students separating what they believe from what they think. This resource explains some of the most common “hot spots” where people find conflict between science and Catholicism. Being a reference for teachers, topics such as evolution, stem cells, genetically modified organisms, the creation of the universe, and others are discussed. This resource is a timely and relevant tool for Catholic educators across all curriculum areas. Once again, I offer sincere thanks to those who have supported our teachers with this resource. I wish continued success to all who use this resource while sharing and celebrating our Catholic mission in education. Michael Bator, Executive Director 1 Faith and Science in our Catholic Schools The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. - Psalm 19:1 Acknowledgements 2 Rationale 3 Aspirations of the Authors 3 Introduction 4 Evolution 12 Genetically Modified Organisms 17 History of the Universe and Earth 21 Organ Donation 26 Stem Cells 32 The Environment 36 Vaccinations 43 Acknowledgements The following people have contributed to this resource: Project Lead / Paul D’Hondt, BSc, BEd, Huron Perth Catholic District School Board Writer Writers John Corsaut, BSc, BEd, Huron Perth Catholic District School Board Tara Cakebread, BA, MEd, Huron Perth Catholic District School Board Reviewers Patrick Moynihan, PhD, Microbiology and Genetics, BBSRC Future Leader Fellow, University of Birmingham, England. Natanael Mateus-Ruiz, BA, BEd, MDiv, MRE, Huron Perth Catholic District School Board Proofreader Kathryn D’Hondt, BA, BEd. Editor Grant McMurray, Curriculum Manager, Catholic Curriculum Corporation 2 Rationale As our society’s scientific understanding continues to increase, our students (and educators) may struggle to reconcile what society touts as scientific progress and understanding with what the Catholic faith tells us. Being unable to reconcile these two sources of knowledge can lead, in some cases, to our students feeling conflicted and separating what they believe from what they think. This project attempts to address some of the most common “hot spots” where some may find conflict between science and faith. Being a reference for educators, topics such as evolution, stem cells, genetically modified organisms, and the creation of the universe, as well as others are discussed. Each section indicates the specific location in the Ontario Curriculum where the topic may arise, explains what the current scientific understanding tells us about it, and finally discusses the Catholic Church’s specific stance on the topic. Aspirations of the Authors It is our hope that this project can be a reference for educators seeking to get a general overview of the “hot spot” topics that may arise in class. This resource is meant to be neither exhaustive (Church documents are beautifully written and provide a much better explanation of the topics at hand), nor authoritative - we, the writers, are merely Catholic teachers with a love of science. As well, the Catholic Church constantly evaluates new scientific understandings and technologies in light of new contexts and realities, so perspectives discussed here may end up being out-of-date at some point in the future. It is hoped that this resource will be useful in supporting educators as they aid students in understanding scientific topics from within a Catholic context. There is a lot of misinformation present online and in our communities about how Catholics view science. Being able to focus in on the Catholic context can provide students with a richer, more complete understanding and appreciation of both the scientific topics and the Church teachings to which they relate. 3 Introduction The Catholic Church has a long history of supporting the quest for knowledge and the understanding of our natural world. From the very beginnings of universities,1 to major scientific advancements made by Catholic clergy, the search for knowledge about the world has always been an important part of a Catholic practice. For example, Gregor Mendel, the “father of genetics” was an Augustinian friar;2 George Lemaître, previous director of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and “Father of the Big Bang Theory” was a Belgian priest;3 and even Copernicus, who developed the heliocentric model of the solar system, had many roles in the Church.4 Continuing today, the Holy See supports science in a variety of ways, including the Vatican Observatory which is an astronomical research and educational facility in Italy, and the many thousands of clergy and lay people who work in various areas of academia. There is no denying the persistence of the idea in popular culture that Catholicism and science are in perpetual conflict. The most prevalent example that many point to is that of Galileo’s conflict with the Church in the early 1600’s. Unfortunately, the commonly understood story that Galileo was sent to trial due to his views (later found to be correct) of the solar system inadequately depicts the complexity of the entire affair.5 In a context where neither geocentric or heliocentric models of the solar system could be proven, where Galileo’s ideas were contrary to most other scholars at the time (secular and religious), and where Copernicus had theorized about these same ideas many years before without similar condemnation, many scholars believe it was Galileo’s belligerence that eventually got him into trouble.6 Over the many years following this, the church has reevaluated the entire affair several times (ie, allowing Galileo’s book to be published in 1758), and officially apologized in 1992. Science as Worship Beyond the history of the Church’s relationship with science is a more nuanced perspective in exploring how faith and science can relate to one another. It is important to understand that science is both the body of knowledge amassed about our natural world and how it works, and as well a “tool” or a “procedure” for determining what is true about our world. Furthermore, it strives to limit bias and personal influence. For many scientists, “doing science” - the act of learning about our reality - can be a deeply spiritual experience. In 4 his great work Summa Theologica (1485), St. Thomas Aquinas described that exploring the Laws of Nature (the natural order of things) is “the human person’s participation in eternal law through the use of reason.”7 Performing experiments to see how certain bacteria behave, or investigating which chemicals make up the atmosphere of one of Saturn’s moons, for example, can provide a window into God’s creation. In an interview with Crux, Br. Guy Consolmagno (Director of the Vatican Observatory) explained that “worship is a way that we come closer to God; and that’s what we do when we study the cosmos.”8 He continues by adding: “In particular I am inspired by the psalmist who wrote “The Heavens proclaim the glory of God” and St. Paul who reminds us that “from the beginning of time, God has made Himself known in the things He has created. We get to learn God’s personality by getting used to His way of making creation work… a way that is elegant, rational, and full of joy!”8 For many students, the idea that “doing science” can be a way to learn more about God, as described above, may be a new one worth exploring in class, but it’s not a new idea. In 1870, the First Vatican Council proclaimed that: “God, the source and end of all things, can be known with certainty from the consideration of created things, by the natural power of human reason…: ‘ever since the creation of the world, his invisible nature has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made.’ (Romans 1:20)”9 It might be useful to discuss with students the idea that our scientific explorations give us an ever-increasing, but always limited view of God’s mind and creation, as seen through our own human filters. Science can’t give us all the answers, but it can contribute to the understanding of God we get from scripture, through prayer, through our work, from the Church, and through tradition. 5 A Tool for Good Moving further, it’s also useful to discuss the fact that science can be a tool for doing good in the world. In an address on April 3, 2017, Pope Francis spoke to the National Committee Biosafety, Biotechnology and Life Sciences about the themes found in the encyclical Laudato Si’ (on the care for our common home).