More than half of all teenagers in Church of England secondary schools believe that science makes it hard to believe in God, according to a major survey published in early July.
Conducted among more than 2,000 15–18-year-olds, the survey discovered that two in every five (41%) believe that the accepted scientific view is that God does not exist, while many students suppose that all scientists are atheists.
The results of the survey were presented at ‘Cosmology: the beginning, the end and the vast’, a conference at St John’s College, Durham. The event was designed to equip church leaders to understand both the opportunities and challenges they face in an age of science.
At the start of a conference day, two in every five students (41%) believe that the scientific view is that God does not exist. By the end, only 20% think this.
Science and faith
Tom Mcleish, Professor of Physics at Durham, who chairs the Royal Society of Science Education Committee, said: ‘This important project is helping students understand that science and religious views inform each other, but have not and do not negate each other.'
Reaching more than 3,000
The study was carried out on behalf of God and the Big Bang, a day conference that encourages GCSE and A-level students to explore the relationship between science and faith. Presented by prominent members of the scientific faith community, God and the Big Bang has taken place in 37 English secondary schools and cathedrals, reaching more than 3,000 students.
