Faith and Science

Class Time: 10:00 - 11:00, Spring Semester

Grade Level:  10th - 12th (9th grade with permission)

Instructor: Laura Burke 

Contact Information:  lauraburke703@gmail.com

Course Description:  

In my experience, one of the greatest obstacles to faith for young people (and even older people) is the belief that science and faith are incompatible. Even some young schoolchildren, and many adults, absorb from the culture around them that evolution proves that God doesn’t exist, or that the Bible is a fairy tale. We are surrounded by those who think a loss of faith happens naturally to anyone who studies science to any extent. But those conclusions are simply wrong, and faithful young Catholics will benefit from understanding why. 

This class will strive to help them gain that understanding. Hopefully, then, students will be better prepared to defend what they believe and share this knowledge with others who are searching. Topics will include:

• What science can and cannot tell us about God’s existence
• The compatibility of faith and science and the “integrity of nature”
• Aspects of scientific discovery that have the “fingerprints of God” all over them
• Medical evidence for the transphysical soul
• Background on faithful scientists who were convinced by their studies of God’s existence 

Understanding what the Catholic faith teaches about these things and how true science can never conflict with faith will enable us to better understand how the very truths of science - and its beauty - have converted and uplifted Christians for centuries. Classroom activities, discussion, and debate will be enhanced by reading and homework completed at home. 

Tuition: $200

Course Materials: Faith, Science, and Reason: 2nd Edition, by Christopher Baglow (Midwest Theological Forum)

Teacher Qualifications:  Laura Burke has been teaching for NCHS since its inception in 2014. She earned her doctorate in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research at University of California, Berkeley, and was Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering at Lehigh University. She retired from academia to homeschool her children, and has enjoyed teaching Physics, Physical Science, Math Appreciation, and Faith and Science to middle and high school students as a community homeschool instructor since 2010. In

2021, the youngest of her three children graduated from homeschooling. Laura is a parishioner at St. Catherine of Siena Church.