Evidence of the Sacred, Lesson 1
Lesson 1: Opening Debate
Focus: Can religious artifacts and miracle claims serve as reliable sources of knowledge?
Suggested length: 1 hour
Learning objectives:
- Identify religious artifacts and miracle claims across cultures.
- Analyze the role of faith, perception, reason, and historical evidence in interpreting religious knowledge.
- Discuss the extent to which religious artifacts and miracle claims may be considered reliable sources of knowledge.
| Critical Thinking Concepts | TOK Concepts | Reflection Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Confronting Biases & Assumptions: Identify faith vs. evidence bias and question confirmation bias. Exploring Contexts: Perform a stakeholder analysis on who benefits from the veneration or debunking of religious artifacts. Responsiveness and Flexibility of Thought: Evaluate how both religious and scientific viewpoints contribute to — or challenge — our understanding of knowledge. | Certainty: How do religious artifacts challenge absolute knowledge? Evidence: How do different types of evidence shape the justification of religious knowledge? Truth: To what extent do different theories of truth — such as scientific verification, coherence in faith-based systems, and pragmatic utility — shape our understanding of what is considered “true”? | What makes something a ‘reliable’ source of religious knowledge? Can something be true for one person but not for another? How does a person’s cultural or religious background affect whether they believe in religious relics? Should religious artifacts be tested using scientific methods, or does that undermine their sacred nature? |
Resources and Preparation
- Slides, attached below.
- Prepare visual collage for introduction, including examples like:
- The Shroud of Turin
- The Sudarium of Oviedo
- The Black Stone of Mecca
- The Tooth Relic of the Buddha
- Acheiropoieta
- The Hand of Fatima
- Log into Kialo and clone the linked discussion in the main activity to make a copy for your students.
- Use your preferred sharing method to share the cloned discussion with your students.
Introduction
Present the guiding question: “Can religious artifacts and miracle claims serve as reliable sources of knowledge?”
Display a visual collage of religious artifacts, including examples like:
- The Shroud of Turin
- The Sudarium of Oviedo
- The Black Stone of Mecca
- The Tooth Relic of the Buddha
- Acheiropoieta
- The Hand of Fatima
Ask students to consider:
- What do these objects have in common?
- Why might people believe these objects hold religious significance?
- What kind of knowledge do these artifacts provide and how is this knowledge justified?
Main Activity
Debate Setup
Use the Kialo discussion: “Can religious artifacts and miracle claims serve as reliable sources of knowledge?”
Students will respond to the thesis: Religious artifacts and miracle claims can serve as reliable sources of knowledge.
The discussion contains four starter claims to prompt students' ideas. These are listed below, along with potential counterclaims and areas for students to explore.
- PRO: Religious artifacts are proof of divine intervention.
- Counterclaim: Scientific testing has debunked many religious artifacts as inauthentic.
- Reasoning: This claim forces students to consider whether faith-based evidence is valid, or whether science should have the final say.
- PRO: Historical tradition validates religious relics.
- Counterclaim: Just because people have believed in something for centuries doesn’t make it true.
- Reasoning: This challenges the authority of tradition and long-standing belief systems.
- CON: Miracles cannot be scientifically verified, making them unreliable knowledge.
- Counterclaim: Many miracles documented throughout history possess a wealth of anecdotal evidence.
- Reasoning: Students must explore whether knowledge can be justified without empirical proof.
- CON: Faith-based beliefs cannot be universally accepted as truth because they are subjective.
- Counterclaim: Faith can provide a form of truth that is distinct from scientific inquiry.
- Reasoning: This forces students to question the validity of faith as a way of knowing.
Students could also explore the following claims:
- PRO: Personal religious experiences justify belief in artifacts.
- Counterclaim: Personal experience is subjective and cannot serve as reliable knowledge for others.
- Reasoning: Exploring whether personal conviction can be considered evidence for knowledge.
- CON: Scientific testing on religious artifacts disrespects faith.
- Counterclaim: Science enhances our understanding of religious relics and can strengthen faith.
- Reasoning: This explores the tension between faith and empirical investigation.
Debate
Students present initial arguments, exploring the nature of evidence based on empirical and faith-based knowledge, the nature of sacredness and whether it should be disproved, whether religion and science can coexist, and whether personal belief supersedes scientific inquiry.
In this lesson, all student contributions should be based on their existing knowledge.
Reflection Activity
Discuss the following questions in open discussion or exit ticket format:
- What makes something a ‘reliable’ source of religious knowledge?
- Can something be true for one person but not for another?
- How does a person’s cultural or religious background affect whether they believe in religious relics?
- Should religious artifacts be tested using scientific methods, or does that undermine their sacred nature?
- Do we have the right to disprove someone’s faith?
