Mama Bear Apologetics by Hillary Morgan Ferrer
Week 7: Chapter 6 — Naturalism: When Science Becomes a Religion
Read Chapter 6 of Mama Bear Apologetics. Key passages: Romans 1:20; Psalm 19:1
Previewing Week 7 of Mama Bear Apologetics
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 12-week guide when you’re ready.
This chapter helps us see the difference between science — a tool for investigating the natural world — and scientism, a philosophy that claims science is the only valid path to knowledge.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.The chapter distinguishes between naturalism (the philosophical view that the physical world is all that exists) and the natural sciences (the methodological study of the physical world). Why is this distinction so important, and how does confusing the two put Christians on the defensive unnecessarily?
2.Ferrer notes that many children receive the implicit message that being a Christian means being anti-science. Have you or your children encountered that assumption? Where did it come from, and how did it make you feel?
3.The chapter introduces the concept of 'scientism' — the claim that only empirically verifiable claims count as knowledge. The authors point out that this claim is itself not empirically verifiable. How would you explain that self-refuting quality to someone who had never thought about it before?