1) The Universe, Creation and the Place of Human Beings Flashcards
1.1 Non religious views - origin of the universe
Steady State theory - proposed that the universe has no beginning or end and essentially unchanging. Matter is being continuously created at the same rate that old ones become unobservable
Big Bang theory - the universe started at a single point that exploded and is now expanding
1.1 Two views of Genesis 1 and 2
-two separate myths with similar meaning
-one continuous story
1.1 What happened in Genesis 1?
God created the earth:
-‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.’
-‘God said, ‘Let there be light’ and ‘there was light’
1.1 What happened in Genesis 2?
Creation of Adam and Eve:
Adam
-‘the Lord God formed Man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.’
Eve
-‘the rib which the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man’
1.1 The uniqueness of humanity
God made humans imago dei (in the image of God).
-All Christians accept that this refers to the idea that humans were made to ‘resemble’ God mentally, morally, and socially
1.1 Catholic view of imago dei
To describe the unique relationship between God and humans.
-It singles out humans as we are the only part of creation made imago dei
-‘Let us make mankind’ in our image’ (Genesis 1)
1.1 Stewardship
The belief that God gave human beings a special responsibility in creation to cultivate, guard and use it wisely.
1.1 Bible quotes on stewardship
-‘God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it’ (Genesis 2:15)
-God also gave man the responsibility of naming all the living things
-‘The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world and all who live it’ (Psalm)
1.1 Other evidences of stewardship
-Jesus taught kindness to the weak - animals are weak compared to us so we should be kind
-St Anthony Padua - preached to fish; St Francis of Assisi (13th century) preached to birds. - Animals and humans are equal, as we are all God’s creations
-Peter Singer (Australian philosopher) - ‘in suffering the animals are our equals’ - animals have sufficient consciousness and self-awareness to be of moral consideration
1.1 Dominion
To rule over nature and that humans are in charge of the world on behalf of God.
1.1 Evidences of dominion
-‘Fill the earth and subdue it’ (Genesis 1)
-God gave humanity the right to have power over all other living beings
-humancentric theology - all nature is judged in relation to its use for us
1.1 Examples of animal rights
-No experiments on animals.
-No breeding and killing animals for food or clothes or medicine.
-No use of animals for hard labour.
-No selective breeding for any reason other than the benefit of the animal.
-No zoos or use of animals in entertainment.
-The Animal Welfare Act 2006
1.1 The Animal Welfare Act 2006
The Animal Welfare Act 2006 - principal law of animal welfare in the UK
-Owners and keepers have a duty of care to their animals and must make sure they meet their needs for suitable environment, diet, protection, etc.
-If not - Can be sent to prison for up to 6 months, banned from owning animals, face unlimited fine
1.1 Rebuttal to the argument of dominion
-God told Noah to bring out every living creature in the Ark so they procreate and ‘be fruitful’ (Genesis 8)
-God also saved his other creations
-commanded Noah to save them - as a steward
1.2 Human nature: the body
Physical part of a human being. Only visible part of man that can be seen. Only part of man that dies.
1.2 Evidence of the body as the only part of man that dies
-‘Our earthly bodies which die and decay are different from the bodies we shall have when we come back to life again, for they will never die’ (1 Corinthians)
1.2 Hindu view on the body/ soul
-when a person dies the atman (soul) is reincarnated into a new body on the basis of past karma
-Good karma (gained from morally good voluntary actions) leads to a positive rebirth - the best form - Brahmin (priestly) caste - most likely that you would go on to gain good karma in your next existence
-bad karma can lead to a negative reincarnation (animal as it is hard to gain good karma)
-Process of rebirth - samsara
1.2 Human nature: the soul
A non-physical part of a human being that lives on after the death of the physical body.
1.2 Evidences of the how the soul is outside of the body
-‘the Lord God formed Man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.’
-‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you’ (Jeremiah 1:5)
1.2 Secular differing views about the soul
-Physicalism - the only existing material is the physical. Richard Dawkins, a materialist biologist, thinks there is no demonstrable, testable evidence for the soul.
-Aristotle - The soul is not eternal but instead that which ‘animates’ the body. All things have souls and they die at death.
-Pantheism - ultimate reality and the universe (everything) is God. The ‘world soul’ is existent in all things and represents God’s creative action in creation. We are all instance of this world soul, hoping for total absorption into God at death, back into the elements.
1.2 Challenges to belief in the Soul
-interactionism - how do soul and body interact? How can the non physical cause physical action?
-sciences - tells us about the workings of the brain. Psychologists can predict and analyse how thought influences behaviour. Concept of a separate ‘soul’ is redundant
-category mistakes - Gilbert Ryle (English philosopher) argues the belief in the soul is a ‘catergory mistake’. The soul is not separate from the mind and body, but refers to all of them.
1.2 Human nature: spirit
Our innermost part which possesses God-consciousness that enables us to contact and communicate with God.
1.2 The natures of humanity
-Morality
-Free will
-Rationality
-Creative
-Fallen
1.2 Human nature: morality
-The idea of having a sense of right and wrong
Christian ethics emphasises doing right and wrong - gives humanity laws and commandments, sent Jesus to teach God’s will
1.3 Human nature: free will
God gave humans free will. Without it, we would not be moral, as we wouldn’t have the conscious choice to act in a moral way
–Adam and Eve
-They were tempted by the serpent and ate the forbidden fruit
-Humans have the ability and responsibility to choose
–‘Do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love’ (Galatians)
1.2 Human nature: rationality
-God made humans to be able to reason and make decisions or judgements based on reason.
-‘For the Lord gives wisdom, from his mouth came knowledge and understanding’ (Proverbs 2:6)
1.2 Human nature: creative
–Idea that God created humans with ability to be creative
-‘Be fruitful and multiply’ (Genesis) - human nature and the main purpose for humans
-Made in God’s image -God is the original creator, and our nature of creativity reflects His
1.2 Human nature: fallen
–Idea that all humans are born with a tendency to sin as a result of original sin
-Humans are weakened, subject to ignorance, suffering death and the incline of sin
-Baptism - needed to remove original sin but still doesn’t remove the inclination to sin as it is still in human nature
-‘Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ (Matthew 26:41)
1.2 The excuse of sin in human nature
Thomas Aquinas (philosopher in the 13th century)
–Believed that human nature is essentially good and that all humans are oriented towards perfection and good acts
-wrong acts are carried out due to mistaking a wrong act for a right act
-a wrong act is due to a fault in reasoning of the individual
-‘Whatever man desires, he desires it under the aspect of God’
1.2 Debating the existence of human nature
Jean Paul Satre - Famous existentialist
–There is no human nature. It is a concept and illusion invented by authority figures to abuse our freedom
–People should reject the notion of God and believe that humans are placed on earth with no purpose or meaning
-this gives an individual the freedom to do whatever they want
–‘existence precedes essence’
-for the individual to decide who they are after being born, instead of being born into something
1.3 Sin
An immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law.
Fatal flaw - hamartia
1.3 Fundamentalist Christians views on sin
Believe that the Bible is inerrant (incapable of being wrong) so everything that the Bible says is a sin is and should be avoided.
-e.g. opposed to homosexuality as in Leviticus, it is described as an ‘abomination’
1.3 Liberal Christian views on sin
The sins mentioned in the Bible are reflections of the values of another age
-they don’t come from God but from human writers of the Bible
1.3 Majority of Christians view on sin
-sin separates humans from God, bringing lasting punishment
-God gave humans free will so it is up to humans to decide for themselves how to behave (follow 10 commandments, Sermon on the Mount)
-only God can rectify the problem of humans being full of sin - he offered salvation through the sacrifice of Christ.
1.3 Roman Catholics on 2 types of sin
–Venial sins - not as serious (e.g. lying)
-People can confess privately to God/ to a priest
–Mortal sins - serious affect a person’s relationship with God (e.g. murder)
-RCC teaches this should be confessed to a priest
-as they speak with the authority of Christ
-to be able to help the person to receive God’s forgiveness