Christian Liberal - Origins Of The Universe

Question 1

Liberal Christians - KU

Answer 1

• Liberal Christians adopt a symbolic or metaphorical interpretation of the Genesis 1 account
• Liberal Christians believe Genesis 1 tells them that God was responsible for creating the universe and the earth, but most of them believe that Genesis 1 isnt conclusive as regards ‘how’ God did it.
• Liberal Christians do not agree with the literal understanding that each day in Genesis 1 is an actual 24 hour day but rather that one day is more likely to represent a period of time, perhaps spanning millions of years
• To a Liberal Christian, these scriptural accounts are myths or stories that have been handed own from generation to generation, the accounts show that God is ultimately responsible for the creation of the universe; however, when taken in context, they are interpreted with the understanding that the writers were recalling these stories from long ago before the emergence of modern science
• Many Liberal Christians would argue that these accounts are rich in meaning but not in scientific fact

Question 2

Liberal Christians - Analysis

Answer 2

• An implication of this viewpoint is that these Christians accept that the Biblical creation story points to God as the creator but it does so through a story which has to be interpreted as symbolism and myth
• A consequence of taking a symbolic viewpoint is that these Christians can accept both the religious and scientific explanations for the origins of the universe: religion answers the why questions and science answers the how questions
• Both together create compatibility; how did the universe come about?; through the Big Bang. Why did it come about?; because God wanted it to. They complement each other in explaining the how and why of the universe and both seek to explain the world but use different methods for doing so.

Question 3

Liberal Christians - Quote

Answer 3

• ‘And God said, Let there be light.’
• this quote implies that Liberal Christians would believe that God created the sun and light for us over many years which reflects scientific theory of the Big Bang

Question 4

Liberal Christians - Strength

Answer 4

• You are part way to accepting scientific findings ad less likely to reach a standoff between your religious and scientific beliefs
• Liberal Christians can accept the from Genesis 1 but as they understand it symbolically, there is room to understand their faith alongside modern science
• The Big Bang theory is not inconsistent with a liberal understanding of Genesis. The Universe had a beginning and God could have used the Big Band to create the universe

Question 5

Liberal Christians - weaknesses

Answer 5

• For some Christians a liberal approach is straying too far from the original text of the Bible. It is trying to combine religion and science, two different toes of reasoning, and this is not only inconsistent but dilutes faith
• Most scientists are of the opinion that what happened at the very beginning of our Universe is not only unknown but currently unknowable. For a Liberal Christian to explain this unknowns phenomenon as God, is using God in a way that is known as God of Gaps, that is using God as an explanation for things that cannot be explained

Question 6

Liberal Christians - Evaluation

Answer 6

• I agree with Liberal Christians to an extent as they provide a valid argument by stating that the Bible is a handbook of faith, but we still need to use our intelligence and match religious claims with scientific findings; symbolically interpreting the creation story allows us to do that
  -I agree to an extent as you are part way to accepting scientific findings and less likely to reach a standoff between your religious and scientific beliefs
• I disagree with Liberal interpretations for the origins of the universe as if you ignore some parts of the Bible and not others there is a danger you may lose your faith