Christianity 1 ~ Responsibility For The Planet Flashcards
Why do Christians believe humans are special?
~ God wanted humans to rule over all the other animals
~ He made humans separately
~ He made humans in the image of himself
What are some beliefs about the origins of the world?
~ God made everything with his hands
~ The world is perfect because He made it
~ God made the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th
What problems are facing the planet?
~ Global warming
~ Deforestation
~ Pollution
Who is a steward?
Someone who acts in a care taking role
What does being a steward involve?
~ Keeping everything in the world safe
~ Being in charge of all living things
~ However, not owning it
Why may Christians think that humans are more important than animals?
~ God made humans separately
~ ‘God made man in his own image’
~ God told man to rule over all the animals
Why may Christians want to protect the environment?
~ The world is Gods creation
~ Humans were made as stewards
What is a principle that all churches agree on?
Agape
What does the Roman Catholic Church teach about the environment?
~ Humans have a responsibility to care for the environment
~ We should plan for the welfare of future generations and consider the impact that the behaviour of richer countries has on developing countries
What can Christians do to improve environmental issues?
~ Vote for candidates who show concern to environmental issues
~ Cut down on waste
~ Support organisations such as Greenpeace
What environmental organisations could Christians support?
~ Greenpeace
~ Friends of the Earth
~ The Worldwide Fund for Nature
How many days did it take God to create the world?
7 days (6 days work, 1 day rest)
What did God breathe into man? What does this mean humans gave that animals don’t?
The breath of life. It suggests that humans have a soul and freedom
What is dominion?
What God has; power, control, ownership
What is the scientific theory for the beginning of the world?
The Big Bang
What was the Big Bang?
~ The explosion caused masses and gases to go flying in all directions
~ As the gases cooled the formed the stars and planets
What are different Christian beliefs about the origins of the world?
~ God made the world by himself in 7 days
~ The story of creation isn’t literally true but could be symbolic
~ God caused the Big Bang to happen
What are some bible quotes about Gods creation of the world?
~ “For the Lord is the Great God…the sea is his for he made it and his hands formed the dry land”
~ “The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of his hands”
What is the scientific theory for the origin of human life?
The theory of Evolution by Charles Darwin
What is the theory of evolution?
~ Different species developed gradually due to natural selection, where the best adapted animals to their environment survive and pass on these genes
~ Humans formed because we were a well adapted species
What is the Christian belief for the origin of human life?
~ God made humans on the 6th day
~ Humans were made in gods image
~ God breathed the breath of life into Adam
~ Humans were made to ‘rule over the birds in the air and the fish on the sea’
What was the very first law God gave to humans?
That they should be stewards
State two ways in which Christians might respond to environmental problems
~ Organise events to raise awareness of environmental issues
~ Walk places instead of driving, recycle, save energy and water
What is meant by animal experiments?
Using animals to test medical products and to conduct research on
State two environmental concerns Christians may have
Global warming
Deforestation
Describe what Christians believe about the origins of the world
~ God created the world and everything in it, “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”
~ God created the earth in 6 days and rested on the 7th
~ It was a planned creation
Explain Christian beliefs about the sanctity of life
~ Life is sacred because it’s a precious gift from God. This is because “God created man in his own image”.
~ There’s a part of God in every life and therefore our lives our sacred. “Don’t you know that you yourself are God’s temple”
~ Human’s have souls and animals don’t because “God breathed into man the breath of life”
“You have to totally believe what the bible says about the origins of the world to be a true Christian”
+ The bible is the words of God and so is the main source of authority for Christians
- The bible may be more symbolic than realistic because, unlike the Qur’an, it was put together 100s of years after the death of Jesus
+ God is omnipotent which means he can do anything, so if it says this in the bible, it’s true
- Totally believing the origins of the world is not the most important part of being Christian, e.g Agape is a more important teaching
What is a bible teaching to show dominion/stewardship?
“Rule over the birds in the air and the fish of the sea”
What did God make on the 1st day of creation?
Earth, space, light and time
What did God make on the 2nd day of creation?
The atmosphere
What did God make on the 3rd day of creation?
Dry land and plants
What did God make on the 4th day of creation?
The sun, moon and stars
What did God make on the 5th day of creation?
Sea creatures and birds
What did God make on the 6th day of creation?
Land animals and man
What do Christian churches think about environmental issues?
~ They believe the concept of dominion was misunderstood as this made people believe they could do what they want
~ They are much more aware today of environmental damage and believe people have not been good stewards
~ They believe it is an important Christian duty to look after the planet and show agape for future generations
