Creation

Question 1

How does Creation of Adam reflect catholic beliefs (4)

Answer 1

• Adam is not yet fully alive, he us waiting for God’s touch to bring him to life - shows that humanity depends on God for life
• God and Adam both look powerful and muscular, they are lying in similar positions - reflects the teaching that humanity is made in the image if God (Genesis 1:27)
• God is carried through the air by a group of angels - shows that God is transcendent
• Adam is shown as the perfect man , full of strength and potential - reflects the teaching that God made everything ‘very good’ (Genesis 1:31)

Question 2

How does Creation of Adam not reflect catholic beliefs (2)

Answer 2

• Genesis 2:7 says that God brought Adam to life by breathing into his nostrils, rather than touching him
• In the painting God and Adam are nearly the same size suggesting that humans and God are equal

Question 3

How does Meière’s mosaic reflect catholic beliefs (2

Answer 3

• God’s hand is large compared to the size of the cloud above it - helps to show God’s greatness and power
• Lines extend from God’s hand to the edge of the circle - reflects the idea that God created everything in the universe, and that his influence and power touch all things

Question 4

What does Genesis 1 teach about the nature of God being creator (4)

Answer 4

• God is the only creator, who has created everything
• This is significant for Christians because it means they should worship only this one God
• All of creation is special therefore should be looked after and cared for
• Genesis 1:27 shows that God created humans in his image which means we share human qualities with God allowing humans to have a close relationship with God

Question 5

What does Genesis 1 teach about the nature of God being omnipotent (3)

Answer 5

• “God saw everything he had made, and indeed, it was very good”
• God has the power to do whatever he wants exactly the way he wants it
• Belief in God’s omnipotence inspires Christians to trust in God, as they know he has the power to do or change anything

Question 6

What does Genesis 1 teach about the nature of God being transcendent (3)

Answer 6

• “Then God said, ‘let there be light’ and there was light”
• God only needs his own word in order to create - shows he is completely above and beyond the created world
• The idea of transcendence also means God is beyond human understanding

Question 7

What does Genesis 2 teach about the nature of humans sharing the spirit of God (4)

Answer 7

• “…then the lord God formed man from dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became living being”
• Genesis 2:8 explains God made humans in his image
• The Hebrew word for ‘breath’ is ru’ach which is also translated as spirit
• This shows that humans share the spirit of God

Question 8

What does Genesis 2 teach about the nature of humans being given the gift of free will (4)

Answer 8

Christians believe Genesis 2 shows that God has given humans free will:
• Describes how God made the garden of Eden for Adam to live in
• God tells Adam that he may eat from any tree in the garden except for the tree of the knowledge of goof and evil
• However God doesn’t actively prevent Adam from doing so

Question 9

The significance of the creation stories for catholics (4)

Answer 9

They teach Catholics the idea about:
• Stewardship
• The dignity of human beings
• The sanctity of life

Question 10

Stewardship (4)

Answer 10

• In Genesis 1:28 God tells Adam and Eve to ‘subdue’ the earth and ‘have dominion’ over every living thing - suggests that humans have been given power and authority to rule over all other creatures
• In Genesis 2:15 God puts Adam in the garden of eden to “till it and keep it’ - suggest looking after the world with care and love
• These two verses teach christians that they have a duty to look after the environment on God’s behalf
• Christians believe the world is a gift from God, but God expects them to protect and care for the world in return

Question 11

Stewardship quote

Answer 11

“This responsibility for God’s earth means that human beings… must respect the laws of nature and the delicate [balance] existing between the creatures of the world” - Laudato si 68

Question 12

The dignity of human beings (4)

Answer 12

• Genesis 1 states that God made humans ‘in his image’
• All humans are equal because they have all been created by God and share in the qualities of God
• For catholics, this means that all people have dignity - they are worthy of honour and respect
• Catholics believe that everyone should respect their own dignity and the dignity of other people

Question 13

The sanctity of life (4)

Answer 13

• In Genesis 1, God blesses humans after he creates them
• Catholics believe that all creation is holy as it has been created and blessed by God
• Sanctity of life is the idea that all life is holy and sacred
• For catholics, belief in the sanctity of life means that every stage of life should be treated with care and respect - this is why catholics are against euthanasia and abortion

Question 14

The old testament (4)

Answer 14

• Law - He first five books, about how the Jews became God’s people, contains the 10 commandments
• History - shows how God guided the jews and they often refused to listen - these help later generations to not make the same mistakes
• Wisdom - Include a mixture of prayers, psalms, poems and a book of advice, helps people understand their faith and live in a way that pleases God
• Prophecy - Challenged the people to remain faithful to God and taught them God is active in the world

Question 15

The New Testament (4)

Answer 15

• Gospels - cover the actions and teachings of Jesus
• Acts of the Apostles - Tell of some of the events in the early church
• Letters that were written by apostles and discuss how to follow Jesus’ teachings in everyday life
• The book of revelation - written by the apostle John, includes his own mystical visions, which some Christians believe describe the end of the world

Question 16

How is the bible the word of God? (4)

Answer 16

• God guided the writing of the bible through the Holy Spirit
• The bible contains the word of God
• The bible tells of the actions and teachings of Jesus in the Gospels
• The Bible contains the writings of the apostles in the Epistles

Question 17

Interpreting the bible today through the Magisterium (2)

Answer 17

• Catholics are guided in their interpretation of the Bible by the Magisterium
• The magisterium is continually inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit

Question 18

Quote for the word of God

Answer 18

“Sacred Scripture is the word of God…while sacred tradition takes the word of God … and hands it on to their successors in its full purity”- Dei verbum

Question 19

Catholic interpretations of the Genesis creation stories (6)

Answer 19

• The church teaches they are myths - they intend to convey deep or complex spiritual truths and not to be taken literally
• catholics believe the creation stories are not meant to be scientific explanations of how creation happened
The main messages are that:
• God made everything
• Everything that God made was Good
• Humans are the high point of God’s creation

Question 20

Fundamentalists

Answer 20

• Are christians who interpret the bible more literally

* Many believe that the Bible is a factual record which describes events exactly as they happened

Question 21

Why do fundamentalists believe what happened in the Bible is factual (3)

Answer 21

• The bible is the word of God so it must be accurate in all respects
• God loves humans so wouldn’t mislead them by giving them incorrect information
• Humans have no right to prefer their own interpretations to the actual words of God

Question 22

Fundamentalist interpretations of the Genesis creation stories (2)

Answer 22

• Many believe the universe and all life in it were literally created in six days - therefore they would disagree with the theory of evolution
• Some are actually happy to accept that the universe might be as old as scientists suggest

Question 23

What is natural law

Answer 23

Refers to the idea that humans are born with an understanding of what is right and wrong

Question 24

Why does the catholic church teach natural law

Answer 24

• God made all of creation good and Humans are made in the image of God
• for the catholic church this means that natural law is important because it is part of God’s will for humans
• This also means that Humans should not need rules to tell them what is right

Question 25

Catholic attitudes towards science (second Vatican council) (3)

Answer 25

• Religion and Science do not have to contradict each other - e.g if the genesis creation stories are read as myths rather than literally they don’t contradict the theory of evolution
• The catholic church is very supportive of advances in science that helps people to understand God’s creation - e.g George Lemaitre was a catholic priest who first proposed the Big Bang theory
• Religion and Science might come up with slightly different answers, but this is because they are asking slightly different questions -e.g religions tries to explain why where as science tries to explain how

Question 26

Why do catholics believe that they should care for the environment (3)

Answer 26

• All of creation is special because it was made by God so every part should be valued and taking care of the world shows their love to God as they care about what God created
• God made humans stewards of the Earth so humans have a responsibility by God to look after the Earth
• Jesus taught “love your neighbour as yourself”(Mark12:31) - the word ‘neighbour’ includes everyone so christians must understand the impact pollution, littering etc have on future generations

Question 27

The Church’s teachings on caring for the environment

Answer 27

Teaches that there is a delicate balance within creation - so damaging one aspect of the environment may affect other elements too

Question 28

Example of the church helping to protect the environment

Answer 28

In 2008, the Vatican installed solar panels on the roof of its main halls - they have reduced the Vatican’s carbon emissions by about 200 tonnes each year

Question 29

3 levels catholics can care for the environment (3)

Answer 29

• At local level e.g recycling, throw away less waste
• At a national level e.g put pressure on politicians to lass laws that protect the environment, support and buy from environmentally-friendly businesses
• At a global level e.g put pressure on governments to implement policies agreed at international meetings, boycott or help to expose international companies that threaten the environment

Question 30

What does the catholic church teach about being environmentally friendly (2)

Answer 30

• It is important for all catholics to take real actions to help protect the environment
• Although one person might not be able to make much of a difference the actions of many people all working towards the same goal will add up to make noticeable progress

Question 31

Quote for being environmentally friendly

Answer 31

“Everyone’s talents and involvements are needed to redress the damage caused by human abuse of God’s creation” - Pope Francis

Question 32

How sustainability links to catholic beliefs

Answer 32

• Sustainability involves only using natural resources at a rate at which they can replaced, in order to reduce long-term damage to the environment
• Links to the Catholic belief that god made very part of creation is good so all of creation is important and valuable

Question 33

CAFOD (3)

Answer 33

• Is the official aid agency for the Catholic Church in England and Wales
• Aims to help people living in poverty
• Support projects that promote sustainable living and help protect the environment

Question 34

Examples of the ways that CAFOD supports sustainability (2)

Answer 34

• Encouraging people on England and Wales to live more simply and use fewer resources e.g they give livesimply awards to communities that are taking concrete steps to live in a simpler, more sustainable way
• Supporting or setting up projects that use renewable energy