issues of life and death Flashcards
what are the similarities of genesis 1 and 2
- god is the creator
- god creates all living things in both stories
- adam and eve are named in both
- god created the earth in 6 days and on the 7th he rested
- god created humans with a purpose in mind
- humans have a special status above animals - “made in gods image” and “till the earth”, adam also names all the animals in gen 2
what are the differences between genesis 1 and 2
- in 1 god creates from ex nihilo (nothingness), it is not stated in 2
- in 1 god looks at what he created and said “it was good”, no mention in 2
- adam created after animals in 1 as the pinnacle of creation, but he was created 1st in 2
- in 1 adam is given dominion over creation and is told to “rule over the fish in the sea”, 2 he is told to be a steward and “till the earth”
- water created first in 1, earth from the start in 2
- 1 has no account of the Fall, 2 does
what do evangelicals believe about creation
- earth was made in 6 days approximately 10,000 years ago by God
- fossils ‘do not predate 10000 years’, scientific facts are not accurate compared to God’s omniscience
- the genealogies depicted in genesis date back to 10000 years ago
- the bible is the word of god (“god-breathed”) and therefore is the truth and factual
- the hebrew word used for day is “yom”, they interpret this as 24 hrs
what do liberal christians believe about creation
- bible accounts should be read as myths with morals
- the two stories contradict each other so should not be taken literally
- they accept factual scientific views
- they believe god caused the big bang and set down the laws of nature and is therefore the creator
- the word “yom” can also translate to epoch, supported by scientific accounts of the 6 eras of creation
- god is beyond time and therefore can have planned the big bang
what is the big bang theory and what proof is there to support it
- the universe began as a singularity (an infinitely tiny point)
- the singularity was incredibly hot and dense
- it began to expand and subatomic particles began to form
- atoms began to form and create our stars and planets
- CMBR (cosmic microwave background radiation)
- red and blue shift effects
^ both show that the universe is expanding away from us
what do atheists (stephen hawking) believe about creation
- before the big bang, there was no space, light or time
- time is necessary for something to be planned and caused, therefore nothing caused the big bang
- instead, the universe spontaneously created itself
what is the theory of evolution and what evidence is there for it
- for anything to survive it has to fit to its surroundings
- the world is well designed due to evolution rather than God
- random variations of offspring gave advantages to certain characteristics, the stronger survived and had children, the less favourable died out leaving only the advantageous species (survival of the fittest)
- different-beaked finches on different Galapagos islands (those which ate fleshy fruits had large beaks, those with seeds had thin beaks)
what does richard dawkins believe and what examples did he use
- he asked ‘who designed the designer’, raising a good question of how evolution needs no designer to come about, and ‘a creator’ is simply an illusion for randomised evolution
- the human eye originally looked nothing like today’s eyes- they still worked but not as effectively
christian responses to theories of evolution
literalists - evolution requires millions of years and the earth is only 10,000 years old, god created species, not nature, humans have not evolved as they were made separately in genesis
liberals - the bible accounts should be read as myths, bible writers had no scientific understanding of evolution, but meant that god had guided the process, god set out the laws of nature over 6 epochs of time-much longer than 6 days or 10,000 years
why do evangelical christians believe we can do what we want with the environment
- “let us make man in our image”, “he will rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky”- dominion ship, importance over animals
- God “put everything under his feet” earth was made for humans to do what they want with
- “this earth will be destroyed in the last days” (the Rapture, revelations), no point saving earth if God will make a new one
- parable of jesus and the Gerasene pigs (exorcised a man and put evil on pigs)- jesus did not care about animal welfare
why do other christians believe they should care for the earth
- “put [adam] in the garden to work it and to take care of it”- human purpose
- “in his image”- humans should take on role of god as a carer
- “you put everything under his feet” earth is a gift from god and should be treated with respect and care
- “love thy neighbour”, “treat others…”
- Isaiah believed animals would be in the kingdom of heaven
- anglican statement 1992- humans should be able to live in sustainable harmony with the rest of the natural world
how can christians look after the environment
- recycle
- renewable and sustainable energy
- support replanting of trees
- get involved with charities e.g. tearfund, christianaid, cathaid
- get involved in conservation work
what do humanists for a better world campaign for
- climate campaigns e.g. climate coalition
- campaign for animal welfare e.g stunning animals before killing
- campaign for labelling of brands against animal welfare
- support the ‘for the love of the world’
why do humanists believe they should care for the earth
- humans are top of the evolutionary chain and have reason and judgement, they can see the damage they have caused
- humans have empathy
- science is important, we are damaging the biosphere
- dawkins believes that earth’s beauty creates happiness and awe
- we must look after it for future generations (utilitarianismm)
- earth is our home so we should keep it that way
- we are all interconnected e.g. we all use the sea
why do buddhists care for the environment
- 1st precept “avoid harming”
- 2nd precept “avoid taking”- dont overuse
- pratityasamutpada, we kill bees -> less pollenated plants etc.
- one of 3 poisons is ignorance, cannot turn a blind eye
- right livelihood- do not make a living from suffering
- samudaya (2nd noble truth) - suffering is caused by tanha - greed of overconsumption
- metta and karuna
-HOWEVER animals are a lesser rebirth and therefore must be carrying bad karma- deserving?
why is human life important to humanists
- it is our one and only lifetime
- humans have sentince and conciousness
- we want hapinesss
- humans have a moral compass and reason
- we have many possibilities available
- we must recognise our shared humanity
- we can develop ethics through thought and personal experience
why do christians believe in the sanctity of human life
“god created man in his own image”
“he knitted you in your mother’s womb”
“before i formed you in the womb i knew you” (has a plan for all humans)
“thou shalt not kill”
“whether we live or die we belong to the lord”
“your body is a temple of the holy spirit”
“i have come so you can live life in all its fullness”
