Origins of the Universe

Question 1

Who are Creationists?

Answer 1

Fundamentalist christians that believe God created the world in 6 days

Question 2

What are Scientific Truths?

Answer 2

answer “how?” questions, open to being changed

Question 3

What are Religous truths?

Answer 3

answer “why?” questions, unchanging

Question 4

Explain the big bang theory…

Answer 4

A small, dense point (singularity) expanded and cooled to create the universe over 13.8 billion years ago

Question 5

What evidence is there to support the big bang theory?

Answer 5

• Red Shift (light waves becoming longer & redder as they move away from us)
• Cosmic Background Radiation (photons still cooling and emitting electromagnetic waves)

Question 6

What do Creationists say in response to the big bang theory?

Answer 6

• God wouldn’t lie
• “it was good” why would the world need to change?
• explain away physical evidence

Question 7

What do Liberals say Genesis shows?

Answer 7

• God behind creation
• God is powerful, humans are sacred
• humans should look after the world

Question 8

What is Awe?

Answer 8

marvelling at how complex and beautiful the laws of nature are

Question 9

What is Wonder?

Answer 9

Christians marvelling at nature, how it is a representation of God’s glory

Question 10

Give 3 examples of bible evidence for creation (genesis)…

Answer 10

• “In the beginning God created the heaven and earth”
• “let us make man in our image”
• “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good”

Question 11

Give 4 beliefs buddhists have about the universe…

Answer 11

• no god/creator
• no beginning, part of a life cycle
• doesn’t conflict with big bang theory
• story of the poisoned arrow

Question 12

What does the story of the poisoned arrow show?

Answer 12

The beginning of the universe of is an unanswerable question, we should be focusing on more important things like escaping suffering