Paper 1 - The universe, creation and the place of human beings Flashcards
The creation story
Day 1: Day and night, Light and Darkness Day 2: The sea and the sky Day 3: dry land and plants Day 4: sun, moon, stars, seasons, time Day 5: fish and birds Day 6: Humans and animals Day 7: God rested
Christian beliefs on the creation story
Fundamentalist Christians believe the creation story to be literal, as an actual outline and narration of what actually happened and how the universe as a whole was first created. They believe that God did take exactly seven days to create the universe as we know it and that he created something different every day (day 1: light and darkness, day 2 the sea and the sky so forth…) and that the 7th day accumulated in the complete creation of our universe.
Some Christians e.g. Liberal Christians believe that the creation story is of spiritual truth, whereby it is more symbolic of God’s wills and wishes and is more like a poem than an actual account of how the universe was entirely created. God is omnipotent and would not require seven days to create the world but he used the seven days to symbolize the strenuous and lengthy process one would take to create the Earth. The seven days could also outline God’s wishes for how humans should have a weekly cycle for seven days(which is now a reality). And again with regards to God’s omnipotence, God takes the seventh day to rest (which he does not need as he is omnipotent) which seems more symbolical and spiritual than literal as God wishes that humans should also have moments to rest after 6 days of work,
Types of Christians
Fundamentalist:
-Interprets the Bible and its teachings as literal truth
-If something in the secular world were to oppose the Bible’s teachings in any way, they must be wrong.
-The believe the Bible is the only thing they can rely on
Liberal: -Interprets the Bible and its teachings spiritually, as a document full of wisdom and guidance.
-They believe it contains important knowledge on Jesus and God.
-Could fully accept and reconciliation other views along with Christianity - e.g. science
-Sees the bible as undogmatic - not undeniably true
Role of humans in the world
Stewardship: Some Christians believe that humans were given responsibility by humans to take care of the world including its other inhabitants and the surrounding environment. “The Lord God took the man and put him In the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it”. This influences Christians to care for the environment and feel empowered to protect and conserve it.
Dominion: Some Christians however believe that God has given humans the ability and right to control and rule over the world and its inhabitants. “Fill the earth and subdue it”, subdue means to dominate it and rule it. Humans hold a superior and domineering position over the inhabitants and the rest of the world. This influences Christians to feel superior and feel that other creations of God such as animals are inferior and liable to arbitrary rule and human authority.
What is Imago dei
Humans are created in the image of God. We have free will, we have a rational and cognizant mind.
Humans have godly qualities: purpose, meaning, and value; the ability to love reflect, and understand
Humans were God’s final creation (day 6), humans are God’s final, perfect creation; what it has all accumulated to.
“Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness”
Relationship between humans and animals
Dominance: Humans have arbitrary authority and rule over animals. Humans are superior to animals and have the right to exercise control over animals. Humans are made in the image of God, have free will, and are cognizant which are values that animals simply do not possess, suggesting humanity’s superiority and dominance.
This however does not mean humans can abuse animals as having control over them does not mean one can do whatever you want to them.
“Fill the earth and subdue it” “Let us make mankind in our image, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals”
Commonality: Humans and animals are equal and should therefore be treated equal. Both humans and animals were made on the same day (day 6 as accounted in the Bible) and underwent the same process of development.
“The righteous care for the needs of their animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel”
Atheists or believers in scientific evidence may also believe that humans and animals should be treated equally, as under Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution both animals and humans underwent the same evolutionary process and that biologically we are part of the same process of development
