RE Paper 1 Foundational Catholicism Flashcards
What do Catholics believe about the origin of the universe?
Believe that God created ex nihilo as he is transcendent, omnipotent and omnibenevolent
What is a quotation that shows that God created the universe?
“God alone created the universe freely, directly and without any help.” CCC
What did St Augustine say in his confession?
- God is eternal. “You we’re and besides you nothing was.”
- God is transcendent
- God is Creator. “You created heaven and earth”
- God is omnipotent. “There is nothing you cannot do”
- God is omnibenevolent. “You are good and all that you make must be good”
What is the Catholic understanding of Genesis creation account?
Accept it as a myth (story that conveys a deep or complex truth) that shouldn’t be taken literally. The message reveals all of the different aspects of God
-accept Big Bang theory and evolution
What would Catholics say about the “days” in Genesis?
They would say it means a “period of time.” The psalm 90:4 says that for the Lord “a thousand years are a single day.”
What is the Evangelical/ Literal Christian understanding of Genesis creation account?
Believe it is literally true as God is omnipotent and omniscient and he is very capable. And as he is omnibenevolent, he would not mislead his people with false information
-don’t accept the notion of Big Bang theory
What would Evangelists say when questions are raised about fossil evidence?
They would say that this is seen as a test from God and a test of faith
What is the Catholic response to the Big Bang theory?
- accept it as true
- Georges Lamaitre (priest) put forward the theory
- they believe everything needed a first cause and this was God
What is the scientific approach to the Big Bang theory?
Stephen Hawking- “Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing.”
What did Charles Darwin suggest about evolution?
In 1859, he suggested a huge variety of creatures and species is the result of thousands of years of change and evolution
-things weren’t made by God but have evolved themselves
What do Catholics believe about Charles Darwin’s theory?
Pope Pius XII taught that there is NO conflict between his theory and the Catholic understanding of creation. The church believes there was an ‘intelligent mind’ behind creation- God
What do Catholics believe about abortion?
Direct abortion is WRONG regardless of the circumstances.
- life is holy and belongs to God so only he can end a pregnancy
- life begins at conception
- Ten Commandments say ‘thou shalt not kill’
- a foetus is a potential human life
- adoption is a better alternative as they should preserve life
What do Liberal Protestants believe about abortion?
It is WRONG, but can be PERMITTED in SOME circumstances.
- Jesus said to “love thy neighbour” and it may be the most loving act to do
- Christians have a duty to remove suffering
- life does not begin at conception but at some other later point
What do humanists believe about abortion?
It is a PERSONAL choice.
- don’t think all life is ‘sacred’
- more concerned with the quality of life rather than the right to life
- put the interests of the woman first as its her happiness that matters
- all other options should be explored first
What do Catholics believe about the nature of humans?
- humans were created in imago dei- “let us make mankind in our image”
- all human life belongs to god-“god breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became alive.”
- God have humans free will
- God have humans responsibility-stewardship-over his creation
What do Catholics believe about stewardship?
Believe they have a duty to care for and protect the environment.
- believe the Earth was a gift from God-needs to be preserved for generations
- In Genesis 1, God gives humans the power over nature and commands they ‘take care’ of it
- all life is sacred and so all life should be protected
- Parable of the talents teaches Christians to pass on “more” to the next generation
Why do humanists believe in stewardship?
- They believe in happiness so they need to support others to have fulfilling lives
- Humans are born with intelligence and it makes logical sense
- Empathy is an important Humanist principle
How is the Bible split?
Into the old Testament and the new Testament
What is the old Testament?
It contains the law, the history books, the wisdom books and the prophets
What is the new Testament?
It is based on the life of Jesus and his apostles. Contains the gospels which record Jesus’ life and teachings
What are the symbols in Michaelangelos creation of Adam painting?
-Adam is shown as a perfect man which reflects Genesis, that God made everything “very good.”
-God is powerful get ancient. Man is made in image of god
-Adam and God lie in similar positions – reinforces idea that humanity is made in the image of God
Hands of Adam and God reaching out to each other reflect the longing for a close relationship between God and man
God is carried through the app by a group of angels reflecting his transcendence
What do Catholics believe about the Bible?
“All scripture is inspired by God and can profitably be used for teaching” -Timothy
- the Holy Spirit influences the writers
- they believe that the writers were inspired by god in this task of writing bible
How do you Catholics interpret the Bible?
Needs to be read in context in which it was written-the literary style of writing and beliefs of author need to be considered
How do evangelists interpret the Bible?
Read it as a straight forward, literal description of events. They believe the writers wrote what God instructed them to write