Religion and Science Flashcards
What is the Big Bang Theory?
The theory that the earth was created about 18 billion years ago by a massive explosion
What is the evolution theory?
The theory that groups of organisms change with passage of time, mainly as a result of natural selection, so descendants differ from ancestors
What is intelligent design?
Features of the universe are best explained by the existence of an intelligent cause
What is a steward?
Someone responsible for resources; a guardian of something that does not directly belong to them
What is cosmology?
The study of the origins and nature of the universe
What are the two ideas for the origins of the world?
The creation story
The Big Bang
What are the two ideas for the origins of humanity?
Evolution
Creation day 6
What is a scientific theory?
An idea that has been tested that has the best answer/most evidence for being true
Who was Richard Dawkins?
He was an atheist scientist man. He was also a biologist He was a blind watch maker He said that no God could possibly exist He wrote a book called 'God delusion'
Who is Steven Hawking?
He does not rule out God
He is a scientist
He said that “we are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of an average star, but we have an understanding of the universe and that makes us pretty special”
What do Christians believe about animals and the environment?
That we either have stewardship over them, or dominion over them.
What will Christians do to help the environment?
Recycle
Pick up litter
Drive electric cars
Join Green Peace
What two things attempt to prove God’s existence?
The cosmological and the teleological arguments
What is cosmology about?
The origins of the universe
What do scientists believe about the creation of the earth?
That it was created 13.7 billion years ago in an explosion called the big bang.
What do fossil records show?
That signs of life appeared 4,000 million years ago.
For over 3000 million years what were the dominant signs of life?
Bacteria and blue-green algae
What happened 600 million years ago?
New life forms began
What were the dominant species 120 million years ago?
Dinosaurs
What animals evolved in which order?
Birds, then mammals, then primates.
What are the two biblical accounts of creation?
The account of God creating the universe in 6 days in Genesis
The account of God creating Adam out of the Earth and placing him in the garden of Eden
What are the different interpretations of Genesis?
Most believe that God brought the universes into being from nothing (ex nihilo)
Some believe that it was created from matter that already existed (ex materia)
What is the name for people who take the biblical account of creation to be literally true?
Creationists
What is the liberal approach to the story about the creation?
A liberal might regard these accounts as more like parables or symbolic accounts that tell the profound truth that God brought the universe and all that is in it into being, and sustains his creation.
In the 4th century CE , what did St Augustine say?
That God probably only created very simple life forms and that these developed.
Who is evolution associated with today?
Charles Darwin
Why did some Christians see Darwin’s theory as a threat to their faith?
Because it appeared to challenge the authority of the Bible.
What is creationism?
the belief that the universe and living organisms originate from specific acts of divine creation, as in the biblical account, rather than by natural processes such as evolution.
Where is the belief about creationism very strong?
In the USA
Is it legal or illegal to teach creationism?
Illegal
Christians who believe in both God and science see no problem with them existing together. What question do they think religion is trying to answer and that question do they think science is trying to answer?
Religion trying to answer the question ‘why’
Science trying to answer the question ‘how’
What do Christians who have no problem with evolution believe the Bible shows?
An authoritative account of God’s relationship with human beings and the wider universe.
What did God do in each day of the creation?
1 - separates light and darkness 2 - Separates the waters and creates the sky 3 - Separates the sea from the land 4 - Creates sun moon and stars 5 - Fish, sea monsters and birds 6 - Creates animals and humans 7 - Rest day
What is the name of the theory put forward by many fundamentalists in america?
Intelligent design
What are fundamentalists?
the demand for a strict adherence to certain theological doctrines
Explain the idea of ‘Intelligent design’
It is an alternative to evolution
It argues that evolutionary explanations of the origins of life can’t explain all the differences between the species
What have recent discoveries in DNA shown?
How closely related humans are to some primates and other animals
How much of our DNA do we share with some apes?
97%
What does the book of Genesis set humans as being?
Very separate from from the rest of the animal kingdom
What are Christians concerned about regarding the environment?
Hunting animals for sport Wearing fur coats for fashion The treatment of animals in intensive farming Over fishing The use of animal testing for cosmetics
Why do some Christians chose to be vegetarian?
Because God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food”
What does God say after to flood to Noah?
“Everything that lives and moves is yours to eat, just as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything”
