Religion & Life Flashcards
What Questions does Science Answer?
How?
What Questions does Religion Answer?
Why?
Explain what the big bang theory is
is the leading scientific explanation for the beginning of the Universe. This suggests that the universe began as an incredibly small and dense point, known as a singularity, which started to expand over 13.8 billion years ago. As this expanded and cooled, gases formed and then matter which formed stars and galaxies
What is a creationist?
People who believe the creation story in genesis to be literally true
What are the 3 reasons to support the creationist argument
- God wouldn’t lie in the Bible
- When he created the universe “it was good”
- They explain away the “physical evidence”
What do Liberal Christians believe about the Creation story
the story at the beginning of Genesis was just a story – a myth with a meaning written for an ancient people who had no understanding of science.
What are the 3 meanings of the creation story
- God was behind the creation of the universe,
- That God is powerful and cares for us human beings in particular (we are ‘sacred’)
- That humans have been given the job of looking after the world
What is Red Shift?
the light waves become longer and redder as they move away from us.
What are 2 pieces of evidence for the scientific explanation?
Cosmic Background Radiation and Red-shift
What is Cosmic Background Radiation?
Photons (tiny particles of light) are still cooling and emit electromagnetic waves which can be picked up by your radio or TV set.
Give 3 scriptures to support the Creation Story
- In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth
- And God said, Let us make man in our image, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
- And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.
What is Awe?
Non-religious people marvelling at the laws of science and nature
What is Wonder?
Christians marvelling at God’s creation
What do Buddhists believe about God the creator?
They don’t believe in God
What do Buddhists believe about the origin of the universe?
That the Universe is in a life cycle, the big bang was the start of it
Explain Buddha’s story of the poisoned arrow
A man came into a hospital after being shot with a poisoned arrow, the doctors were so concerned with who shot the arrow but not with treating the man. This shows that you shouldn’t worry about the past, but focus on more important things like overcoming suffering
What is Pollution?
Burning of fossil fuels & Chemicals that contribute to the destruction of the earth’s atmosphere
What is Destruction of Natural Habitat?
Humans destroying the homes of many animals for their own use. Hedges and Forests are included in this.
What is Deforestation?
Cutting down of trees
What is Climate Change?
Greenhouse gases heating up the earth’s atmosphere, leading to the melting of ice caps and therefore flooding
What is Abuse of Natural Resources?
Wasting our limited supply of natural resources
Give 5 examples of scripture relating to the environment
- “God saw all that he made and it was good”
- “The heavens declare the glory of the Lord, the skies proclaim the work of his hands”
- “Let us make man in our own image and they will rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the air, over the livestock, over all the earth”.
- Stewardship
- Sanctity of Life issue
What is the big switch?
Christian churches converting to green energy sources
Give 3 Christian arguments against the environment
- God gave us the world to use, so we should use it as we wish
- We shouldn’t worry about life on earth, focus on heaven or the afterlife
- Poverty and disease are more important than the environment
What do Buddhists believe about the environment? (3 things)
- Humans aren’t In charge because there’s no god or creator, dependant arising
- Anatta, we shouldn’t be selfish
- Mindfulness rather than Awe & Wonder
WHY do Buddhists care for the environment?
- suffering is caused by desire (2nd Noble Truth)
- I abstain from taking what is not freely given (5 Moral Precepts)
What is Stewardship?
The belief that humans should take care of the rest of the world
What is Dominion?
The belief that humans are above all other beings