the bible + genesis 1&2

Question 1

catholic beliefs about genesis 1&2

Answer 1

• read stories of creation as symbolic, believe they reveal important things about the nature of god + humanity
• genesis one reveals God to be omnipotent as he creates the universe from nothing. god seen as transcendent as he exists in the beginning above and beyond the universe. god also seen as eternal as he exists before all things.
  “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them”
  “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”
• genesis 2, shows god to be omnibenevolent as he creates the universe out of love. catholics also believe that genesis 2 accounts highlights important beliefs such as sanctity of life, imago dei and stewardship.
  “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils”

Question 2

fundamentalist beliefs about gens is 1&2

Answer 2

• read stories of Genesis literally
• believe creation if the world and everything in it took place in six calendar days
• stems from view that the Bible is the direct view of God
• believe Genesis reveals important beliefs about the nature of God and humans

Question 3

catholic beliefs about the bible

Answer 3

• believe it is a direct form of revelation.
• also believe the bible is the inspired word of god. catholics believe the bible writers were guided by the holy spirit. not everything they wrote might have been historically or literally accurate. catholics must work carefully to determine exactly what a scared author is saying to be true. an author might write metaphorically to help bring out the truth more clearly
• ## bible contains variety of different literature + must be read in context of when it is written. for example, there is no problem accepting evolution and the bug bang. the creation story in genesis is a poetic reflection on the significance of God as a creator. links to pope john paul II’s teaching in the compatibility of science and religion

Question 4

fundamentalist belief about the bible

Answer 4

• believe that the bible is literal word of God
• for example, they believe that God created the world in a single week and that everything was made perfectly at that time.
• reject theory of evolution. believe Holy Spirit dictated the bible and that no one should question anything that the bible teaches because it comes from God.
• where there appear to be contradictions, they think that this just shows that people do not yet have enough understanding