Theme B Flashcards
What do scientists believe about the origins of the universe?
They believe that the universe originated in an event called the Big Bang, where everything expanded outwards from a single hot dense point. This is evidenced through redshift, CMBR etc.
What do scientists believe about the origins of life?
Since the work of Charles Darwin scientists have accepted the theory of evolution through natural selection: random genetic mutations lead to more useful characteristics being passed down into offspring (survival of the fittest).
What do Christians believe about the origins of the universe?
God created the world in six days from nothing (ex nihilo) - “God said ‘Let there be light’, and there was light”
What do Buddhists believe about the origins of the universe?
Many Buddhists believe a story the Buddha told in the Agganna Sutta about the universe being cyclical (expanding and contracting). However, other Buddhists believe we cannot know about the origins of the universe because it is an “unanswerable question”.
Give two reasons religious believers might disagree with the Big Bang
Literalist Christians such as Creationists will argue that the Big Bang does not match the story described in Genesis - it would put the creation of the universe too early / Buddhists may choose not to side with a particular theory due to the “unanswerable questions”
Give two reasons religious believers might agree with the Big Bang
Christians might take an allegorical approach to Genesis, believing that it contains deeper meaning and does not contradict the Big Bang / The Pope has taught that Big Bang doesn’t contradict Christianity so Catholics would have to follow his teachings / most Buddhists are happy to accept the Big Bang due to similarities with their own teachings about world-systems expanding
Give two reasons religious believers would disagree with scientists about the origins of life
Christians who take a literalist approach to Genesis (e.g. Creationists) do not accept evolution because it contradicts the view that human life began with Adam and Eve / Some Buddhists may take issue with saying humans are related to animals as this contradicts their view that the human and animal are separate realms
Give two reasons religious believers might agree with scientific views about the origins of life
Christians who take an allegorical approach to Genesis may accept that Adam and Eve were not real people but representations of human sin, so would be fine with evolution / Most Buddhists accept the findings of evolution because they already believe that humans can be reborn as animals, and therefore that one species could be related to another
What are examples of natural resources?
Oil, coal, natural gas
What are the three main types of pollution?
Air, water, land
Give three ways pollution could be solved
Turning to renewable energy
Educating people about waste disposal
Passing laws banning companies from dumping waste into the sea
Give two religious teachings which would support our duty to protect the planet
Christians who focus on stewardship believe we have a duty to care for the natural world / In Catholicism Pope Francis has described climate change as a “global problem with grave implications” / Buddhism encourages reuse and recycling of natural resources - e.g. monks reusing their robes as bed covers and wall plaster / The Dalai Lama has pointed out that although the world is not necessarily sacred or holy, we have a duty to look after it
Give two religious teachings which could support a more negative attitude to the planet
Christians who believe in dominion may believe we have a right to exploit natural resources and destroy parts of the natural world, because it was given to us by God / Buddhists believe our primary duty is to sentient life, so would protect natural habitats but not be as bothered by uninhabited parts of the planet
Give two reasons why religious people would support animal testing
Christians believe that human life is more sacred than animal life because humans were created in the image of God, so can be sacrificed if it benefits human life e.g. monkeys who were killed to allow scientists to discover a treatment for HIV/AIDS / Buddhists might argue that if millions can be saved by animal testing, it should be allowed as a way of reducing dukkha / Buddhists might also argue it is more important to protect human life due to it being the best realm to achieve enlightenment
Give two reasons why religious people would not support animal testing
Christians who accept the teachings of evolution might be more inclined to view animals as our neighbours and friends / They may also agree with secular arguments e.g. that most animal tests fail at the human level and that it is better to use alternatives such as tissue cell culture / Buddhists believe it is wrong to deliberately cause suffering (dukkha) and that animal testing causes suffering for animals so is wrong
