*theme B: religion & life

Question 1

what does the word cosmology mean?

Answer 1

cosmology is about the origins of the univers

Question 2

what do scientists believe about the creation of the universe/how the Big Bang happened?

Answer 2

• universe began 13.7 billion yrs ago in massive explosion of matter & energy - ‘The Big Bang’
• after the Big Bang the universe began to cool & clouds of gas collapsed under the pull of their own gravity to form stars
• about 4,500 million yrs ago the Earth condensed out of the gas & dust swirling around our star, the sun

Question 3

what is scientific evidence for what life was like on earth when life first appeared/evidence for evolution?

Answer 3

• fossil records show that first signs of life appeared soon after earth’s creation, about 4,000 million yrs ago
• lightning & ultra-violet light from sun began to break apart simple molecules of primitive atmosphere
• these fragments recombined to produce complex molecules which could eventually reproduce. for over 3,000 million yrs dominant organisms were bacteria & blue-green algae
• about 600 million yrs ago an enormous proliferation of new life-forms began. the first vertebrates appeared, then as some plants spread from oceans to the land, first insects evolved
• about 120 million yrs ago dinosaurs became dominant species
• birds evolved soon after, then mammals, then primates - the ancestors of monkeys, apes & humans
• tool-using primate ‘man’ goes back well over a million yrs, there’ve been many species of humans

Question 4

what do some Christians & Muslims believe about Darwin’s theory of evolution?

Answer 4

• find it threat to their faith bc appears to challenge authority of the Bible
• if Bible wrong on this matter, could it be wrong on others too? these Christians preferred to maintain a ‘literalist’ or ‘creationist’ understanding of Genesis

Question 5

where is a belief in creationism quite strong?

Answer 5

• a belief in various forms of creationism is quite strong in the USA
• this had led to no. of attempts to teach creationism (in 1 form or another) in schools

Question 6

is it legal to teach creationism in schools?

Answer 6

no, still illegal to teach it in schools run by state - although does happen in some private religious schools

Question 7

what can we learn from the first chapter of the book of Genesis?

Answer 7

• it’s very clear account of how God created the world
• writer wanted to show the order within God’s creation
• the sun moon & stars govern light & darkness
• fish, sea monsters & birds have dominion over the sea & sky
• land governed by animals & humans

Question 8

who is John Polkinghorne & what does he believe? (hint: creation vs science stuff)

Answer 8

believes it’s possible to reconcile one’s Christian faith w science:
- “Genesis is not there to give short, technical answers about how the universe began. It gives us the big answer that things exist because of God’s will. One can perfectly well believe in the Big Bang, but believe in it as the will of God the creator.”

Question 9

what is the intelligent design theory?

Answer 9

theory put forward by many fundamentalists in USA as an alternative to evolution, it’s not dissimilar to the teleological argument put forward by William Paley

Question 10

what is ex nihilo?

Answer 10

the belief that God brought the universe into being from nothing - most Christians believe in this

Question 11

what is ex materia?

Answer 11

the belief that God created the universe from matter that already existed - only some Christians believe in this

Question 12

do many Christians see a problem with their understanding of Genesis & the scientific theories such as evolution?

Answer 12

no, this view is currently the view of most Christians:
- if science & religion are asking different qs, then they see no contradiction
- religion trying to answer ‘why’, science ‘how’
- see Bible as authoritative account of God’s relationship w human beings & wider universe
- see it all as God’s plan, & that humans have special rights & responsibilities as result

Question 13

Christians believe that humans are ____ __ ___ _____ __ ___

Answer 13

made in the image of God

Question 14

what do Christians believe about the relationship between humans & animals/animal rights?

Answer 14

humans have been given control over animals:
- “then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’” Genesis 1:26
- most Christians believe that animals don’t have souls
- most Christians not vegetarians & see nothing wrong w eating meat