What do Christians believe about the origins of the world and humanity?

Question 1

where do Christian beliefs about the origins of the world and humanity come from?

Answer 1

Genesis chapters 1 and 2

Question 2

what does Genesis 1:1-2:3 say?

Answer 2

describes Gods creation of the universe over a six day period.God created all elements of the universe and earth but humans were the pinnacle of Gods creation-they were made in Gods image and were given the duty of stewardship

Question 3

what does Genesis 2:4-2:25 say?

Answer 3

focuses in the creation of humans and reinforces their special nature and relationship with God.Before the animals ,Adam was created and God ’breathed life into him’(gave him a soul).Concerned that Adam was lonely,God gave animals to him as a companion and gave him the responsibility of naming them.Animals weren’t a suitable companion so God created Eve.

Question 4

what do all christians believe about the origins of the world and humanity?[3]

Answer 4

1. God created everything including the universe
2. everything has been planned by God and nothing is done accidentally or without value
3. human’s were created in God’s image and have a special nature and role in God’s plan

Question 5

what do all christians disagree about the origins of the world and humanity?[3]

Answer 5

1. universe and life is accidental
2. humans are just well evolved animals and aren’t special
3. life has no value and the only purpose is to survive.

Question 6

how do literalist christians interpret Genesis 1 and 2?[8]

Answer 6

1. book of genesis accurately depicts the creation of the world and humanity
2. young earth creationists believe that the world was created in 6 days but old earth creationists believe that a ‘day’ refers to a period of time,not 24 hrs
3. all living things that exist today were created in those six days
4. one man and one women named Adam and Eve
5. Adam and Eve had a soul
6. Adam was made from the earth and Eve,one of his ribs
7. humans are special because of their soul and the responsibility of stewardship
8. reject scientific theories of big bang and evolution as they believe it contradicts the creation story

Question 7

what do literalist christians believe about the bible?

Answer 7

1.bible is God-breathed so it is 100% accurate

Question 8

how do liberal christians interpret Genesis 1 and 2?[3]

Answer 8

1. the universe and all forms of life were planned by God
2. everything was created for a reason and has a role to play.
3. humans are special as they were given a soul and the responsibility of stewardship

Question 9

what would liberal christians believe about the big bang theory and evolution?[5]

Answer 9

1. likely to believe in the big bang theory and evolution because of evidence to support
2. God directed the big bang and evolution because its too complicated to have happened by chance
3. plants and animals we have today evolved over time
4. there was no one man and women in the beginning.It took billions of years for human life to develop
5. science helps understand how God works.Religious answers the why to questions about human existence and science answers the how

Question 10

what do liberal christians believe about the bible?[5]

Answer 10

1. bible contains symbolic stories that need to be interpreted
2. the writers were inspired by what they saw around them and wrote down what they saw to share their insights about God with others
3. the bible contains human thoughts and insights about God so there can be errors
4. these christians try to find important truths by interpreting the symbols used in the passages
5. they believe some passages reflect the views of the writer and of the times so it may not be relevant to the modern world