Creation - Paper 1

Question 1

Creation of Adam (picture) : Details (positive)

Answer 1

• God looks older than Adam : suggests he is wise
• Brain shaped cloud : suggests God is intelligent
• God carried by angels : shows he is transcendant
• God + Adam look powerful and are in similar positions : suggests humanity was made in the image of God
• God shown bringing Adam to life : suggests humans are unique

Question 2

Creation of Adam (picture) : Details (negative)

Answer 2

• In Genisis it is written that Adam was brought to life by the breath of God however in the picture it suggests that Adam was brought to life by God touching him - Catholics are against this
• God and Adam are the same size suggesting that humanity is equal to God. Catholics are very critical of this.

Question 3

Mei’ere mosaic (picture) : Details

Answer 3

• Lines extend from God’s hand : suggest he created everything
• God’s hand is large : suggesting he is powerful

Question 4

Comparison Creation of Adam and Mei’mre mosaic

Answer 4

Gods nature : both show God is creator and he is powerful

How is God shown : In Creation of Adam God presented as an old man. In Mei’mre mosaic only God’s hand is shown

God’s role in creation : Creation of Adam conveys more about the relationship between God and humanity however the Mei’mre mosaic conveys a sense that God is always creating

Question 5

What are the characteristics of God?

Answer 5

God is omnipotent, transcendant and creator

Question 6

How is God creator?

Answer 6

• Gensis 1 shows that God created humanity in his own image - this means humans share qualities with God (like love and compassion)
• God is the only creator who has created everything

Question 7

How is God omnipotent?

Answer 7

• Gen 1 “God saw everything that he made, and indeed it was very good”
• God is so powerful he can make anything he wants

Question 8

How is God transcendant?

Answer 8

• Gen 1 “then God said ‘Let there be light’, and there was light”
• God only needs his own word in order to create + God is beyond human understanding meaning God is transcendant

Question 9

What are the characteristics of humans?

Answer 9

Sanctity of life, free will, stewardship, dignity and imago dei (image of God)

Question 10

Explain human free will

Answer 10

• God gave humans free will ; giving Adam a chance to not eat from the tree of knowledge.
• However, free will doesn’t mean humans can do whatever they want without consequences.

Question 11

Explain Stewardship

Answer 11

• Gen 1 God tells Adam humans “have dominion” over every living thing which suggests humans have the power and authority to rule over other creatures.
• Gen 2 God tells Adam in the garden of Eden to “till it and keep it” this suggests we should look after the world with care.
• Christians believe the world is a gift from God and God expects humans to protect and care for the world in return.

Question 12

Explain the dignity of human beings

Answer 12

• Gen 1 states God made humans “in his image”
• Therefore, all humans are equal because they have been created by God and share the qualities of God.
• This also means that all people have dignity - worthy of honour and respect

Question 13

Explain the sancitity of life

Answer 13

• Gen 1 God blesses humans after he creates them
• Catholics believe that all creation is holy because it has been created and blessed by God

Question 14

Explain what imago dei is

Answer 14

“Imago dei” is the Latin term to describe the unique relationship between God and humans. For Catholics this shows that humans were given dominion over the world and are stewards of the land.

Question 15

Explain the structure of the Bible

Answer 15

• The Bible has two sections : the Old Testament and the New Testament
• Old Testament contains 4 main sections : Law ( first five books containing the laws), History ( show how God guided the Jews), Wisdom (mixture of poems, prayers, psalms) and Prophecy ( books of the prophets challanging people to remain faithful).
• New Testament also contains 4 main sections : the Gospels (covers the actions + teachings of Jesus), the Acts of the Apostles ( the events in the early Church till 60 CE), the Epistles (letters written by the Apostles), the Book of Revalation (visions of the end of the world)

Question 16

The Bible : Prophets

Answer 16

The Bible contains the word of God given by the prophets; these were people inspired by God

Question 17

The Bible : Gospels

Answer 17

The Bible tells us of the actions and teachings of Jesus in the gospels; Jesus is the Word of God made flesh.

Question 18

The Bible : Epistles

Answer 18

The Bible contains the writings of the apostles in the Epistles; the apostles preached and taught God’s word as they were filled with the Holy Spirit

Question 19

Catholic Interpretations of the creation story (non-literal)

Answer 19

• The Catholic Church believe that the creation stories are myths meaning they are stories intended to convey a deeper meaning and are not meant to be taken literally
• For Catholics the main messages from the creation story is that : God made everything; everything God made was good; humans are the highpoint of God’s creation

Question 20

Fundamentalist interpretations of the creation story (literal)

Answer 20

• Some people interpret the Bible literally because : the Bible is the Word of God so it must be accurate in all respects; God loves humans so much he wouldn’t mislead them by giving them wrong information; humans have no right to prefer their own interpretations over God’s word

Question 21

What is natural law?

Answer 21

Refers to the idea that humans are born with the understanding of what is right and wrong.

Question 22

What was the Second Vatican Council?

Answer 22

Between 1962 and 1965, the Pope and bishops held a meeting to talk about issues and update the Catholic Church’s teachings

Question 23

What were the new teachings issued by the council?

Answer 23

• Religion and science do not have to contradict each other if you consider the creation story a myth
• The Catholic Church is very supportive of advances in science that help to understand God’s creation and even a Catholic priest first proposed the Big Bang theory
• Religion and science may come up with slightly different answers because we are asking slightly different questions : religion tries to explain why things happen while science explains how things happen

Question 24

Quote from Gaudium et Spes 36

Answer 24

“If methodical investigation … is carried out in a genuinely scientific manner … it never truly conflicts with faith”

Question 25

Why should Catholics care for the environment?

Answer 25

1. All of creation is special because it was made by God to be good (Gen 1)
2. God made humans stewards of the earth (Gen 2)
3. Jesus taught Christians to “love you neighbour as yourself” so for future generations we should take care of the Earth

Question 26

Caring for the environment at a local level

Answer 26

• Throw away less waste and recycle more
• Walk, cycle or use public transport
• Educate others about the importance of protecting the environment

Question 27

Caring for the environment at a national level

Answer 27

• Put pressure on politicians to support laws that protect the environment
• Support and buy products from environmentally friendly buisnesess
• Put pressure on companies to be more environmentally friendly

Question 28

Caring for the environment at a global level

Answer 28

• Put pressure on governments to implement policies agreed at international meetings
• Boycott or help to expose international companies who threaten the environment

Question 29

Examples of ways CAFOD supports sustainability

Answer 29

• Supporting or setting up projects that use reneweable energy (such as solar panels).
• Working with groups like MONLAR in Sri Lanka which helps farmers adopt sustainable farming.
• Encouraging people in England and Wales to use fewer natural resources.