Origins Of The Universe

Question 1

Describe Catholic Beliefs About the Structure and Origins of the Bible.

Answer 1

-The Bible is a collection of 73 books compiled into one volume which is separated into two parts.

-The Old Testament starts with creation and describes the history, beliefs and culture of the Jewish people before Jesus’ incarnation.

-The second part of the Bible is the New Testament that begins with the four Gospels detailing Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ascension.

-After the Gospels is the Acts of the Apostles and letters of early church leaders before finishing with Revelation which talks about the end of the world.

Question 2

Describe the Importance of the Bible for Catholics

Answer 2

-Catholics believe the Bible is one of the ways that God has revealed Himself to us so that we can learn how to live a good life.

-Vatican II announced that the Bible and other sacred scripture was written with, “God for their author.”

-Catholics believe the Bible was inspired by God which means that the Holy Spirit guided the authors of the Bible to help them write it.

Question 3

How Does the Creation Account in Genesis 1 Begin

Answer 3

-Genesis 1 describes God creating the Earth in six days before resting on the seventh.

-The story begins by stating how the Earth was “formless and empty” before describing God creating the Heavens and the Earth from nothing.

-Genesis 1 says that on the first day, light was created- “God said let there be light and there was light.”

Question 4

Describe the Creation Account in Genesis 1 (From the Second Day)

Answer 4

-On the second day, God made the sky. Then, on the third, He made the land and seas as well as the sun moon and stars on the fourth day.

-On the fifth day, God created the birds and fish.

-Finally on day six, He made land animals and ultimately, humans, who He created in His image; setting them apart from the rest of creation.

-Genesis 1 finishes with the seventh day- when God rested.

Question 5

Describe the Creation Account in Genesis 2.

Answer 5

-Genesis 2 continues on the creation story from Genesis 1 however focuses on the creation of humans.

-The story begins with God creating “man from soil,” and breathing life into him demonstrating how humans are special compared to other parts of creation.

-Then, Genesis 2 describes how God created plants and trees.

Question 6

How Does the Creation Account in Genesis 2 Finish

Answer 6

-After creating plants and trees, God instructed Adam not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge; foreshadowing chapter 3: Original Sin.

-The fourth event in Genesis 2 is God’s creation of animals and birds.

-Finally, the story states how God made woman as a companion for Adam as God thought that, “it is not good for the man to be alone.”

Question 7

Describe What Genesis Teaches About the Nature of God.

Answer 7

-In Genesis 2, God is shown as omnibenevolent. This is because “God made woman.” This shows God is loving as He does not want Adam to be alone.

-In Genesis 1, God is shown as omnipotent. This is because “God created the Heavens and the Earth.” This shows God is powerful as He alone is creator.

-In Genesis 1, God is shown as transcendent. This is because “The Spirit was hovering over the waters.” This shows God is transcendent as He is above the waters so is outside creation.

Question 8

Describe What Genesis Teaches About the Nature of Humans.

Answer 8

-In Genesis 2, humans are shown as stewards of creation. This is because Adam was told to, “Work it and take care of it.” This shows humans are stewards as God gave us this role directly so we must protect His creation.

-In Genesis 1, humans are shown as sacred. This is because, “God created man in His image.” This shows humans are sacred as God made us uniquely like Him, setting us apart from the rest of creation.

-In Genesis 2, humans are shown to have free will. This is because although God commanded Adam not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, He also gave him the choice to disobey.

Question 9

How is the Nature of God Shown in Michelangelo’s ‘Creation of Adam’.

Answer 9

-God is presented as transcendent since He is in a cloud: above and outside of creation.

-Some believe that the cloud resembles the brain suggesting God is the source of all knowledge and wisdom representing the belief that God is omniscient.

-The belief that God is omnipotent and eternal is represented by God being drawn as an old yet strong figure.

-God is shown as creator through His outstretched hand and cloud full of future creatures. His age represents Him being the father of Creation.

Question 10

Significance of the Womanly Figure in Michelangelo’s ‘Creation of Adam’.

Answer 10

-Next to God, is a womanly figure, widely believed to be Eve.

-This could suggest that God is omnibenevolent as He does not want Adam to be alone.

-He says this in Genesis “It is not good that the man should be alone.”

Question 11

How is the Catholic Belief in Imago Dei Shown in Michelangelo’s ‘Creation of Adam’.

Answer 11

-In the painting, Adam and God have a similar physique which may symbolise the Catholic belief in Imago Dei.

-This is described in Genesis 1:26 “God said, let us make mankind in our image.”

-This is further shown by God and Adam being in mirror-image of each other.

-The difference in age between God and Adam signifies the parent-child relationship between God and humanity.

Question 12

Significance of the Hands in Michelangelo’s ‘Creation of Adam’.

Answer 12

-God reaching out to Adam is a reminder that life is God given.

-It represents the spark of life given to all humans by God in Genesis 2, “Breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.”

-However, because Adam’s finger is bent it suggests that he has not yet received life from God

Question 13

Describe St Augustine’s Teachings About Creation Ex Nihilo.

Answer 13

-Creation Ex Nihilo means creation out of nothing.

-St Augustine teaches that before God created the world, there was nothing. From this, God created the world ex nihilo.

-He tries to explain this in his confessions, “from nothing, then, you created Heaven and Earth.”

-This shows Catholics that God is solely responsible for creation. Therefore, God is omnipotent as only He can create out of nothing.

Question 14

Describe St Augustine’s teachings on the nature of God in ‘Confessions’.

Answer 14

-St Augustine described God as creator and omnipotent because He created the world out of nothing. He wrote, “You must have created them from nothing.”

-Moreover, because God created the world out of nothing, He is greater than creation.

-This is because, if God had created the world from His own substance, then creation would be perfect and equal to Him however, this is not the case as the world is not perfect.

-St Augustine also wrote that God is eternal. He said, “You were, and besides you nothing was,” which shows that before creation or the existence of space and time, only God existed.

Question 15

Describe the Big Bang Theory.

Answer 15

-According to the Big Bang Theory, the universe began as an incredibly dense and hot point at which all energy and matter was concentrated.

-Around 14 billion years ago, this point suddenly expanded, and the universe began to rapidly grow and stretch out.

-As the universe expanded, it cooled down and eventually, galaxies, stars and planets were able to form.

Question 16

Evidence for the Big Bang Theory

Answer 16

-The Big Bang Theory was eventually backed up by the discovery of cosmic background radiation.

-This permeates the universe and provides a snapshot to its earliest state.

-The theory can’t fully explain the origin of the universe as it is still unknown what created the singularity.

-However Stephen Hawking argued, “because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing.”

Question 17

How do Scientific Theories Challenge the Creation Accounts in Genesis

Answer 17

-Genesis describes how God made everything on Earth in its final form whereas science theorises that organisms gradually change and develop.

-Furthermore, Genesis also says that God is omnibenevolent. However, animals kill each other to survive but it is confusing to think why an all-loving God would create nature like this.

-Charles Darwin spoke about this: “I cannot see evidence of design… there seems to me too much misery in the world.

-Moreover, Genesis states that God made everything on Earth in its final form. This is challenged by the fact that the environment constantly changes and organisms do too for survival.

Question 18

Describe the Catholic Interpretation of the Bible

Answer 18

-Catholics read the Bible as an inspired text which means that God worked through human authors to be revealed to human beings.

-They also believe that these authors were of course fully human and therefore limited in their understanding and living in a particular time and place.

-The CCC states “scripture should be interpreted in the context in which it was written.”

-For Catholics, the truth revealed in the Bible needs to be carefully and authoritatively interpreted by the Magisterium.

Question 19

Describe the Catholic Interpretation of the Genesis Creation Accounts

Answer 19

-Catholics believe that the Genesis accounts should not be taken literally.

-This is because the Bible is full of different literary forms such as poetry which can affect the understanding of the texts.

-The Catechism of the Catholic Church states “scripture should be interpreted in the context in which it was written.” This teaches Catholics that not everything in the Bible is literally or historically accurate.

-Therefore, the Creation accounts should be read as myths containing great truths such as that humans are made in the image of God.

Question 20

How Are Catholics Influenced by the Genesis Creation Accounts

Answer 20

-Catholics believe that not everything in the Bible is literally or historically accurate.

-Therefore, they may contribute to the further development of science because they do not literally follow Genesis so will accept ideas such as the Big Bang.

-As a result, they may attempt to help both science and religion by going into careers involving science.

Question 21

Describe the Fundamentalist Interpretation of the Bible

Answer 21

-Fundamentalists read the Bible as an inspired text. This means means that God gave some human beings the special gift of being able to write down exactly what God intended.

-Therefore, they believe that every word of the Bible is the literal Word of God so inherently true.

-2 Timothy states, “All scripture is inspired by God.” Therefore, the Bible holds no errors or mistakes.

-As a result, they believe whatever the Bible says is completely factual and should not be questioned.

-Hence, they believe the Genesis accounts are as accurate today as when written even if they conflict with the modern day.

Question 22

Describe the Fundamentalist Interpretation of the Genesis Creation Accounts.

Answer 22

-Fundamentalists believe that the creation accounts in Genesis are literally and historically true. This is because they believe that the Bible is the literal word of God.

-2 Timothy states, “All scripture is inspired by God.” Therefore, the Bible holds no errors or mistakes. As a result, they believe whatever the Bible says is completely factual and should not be questioned.

-Hence, they believe the Genesis accounts are as accurate today as when written even if they conflict with the modern day.

-In turn, fundamentalists believe the earth was created in exactly six days and animals were created in their final form as these are mentioned in Genesis.

Question 23

How Are Fundamentalists Influenced by the Genesis Creation Accounts

Answer 23

-Fundamentalists believe the earth was created in exactly six days and animals were created in their final form as these are mentioned in Genesis.

-Therefore, they may look for evidence to further back up the Genesis accounts as there is a lot of opposition in the modern day.

-They may also try to disprove evidence for modern theories such as that fossils are a test of faith or remains of animals that died in Noah’s Ark.

Question 24

Describe the Orthodox Jewish Interpretation of the Genesis Creation Accounts.

Answer 24

-Orthodox Jews believe that the Creation accounts in Genesis are completely accurate.

-One of Maimonides principles of faith is, “God gave the Torah to Moses”.

-Because of this, Orthodox Jews believe that every detail in the Torah is literally true as it was given directly from God.

-As a result, Orthodox Jews believe that the Torah should never be changed.

Question 25

How Are Orthodox Jews Influenced by the Genesis Creation Accounts

Answer 25

-Orthodox Jews believe God created the world in six days and that the creation accounts are not symbolic stories.

-Therefore, they won’t accept other creation theories such as the Theory of the Big Bang.

-They believe God made the world directly which opposes the Theory of the Big Bang so they will not accept it.

-In turn, they may object over the teaching of the Big Bang in public schools as they would want their children to follow the Genesis accounts.

Question 26

Describe Catholic Beliefs About the Creation of the Universe

Answer 26

-Catholics believe God created the world through natural processes. They believe He carefully planned creation and did not just ‘magic up’ the universe as suggested by Genesis.

-To describe this, Catholics will use St Augustine’s teaching of creation ex nihilo. He argued, “from nothing, then, you created Heaven and Earth,”

-This teaches Catholics that God is creator and that the universe has a starting point. Catholics will apply modern theories to this such as the Big Bang which states that the universe started from a single singularity.

-This shows that there is no conflict between God and science in creation as the creator God described in the doctrine of creation ex nihilo is compatable with science.

Question 27

How are Catholics Influenced by the Creation of the Universe

Answer 27

-Catholics do not literally follow Genesis so will accept ideas such as the Big Bang.

-Therefore, they will contribute to the further development of science.

As a result, they may attempt to help both science and religion by going into careers involving science.

Question 28

What is the Strength of Catholic Teachings About the Creation of the Universe

Answer 28

-Catholics provide a convincing argument because God often acts over long periods and through processes.

-For example, the 9 weeks in childbirth which allows a foetus to develop and grow into who God has made us.

-Therefore, science does not only explain the universe’s origins as God is the uncaused causer who creates through processes to allow things to develop as He wants.

-This is rather than the universe being a random creation which is hard to think about due to the world’s immense detail and intricate parts.

Question 29

Describe Atheist Beliefs About the Creation of the Universe

Answer 29

-Atheists can see no reason for a creator God to have made the universe. Stephen Hawking argued, “because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing.”

-This shows atheists that there is no reason for a creator God to exist as the laws of science allow for the universe to create itself.

-Therefore, atheists believe that it is science alone that can explain the origins of the universe because there is no need for a creator or designer when there is evidence suggesting science can cause the world naturally.

-Hence, they believe the world to be random meaning that life is not special opposing religious belief.

Question 30

How are Atheists Influenced by the Creation of the Universe

Answer 30

-Atheists believe that science completely rules out the need for a God.

-Therefore, they will debate and discuss with others over the existence of God as science continues to contradict a belief in one.

-They may also go on to research other reasons for the existence of humans and the universe as they believe we should continue to research gaps in knowledge and not use God as an excuse for them.

Question 31

What is the Strength of Atheist Teachings About the Creation of the Universe

Answer 31

-Atheists provide a convincing argument as scientific theories for creation such as the Big Bang have lots of evidence such as cosmic background radiation.

-Whereas thousand-year-old scripture is lacking in comparison as evidence for God as creator.

-However, Hawking suggests gravity caused the universe to create itself but then, where did the law of gravity come from?

-Gravity and matter are not ‘nothing’ so so if either existed before the universe, the it cannot have come from nothing.

Question 32

Describe Fundamentalist Beliefs About the Creation of the Universe

Answer 32

-Fundamentalist Christians literally follow the creation accounts in Genesis. Therefore, science has no place in the creation of the universe because Genesis only describes God creating the world.

-Genesis states, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth.” This only mentions the role of God in creation and no scientific process.

-Hence, Fundamentalists believe that only God explains the origins of the universe as he is omnipotent and that nothing else was involved in creation.

-As a result, Fundamentalists do not accept modern theories such as the Big Bang but only that God created the universe Himself.

Question 33

How are Fundamentalists Influenced by the Creation of the Universe

Answer 33

-Fundamental Christians only follow Genesis and do not accept modern theories.

-Therefore, they may protest over the teaching of the Big Bang Theory in schools as they only accept the stories from Genesis.

-Fundamental Christians do not believe in the Big Bang so would not want it taught to children.

Question 34

What is the Weakness of Fundamentalist Teachings About the Creation of the Universe

Answer 34

-Fundamentalists provide an unconvincing argument because the Bible was written thousands of years ago when there was little scientific knowledge.

-Therefore, Genesis may have been written not to tell a literal story, but a symbolic one. Genesis 1 is also a poem which affects its understanding.

-However, some will continue to argue this idea as the world seems to be so detailed and intricate that science randomly creating it is impossible and a designer God is necessary.