RPQ

Question 1

What is a fundamentalist perspective?

Answer 1

They take the word of the Bible literally and believe everything happened exactly as it is written. Their beliefs are based on faith alone

Question 2

What is a liberal perspective?

Answer 2

They look at the Bible symbolically and base their beliefs on both faith and reason. An example of a liberal Christian is Pope Francis

Question 3

What is a scientific perspective?

Answer 3

They completely reject religious explanations for the origins of life and universe, instead looking to empirical evidence and proof which can be trialed and tested. An example of a scientific materialist is Richard Dawkins

Question 4

What is a scientific materialist? (3)

Answer 4

A scientific materialist is someone who rejects religious explanations for the origins of life and the universe. They can rely on empirical evidence and proof which can be trialled and tested. An example of a scientific materialist is Richard Dawkins.

Question 5

Which three ways do we know what we know?

Answer 5

science, observations and authority (being informed)

Question 6

What is revelation?

Answer 6

This is when God makes himself, and his will for humans, known. He does this through different types of general revelation:

The Bible
The beauty and complexity of the natural world

Question 7

What is special revelation?

Answer 7

When God reveals Himself directly to an individual or group - he has chosen these people ‘especially’.
E.g. Moses and the Burning Bush.

Question 8

What does empirical mean?

Answer 8

Originating in or based on observation or experience.

Question 9

What does Ex Nihilo mean?

Answer 9

Out of nothing

Question 10

What does Imago Dei mean?

Answer 10

In Gods image

Question 11

Describe one creation story (5)

Answer 11

The christian creation story states that God had created tge universe in 6 days. God creates things into existence by using the command of “Let there be..” For example, God said “Let there be light” and then light appeared. God created the domains of heavens, air, sea, land and animals. God then created Adam out of dust on the ground, then from Adams rib cage God created Eve in his image of what people would look like. After God had created everything he wanted out of nothing, he decided to rest on the 7th day. Christians believe this is how the universe was created - through Gods divine commands. Scientific materialists believe that it was the Big Bang that created the universe. Liberal Christians believe in both theories.

Question 12

What are some important ideas of Genesis 1 for literalist Christians/creationists?

Answer 12

God is not explained.
The story introduces the absolute beginnings of all things.
Genesis does not say if anything existed before creation.
God made humans in his image.
The creation did not take place all at once.

Question 13

What are some issues depending on the Bible alone?

Answer 13

It could have been lost in translation.
Contradictions.
What about science.
Everything important to Christians is stated in the Bible.

Question 14

What is the issue with the literal religious response?

Answer 14

If the Christian God is seen as so omnipotent- why did it take him a whole week to create the universe? If he was all-powerful surely he could have taken less time.

Question 15

What is an implication of believing in God?

Answer 15

the Genesis narrative word for word is that this view on origins becomes very easy to comprehend and is not subject to change over time.

Question 16

What is a consequence of interpreting Genesis literally?

Answer 16

creationist Christians must reject the scientific evidence because it goes against the Bible’s teachings, and they must instead hold onto their faith.

Question 17

What is the cosmological argument?

Answer 17

An argument for the existence of a creator God. It is also known as the ‘First Cause’ argument.It was first put forward by St Thomas Aquinas who stated that everything has to have a cause, including the universe.

he wanted to prove two things:

That God exists.
That the universe was created by God.

Question 18

What is the teleological argument?

Answer 18

Another argument for the existence of a creator God. It is also known as the ‘Design’ argument.

It was first put forward by philosopher William Paley in 1802. He believed that the way the world works in such a structured order proves that there must be a creator behind it.

It does not require prior belief in God to be understood.
It uses the universe as a basis of evidence.

Question 19

Why might people believe creation stories literally? (5)

Answer 19

A reason why people may believe the creation stories literally is because some people are suspicious of the motives of scientists who they feel are out to undermine what their scriptures teach.

Another reason why people believe creation stories is because it is a central tenet of their faith that scripture is read as the exact word of God, therefore the details mean exactly what they say.

Another reason why people believe this is because people have been brought up and taught from childhood that scripture is understood exactly as described, so they have never questioned that the stories may not be real.

Another reason why is that some literalists might argue that if you interpret some parts of scripture symbolically then you throw into question the validity of all of it.

A final reason why people believe creation stories literally is that God is inerrant and his word is truth for all time and in all cultures. It is no business of man to try and dilute that truth as they can make mistakes.

Question 20

Can you be a Christian and believe in Big Bang Theory?
Or can you be a Scientist and believe in Genesis?

Answer 20

Liberal Christians regard the Genesis accounts as more like parables or symbolic accounts that tell, that God brought the universe and all that is in it into being, and sustains his creation. These Christians might look to science to help them understand how God did this.

Question 21

What is the idea of the cosmological argument?

Answer 21

That everything has a cause

Question 22

What does the Fundamentalist view provide humanity with?

Answer 22

a ‘why’ in regard to the world being created.

Question 23

What is the idea of the teleological argument?

Answer 23

That there must be a creator behind the universe. Something must have made the universe to be like this.

Question 24

What is a weakness if the fundamentalist belief?

Answer 24

It does not take into account scientific evidence which contradicts biblical teachings of Genesis 1.

Question 25

What is the Big Bang?

Answer 25

It is a theory of how the universe began. It states that at one point the entire universe was condensed into an infinitely small point. It rapidly expanded.

Question 26

What do Liberal Christians regard the Genesis as?

Answer 26

Parables or symbollically.They might look to science to help them understand how God did this.

Question 27

What does pinnacle mean?

Answer 27

The best/most successful part of something.

Question 28

What does fixity of species mean?

Answer 28

The belief that God created each species separately, and no species could develop out of another.

Question 29

What does natural selection mean?

Answer 29

The way evolution happens - the process by which species adapt and change.

Question 30

What does Survival of the fittest mean?

Answer 30

Only animals that are best adapted have the chance to survive and pass their useful characteristics on to the next generation. Those who are not well adapted will get eaten or die.

Question 31

What does evolution mean?

Answer 31

The process by which organisms change over time as a result of changes in heritable physical or behavioural traits.

Question 32

What is theistic evolution?

Answer 32

Liberal Christians believe that God created the materials of our universe and then guided the process by which all life has evolved from the very simplest one-celled life forms up to the sophisticated life forms which we know today

Question 33

What do liberal christians believe?

Answer 33

if development happened it was under the guidance of God - it would be owed to him.

Question 34

What do catholics believe?

Answer 34

The human soul didn’t evolve since it isn’t a material so it was created specially.

Question 35

Describe the theory of evolution (4)

Answer 35

The theory of evolution is defined as that all life on earth shares a common ancestor. The two main elements in evolution are competition - survival of the fittest and variation which is caused by mutations at a genetic level. It has been proved that human life evolved from earlier forms of life (such as monkeys) which had developed and survived, which is why monkey share characteristics/ ancestors with other primates. It is believed life started in the ocean, with all of the variety we see today evolving over millions of years to suit a huge range of habitats.