Religion and Science

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Key Words

  • Big Bang
  • Creation
  • Creationists/Literalists
  • Dominion
  • Evolution
  • Ex nihilo
  • Genesis
  • Humanity
  • Non-literalist
  • Stewardship
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The Origins of the World and Life

There are different ways of interpreting Genesis. Some Christians believe aspects of the Bible need to be reinterpreted and adapted to modern society whereas other Christians believe the Bible word for word

Creationists/Literalists:

  • Take the Bible literally- word for word is true
  • They believe the universe was created in 6 days, all living things existed from the beginning of the world and each day mentioned in Genesis was actually 24 hours
  • They reject all scientific discoveries such as the Big Bang and evolution as they are not mentioned in Biblical accounts 

Non Literalists:

  • Genesis should be understood in a mythical sense, they provide important information but they're stories and not factually accurate
  • Interpret 'days' of creation to be periods of time 
  • They maintain God created the universe but see no real conflict between religion and science- together they give an accruate profile of life
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The Environment- Christian Response

Many Christians believe issues such as pollution, deforestation, damage to habitats, global warming, the destruction of the ozone layer and exhausting the world's natural resources need to be addressed if we are to be able to live on this earth for generations to come

  • Pray for strength and help in looking after the planet
  • Recycling such as cardboard, glass and plastic- encourage others to do the same
  • Use cars with low emissions, public transport or car sharing
  • Vote in local elections- promises to help the environment
  • Become involved in local projects- clean up areas, reverse some of the damage
  • Raise awareness of the isssues- encourage others to do something about it
  • Use products that are not harmful to the environment
  • Be less wasteful- turning off lights etc.
  • Join an organisation that works for the good of the environment e.g. Green Peace

By acting, Christians are showing their duty and responsibility of stewardship.

REMEMBER TO INCLUDE EXAMPLES

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People and Animals

According to the Bible, God created the world and mankind was created to populate it and animals were created for the use of mankind

A big issue is whether animals have souls or not. If they do not, people argue that God created us as superior to them and that animals are definitely here for us to use

  • Christianity teaches that we should treat animals with kindness, however they can be used for our use as long as their suffering is considered
  • Excessive money should not be 'wasted' on animals when humans are suffering
  • Some Christians point out that everything is interdependent- our treatment of animals reflects us. So, the Church of England teaches that the medical and technological use of animals should be monitored 'in the light of ethical priniciples'
  • The Roman Catholic Church is more likely to tolerate things like animal experimentation- has to benefit mankind e.g. if it leads to the development of life-saving medicines
  • Some dominions are opposed to ANY ill-treatment of animals such as Quakers who particularly frown upon zoos, animals circuses and hunting etc.
  • There are no specific food laws to be followed in Christianity- vegetarianism and veganism is a matter of personal choice
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