Religious Education - Planet Earth

Awe - A feeling of respect; insight into meaning greater than oneself

Wonder - Marvelling at the complexity and beauty of the universe

Responsibility - duty; the idea that we are incharge of our own actions

Stewardship - the idea that believers have a duty to look after the environment on behalf of God.

Dominion - control and ownership over something

Carbon emissions - release of greenhouse gases such as carbon monoxide from vehicles

Greenhouse effect - the trapping of heat from the sun in the lower atmosphere due to an increase in carbon dioxide

Recycling - using old products to make new ones

Pollution - the contamination of something, especially the enviroment 

Acid rain - rain made by acid by contamination through pollution in the atmosphere as the result of emissions from factories, vehicles, power stations, etc.

Oil spills - leaking of oil into the environment, usually the sea

Pesticides - substances used to destory insects and pests that attack crops

Natural habitats - the places where species of plants/animals live in the wild

Deforestation - the cutting down of large amounts of forest, usually because of business needs

Droughts - long periods of abnormally low rainfall

Famine - starvation owing to drastic, far reaching food shortage

Conservation - looking after the environment and protecting animals

Earth summits - informal name for United Nation conferences on environment and development

Sustainable development - development that takes into consideration the impact for future generations

Unsustainable development - not taking in consideration the impact

Natural world - the world untouched - wildlife, eco system, etc.

Natural resources - the various things that the Earth provides for human uses, eg. oil, gas, etc.

Carbon footprint - the amount of carbon release into the atmosphere

Fossil fuels - a hydrocarbon used as a fuel, like natural gas, petroleum and coal

"Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground"

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  • Rulers - they can rule over anything and treat anything how they want to treat it
  • Stewards - would look after the animals and plants but still 'rule' over them
    • Protect God's world

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it"

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  • God owns the Earth
  • Christians should respect God's property
    • All humans, animals and plants alike

God gave people a conscience and all will have to answer for their actions on judgement day

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  • Freedom of thought and choice
  • Christians would want to treat the world with respect so they don't go to hell

The story of Svetakatu and the salt

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  • Brahman is in everything
  • Hindus wouldn't harm animals or plants (vegetarians, no deforestation, respect every living thing)

Karma - All actions in this life will effect the reincarnation in your next life

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  • If you do something bad you must balance it with something good

Ahimsa - the principle of non-violence

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  • Don't harm living people because you will hurt atman which is part of Brahman (the supreme spirit)

All life is inter-connected in the 'one-ness of reality'

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  • Brahman 

Big Bang:

Before time and space existed, there was a singularity of no measurable size or mass. This exploded incredibly quickly, creating space and time as it went. The process eventually slowed down, and gravity caused large particles of matter to start to clump together. The stars and planets were formed. On one planet, many years later proteins formed out of a primordial soup. These proteins developed over a long time into life. Life continues to evolve, humans are one limb in the tree of life.

Genesis:

In the beginning there was nothing. God created the heavens and the Earth. He then created light and dark, the atmosphere and oceans. Then plants were created, followed by sun and moon, followed by fish and then animals. God then made Adam the first human. God then made Eve the first woman. God said that everything was good. Later, Adam and Eve made bad choices that changed things for the worse

Rio de Janiero, 1992

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  • Pollution
  • Deforestation
  • Growing scarcity of water

Kyoto, 1997

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  • Countries promised to cut their co2 and green house gas emissions

Johannesburg, 2002

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  • Problems of the poor
    • Unclean water
  • Loss of animal and plant species 

• Stop using CFCs in the making of products
• Slow down population growth
• Stop deforestation
• Plant new forests
• Conserve energy in the home and at work
• Provide non-polluting industrial technology to the developing world
• Develop alternative energy sources such as wind, wave and solar power

Example paper 1:

• Name 2 ways human actions harm the planet (2)
• Explain how religious teaching might encourage people to recycle their waste (4)
• "God created life on Earth" What do you think? Explain your opinion (3)
• Explain ways in which religious believeres could help reduce pollution (3)
• "Caring for the environment should be the main concern of religious people" Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer, showing you have thought about more than one point of view. Refer to religious arguments in your answer (6)

Example paper 2:

• Explain what is meant by pollution (2)
• Explain why some religious believers disagree wth the genetic modification of plants and animals (4)
• "Religious believers have done enough to support earth summits" What do you think? Explain your opinion (3)

• Describe the work of an individual or organisation that campaigns on environmental issues (3)
• "The Earth is on loan for future generations" Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer, showing that you have though about more than one point of view. Refer to religious teachings in your answer (6)