Religion and Science

Religion and Science

1. Origins of the world and humanity

   • Scientific
     • Cosmolgy is the research into the origins of the Universe, bases on science and disregaurds Religious belief
     • The Big Bang
       • A massive explosion 18 billion years ago from a singlurity where all matter was compressed
         • Matter is eternal - it can neither be created or destroyed
       • Evidence is found from Red Shift - providing evidence that all matter in space if still moving in one direction
         • God could have caused the Big Bang
           • Science still requires the presence of a higher force - gravitiy
       • It led to the creation of all planet and stars
       • Genesis stated that God created the Universe
     • Evolution
       • Charles Darwin suggested that all life may have began with a simple single cell - and though evolution developed into the life we know today
       • He believed that they surived a process called natural selection - where those best suited to their envioriment surivied to repoduce
       • He also believed that humans have evolued those the same process - and therefore were not placed on Earth by God
       • Many argued against Darwin's theories as they disagreed with the Bible teachings
       • Edmund Gosse disagred with Darwin by claiming that God placed fossils of supposedly extinct creatures on Earth to test Humanity's faith
     • Time
     • If God created the world, He would be the only explanation for creation - yet He is not
   • Religious
     • Genesis
       • Genesis states that God created the Universe, Ex Nihilo, and all in it in 6 days
         • Literalists/Creationists believe the exact words of the Bible
           • However, others believe that the Bible could simply be allegorical and not to be taken literaly
         • A seventeenth century English Bishop calculated the time of creation according the the Bible - and worked out the time of creation took place billions of years after the date given by science
         • The order of event in Genesis mirrors the event names by science
     • Intelligent Design
       • Some Christians accept the theory of Intelligent Design. Which believes in evolution and that God did not directly create humans, but put everything in place for humanity to exist as it does today
     • Time
       • According to Genesis creation took place in 6 days (and God rested on the Seventh)
         • 6 days could be interpreted as 6 period of time
         • God is transendent - so He does not pass in the same time we do - He is outside of time itself

2. Science explain how, Religion explains why

3. Treatment to Animals

   • Stewardship
     • God gave us Stewardship over the animals - so it is out duty to care and protect them
     • All of God's creations are sacred, we must treat them with respect
       • Contradictory to state you love God them contribute to harming his creations
     • Jesus taught to love all - and needlessly harming animals is cruel and unjust
     • Methodist
       • Men and women are to be stewards and curators not exploiters.
     • Quakers
       • The way in which we treat all .. reflects on ourselves and on God
     • Saint Francis Assisi spoke out against the treatment of animals, and was known for preaching to birds
     • the world as we know it is dependent on animal kind, therefore some believe we should treat them with respect and care
     • The land used for farm animals would be more efficent producing crops
     • If we do have souls, and animals do not then some believe that gives us all the more responsibility to care for them
   • Dominon
     • God gave humanity control over all animals, they were placed on Earth for our benefit
     • Humanity is created within God's image - God breathed life into humanity that was not given to animals, therefore we are his chosen species
       • Some believe that God breathed soul into Adam, yet not the animals - some believe that animals do not have souls and therefore God placed them on Earth for us to do with as we wish
         • No soul = No connection to God
     • Through the use of animals we can better human life though medical research and drug testing
     • Some scientists do not believe that animals feel pain, therefore some believe it is not cruel to harm animals
       • Awareness - If you 'kill' a computer it will cease to function, if you kill an animal it will cease to live - it does not provide evidence that it feels pain or has self awareness
     • Humanity has evolved further than any other species - therefore we have a right over others. We should do what we can to continue to develop our species,
   • Hunting
   • Eating Meat
   • \Medical Research
   • Genetic Engineering

4. Enviromental Issues

   • Concerns
     • Pollution
       • Factory Pollution - Smog
     • Use of Pesticides
     • Deforstation
     • Battery farming
     • Use of natural resources
     • Pollution of Seas and Rivers
       • BP Oil Spill
     • From a Scientific View we are seriously harming our enviroment, having a massive impact on many aspects of our world - that will lead to negetive effects on our future generations
   • Stewards of this world
   • 'The earth it the Lords and all that is in it, the world and those who live in it' Psalms
   • The world and all life in it was created by God and therefore is sacred
   • A formal Document written by the Pope- 'The earth and all life on it is a gift God given us to share and develop, not to dominate and exploit'
   • A statement form the World Council of Churches - 'the dignity of nature as creation need to be bound up with our responsibility for the preservation of life'
   • Many Christians join organisations and charities to held protect the enviroment
     • Green Peace WWF
   • We should protect the Earth for our future generations
   • God created the Earth for humanities benefit - therefore we can treat it as we like
     • Earth is a gift from God to humanity - so we must treat it with respect