Religion and Science

Religion and Science

1. THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE AND HUMANITY

   • CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE
     • THE BIG BANG
       • 18 bilion years ago there was a massive explosion which led to the creation of the universe.
       • As the gases and matter released by the explosion began to cool, the individual stars and planets of the galaxy were formed.
     • GENESIS 1
       • 'In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth' Genesis 1:1
       • Day 1
         • Night & Day
       • Day 2
         • Sky & Water
       • Day 3
         • Land & Vegetation
       • Day 4
         • Sun, Moon & Stars
       • Day 5
         • Creatures of the sea & sky
       • Day 6
         • Other living creatures & Humans
       • "God said, 'Let there be light', and there was light." Genesis 1:1-3
     • GENESIS 2
       • God created the world in a similar order but he made mankind before animals and created a companion (Eve) out of Adam's rib.
     • Fundamentalist (Creationist) Christians
       • Bible should be taken word for word.
       • Edmund Gosse
         • Fossils were put on Earth by God to test our faith.
       • Believes in the Genesis story of creation.
     • Conservative Christians
       • God created the world, but 'days' may actually be longer periods of time
         • Ayin
           • Period of time
       • The order is correct but otherwise it was metaphorical.
     • Liberal Christians
       • God created the universe but scientific theories of creation are right.
       • The Big Bang was created by God
         • The Catholic Church has accepted the BB since 1996 under this idea.
     • Ex Nihilo
       • Out of nothing
   • CREATION OF HUMANITY
     • EVOLUTION
       • Charles Darwin published a book called 'On the origin of Species' in which he suggested that life began with a single simple cell and evolved into the variety of plant and animal life on Earth today.
       • This development provided diversity and meant that animals and plants became suited to their environment.
       • Darwin believed that humans developed through the same process, and through natural selection.
     • 'Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life' Genesis 2
     • 'God created man in His own image.' Genesis 1:27

2. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RELIGION AND SCIENCE

   • Science explains how and religion explains why.
   • IF SCIENCE IS RIGHT RELIGION MUST BE WRONG
     • FOR
       • Fundamentalists - Either the Bible or Science is true and it cannot be both.
       • James Ussher, a 17th Century Bishop, calculated the exact time of creation according to the Bible.
         • He said it was 9am on 26 Oct 4004 BCE
           • Which is many millions of years after the date given by science.
     • AGAINST
       • Conservative Christians - Creation accounts are myths to be taken metaphorically
       • God could have caused evolution - Teleological argument
       • St Augustine
         • God must have invented time when he made the rest of creation. Therefore time is relative to God. God's creation would have happened outside of time as we understand it.
         • In the beginning were created only germs or causes of the forms of life which were afterwards to be developed in gradual course.

3. TREATMENT OF ANIMALS

   • 'Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.' Genesis 1:28b
     • God gives humans dominion over animals and places mankind as the most important.
   • 'Whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.' Genesis 2:19-20
   • 'God created man in His own image' Genesis 1:27
     • God is omnibenevolent and therefore if we are created in his image we should also be loving and treat animals with respect.
       • "God is love" - John 4:8
     • God created us in His image and not animals, therefore we are more important as we are like God so we can treat animals however we like.
   • 'breathed into his nostrils the breath of life' Genesis 2:7
     • Ensoulment, the bestowing of a sense of morality to the human race.
     • God gave humans the 'breath of life' and not animals so we are superior.
       • St Francis of Assisi believed that animals did have souls and spoke out against their bad treatment.
   • 'Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care' Matthew 10:29
     • Even though Humans sell animals, they are still cared for by God so we should not harm them.
     • If God cares for them we don't have the responsibility so can do whatever we like with animals.
   • 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.' Genesis 1:29
     • God gave us gifts whereas he gave nothing to animals.
     • He has given us all these alternatives so why do we insist on eating animals?
   • As we evolved from them we should treat them equally.
   • Not moral to cause suffering to another living being.
   • High in the food chain, natural reasons for power over animals
     • Gives us the power but not the right.

4. TREATMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT

   • HUMANITY HAS A DUTY TO LOOK AFTER AND CARE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
     • FOR
       • 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.' Genesis
       • All life was created by God so all life is sacred.
       • Luke 12:22-31 tells us we must only take from the earth what we need & we must show respect to the enviromnent.
       • We should be like Him and treat animals & the environment with respect.
         • Genesis 1:27
     • AGAINST
       • 'And how much more valuable you are than birds!'
       • Power to do whatever, no duty to treat it a particular way.
         • 'Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air...' Genesis 1:28
   • Dominion
     • The idea that humans have control over the Earth and rule over it.
   • Stewardship
     • The God-given right or responsibility to care for and manage the world.