Christianity Teachings about the Universe (Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B)

Christian Teachings About the Origins & Value of the Universe

The Origins and Value of the Universe in Christianity

• Some Christians believe that scriptures contain stories which explain the origins of the universe

  • They believe that God created the universe and that scripture contains an accurate account of what happened

• Other Christians believe in scientific theories like the Big Bang

  • They believe the theory explains how the universe came into existence but it is religion that explains why

  • They believe that God caused the Big Bang and controls evolution which has led to the existence of human beings

• Many Christians believe that the apparent design of the universe points to a creator

The Book of Genesis

• Some Christians believe that God created the earth in 6 days ex-nihilo as revealed in the Book of Genesis

• The parts of scripture which inform Christians about creation are Genesis 1 and 2

  • Genesis 1 focuses on the order of creation and the time it took God to create everything

  • Over seven days God created light and dark, the heavens, land, sea and vegetation, sun, moon and stars, birds and fish, land animals and humans

    • Day 1 – light and darkness

    • Day 2 – skies and oceans

    • Day 3 – land and plants

    • Day 4 – sun moon stars

    • Day 5 – birds and fish

    • Day 6 – animals and humans

    • Day 7 - God rested

  • Genesis 2 describes how God created man, then woman, and his relationship with us

    • The Bible states that God made Adam and Eve on the 6th day

    • God creates Adam from clay, and ‘breathes life’ into him suggesting a personal relationship

    • God created man in his image and made woman from man

• Adam was tasked with guarding the Garden of Eden and was told not to eat from the Forbidden Tree

• Adam disobeyed and as a result, all mankind was punished. This is the Original Sin

Scientific Explanations of the Origins of the Universe

• Some scientists and religious people disagree about how the universe came into existence

  • Scientists believe that the Big Bang theory explains how the universe began

  • Some religious people believe that their scriptures explain exactly how the universe started and that God was the creator

  • Scientists believe that evolutionary theories can explain how living things have changed over millions of years to produce the complex life we see today

  • Some religious people believe that God created all living creatures

    • They believe that humans are all direct descendants of the first humans, Adam and Eve

  • Non-religious people look to science for answers about how the universe began and believe that it started by chance

  • Some religious people would also believe in the Big Bang but that God created the Big Bang

The Big Bang

• The Big Bang is the most significant of the scientific theories for how the universe began

  • It states that the universe began 8 billion years ago and involved a rapid expansion of matter and energy

  • The matter of the universe was compressed into a tiny space

  • Then there was a huge explosion which expanded the matter

  • As the matter slowed down, gravity pulled it together to form stars and planets

  • On planet Earth, the atmosphere developed, plants formed, and life evolved from the primordial soup

  • The first life forms were simple single-cellular beings. From these, all other life developed, including humans

  • Scientists believe that the universe is still expanding and that the phenomenon of Red shift proves this

  • Scientists also believe that Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation provides evidence of the heat caused by the Big Bang

The Red Shift

• Scientists believe that the Red Shift is evidence of the Big Bang and the expansion of the universe

  • In 1929 Edwin Hubble discovered that the universe is expanding and that most other galaxies are moving away from us

  • Astronomers can observe light from distant galaxies, and when they do this they see it is different to the light from the Sun

  • The dark lines from distant galaxies show an increase in wavelength

  • The lines have moved or shifted towards the red end of the spectrum

    • This led to the name the Red Shift

  • Light absorption moves towards the red end of the spectrum as wavelengths get longer, which suggests an increase in distance

Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation

• According to the Big Bang theory, the early universe was very hot and full of radiation

• As the universe expanded and cooled down, there would have been a release of radiation

• This is exactly what we see now as the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation (CMB)

  • CMB is a faint glow of light that fills the universe. It is the oldest light we can see and so is the farthest back both in time and space that we can look

  • This light set out on its journey more than 14 billion years ago, before the Earth or even our galaxy existed

  • The light represents the residual heat of the beginning of the universe

    • It is the afterglow of the Big Bang

  • Many scientists believe this provides more evidence that the Big Bang brought the universe into existence

Christian Responses to Scientific Explanations of the Universe

• The different Christian beliefs about the biblical account of creation can be divided into two groups

  • Literalists (also known as creationists or fundamentalists) are Christians who believe that the Bible is an accurate account of creation

  • Non-literalists (moderates) are Christians who believe that the account of creation is not supposed to have a literal interpretation

Christian Responses to the View of the Universe as a Commodity

Christian Views of the Universe as a Commodity

• Christians believe that the universe is a gift created by God and that humans were given stewardship of this gift

• Christians also believe that they will be judged on how they have treated the world when they die

• Therefore, no Christians should use the world as a commodity and should try and leave it in a better state than they found it in

• Christians would look at the Book of Genesis (1-2) to support this view because it explains that God created everything and therefore it does not belong to humans to abuse it

• The world is important for humans both now and in the future because there is only one planet Earth and it cannot be replaced

• Religious people believe that they have been given a significant role in ensuring the planet is maintained for future generations