creation

• Explain 2 ways to be steward today

  Catholics can be stewards today at a local level by recycling more and using public transport. (1)

  These actions reduce negative environmental impacts so Catholics preserve God's creation (1)

  in which humans were given "dominion" over in Genesis. (1)

  Catholics can also be Stewards today at a global level by putting pressure on governments to implement sustainable conservation policies (1)

  This means that Catholics are fighting to save creation by helping large-scale projects take action (1)
• 2 important teachings about God from the creation of Adam (4)

  God is transcendent (1)

  God levitates and is carried by angels which presents him as beyond human scientific understanding (1)

  God is the creator and his creation is perfect (1)

  God gives life to Adam who has a perfect form as he is strong and powerful-looking. (1)
• 2 contrasting artworks and what they show about creation (5)

  Michelangelo's creation of Adam shows how God has a close link with humanity proving how we are created in the "image of God" due to God and Adam's similar form. God and Adam are reaching towards each other, showing the dependence of humans on God as the creator.

  Mierre's mosaic shows God's hand without humanity present. This shows God as omnipotent and transcendent as his large hand represents greatness and power that goes beyond our understanding.
• 2 ways we are in imago dei

  Created in God's likeness as shown in Genesis. This means that we share qualities and similarities with God which is represented in the creation of Adam

  Created separate from the rest of creation. Humanity was created by God's "live-giving breath" which shows us that we have a special relationship with God that we must honour by prayer
• Two ways Catholics believe science and religion are compatible (5)

  • By not reading the Genesis stories literally, Catholics view them as myths that have a deeper meaning (1)
  • such as teaching us that we are made in the "image of God" so should treat others with respect. (1)
  • This means they do not have to contradict scientific theories of evolution. (1)
  • By using Science to explain how things happen and using religion to explain why things happened Catholics can make science and religion compatible. (1)
  • They view both as important, just to answer different questions. (1)
• sacred scripture is the word of God - dei verbum
• sacred tradition takes the word of God....and hands it on to their successors in its full purity - Dei verbum
• messages of the creation stories

  1. God made everything
  2. God made everything good
  3. humans are the high point of creation
• pope francis on big bang

  "The big bang...does not contradict the divine act of creating, but rather requires it"
• Fundamentalist opinions-why?

  1. Word of God must be accurate so to prefer your own interpretation is wrong
  2. God loves humans so would not mislead them by telling them lies
• Liberalist opinions-why?

  1. Creation is a myth to provide messages such as that women being formed from Adam's rib shows how men and women are complementary, or that humans have a special connection with God, or that the world is "good" so we must look after it
  2. Scientific opinions are okay "big bang...does not contradict the divine act of creating, but rather requires it" because God still created the world
• Two beliefs about natural law

  Following it is important because God gave it to us meaning it is part of his will. God created us in his image of "good" so we must do good and avoid evil

  Humans do not need rules to tell them what to do- our conscience should guide us intuitively "there he is alone with god, whose voice echoes in his depths"
• Religion + science= okay (gaudium et spes)

  "it never truly conflicts with faith"
• 4 reasons why Catholics care for the environment

  • All of creation is made by God as "good" so we should show our love to God by valuing the world he lovingly created
  • God made us stewards of the earth ("dominion") so it is a responsibility
  • Jesus taught us to "Love your neighbour as yourself" and to show love to all people, we should reduce pollution and littering to save future generations
  • The church supports sustainability, the Vatican installed solar panels in 2008 which massively reduced carbon emissions. We should follow the example of the church.
• everyone's talents and involvement are needed to redress the damage....of God's creation
• Examples of CAFOD projects:

  • Encourage British people to live simply and sustainably
  • Supporting renewable energy projects
  • Working with MONLAR in Sri Lanka to help farmers adopt sustainable methods
  • Helping found beyond 2015 campaign to encourage governments to improve sustainability
• God as transcendent

  • cannot be described with human terms
  • beyond physical laws of time and space
  • beyond human understanding
• two catholic beliefs about natural law

  • Natural law refers to the moral principles Catholics believe are inbuilt to every human because in Genesis we were made in the "image and likeness" of God. This means all Catholics should be able to "do good and avoid evil" for example, ensuring procreation is part of marriage.
  • Natural law influences Catholics through the sancity of life. Because God "saw everything that he had made and it was good" (genesis) life must be sacred and holy as it is created by God. This means Catholics preserve life, eg. by disagreeing with euthanasia.
• Cafod expressing christian beliefs

  Supports stewardship. God gave humans "dominion" over his "very good" creation in Genesis. This means we have a duty to protect the planet and CAFOD does this by encouraging people to live simply in England and wales

  CAFOD's work is an expression of "love thy neighbour " because they support families in lower income countries to maintain their own farmland rather than have it exploited by large companies.