origins and meaning

• 'You created this thing out of nothing' St Augustine's confessions

  Describes Catholic beliefs about Ex-Nihilo
• John 1:3 'Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.'
• There is no conflict between science and the doctrine of faith - Jon Paul II
• Big Bang theory put forward by Catholic priest Father Georges Lemaitre
• Creation ex nihilo- Creation out of nothing. Only God has the power to create the world out of nothing out of his omnipotence. Before the universe existed, there was nothing
• Genesis accounts- In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty
• Evolution- the process of natural selection and mutation that leads to the development of new species over time to suit particular environments
• transcendence

  existing outside of space and time; god exists in a way that makes him nothing like anything else that exists, above and beyond creation.
• stewardship

  the duty to care for creation responsibly, as stewards rather than consumers, and to protect it for future generations.
• revelation

  the word used to describe all of the ways in which god makes himself known to human beings. christians believe that god does this finally and fully through jesus
• inspiration

  the belief that the spirit of god guides an individual to act or write what is good and true
• imago dei

  in the image of god. the belief that human beings are uniquely a reflection of gods personhood. unlike other animals, human beings are rational, free and moral
• The theory of evolution is supported by the fossil record, which shows that species have evolved over time.
• DNA research shows similarities between species
• Richard Dawkins- Atheist that supports evolution. Does not believe in God. Humans are just a genetic mutation and are just advanced animals
• 'Her dignity is that of creation, seeing that she is made in the image of God' -ST CATHERINE OF SIENA

  This means that humans come from God, and we are made in his likeness

  
  

  seeing that she is in the image of god-

  imago dei

  posessing a soul which reflects god nature makes it possible for humans to spend eternal life with god
• St Catherine of Siena was a Doctor of the Church due to her extensive theological contributions, and has deep faith, so she is a strong source of authority
• AGAINST ABORTION QUOTES

  'Before i formed you in the womb i knew you' -Jeremiah

  "do not kill" - ten commandments

  dialogue of divine providence (imago dei) - catherine of siena
• Fundamentalists are pro-choice when it comes to abortion

  link to beliefs about quality of life
• Humanists focus on the quality of life, and value personal happiness and choice.

  PETER SINGER

  even though all humans have life, it is not of equal value. if a person has no ability to think, e.g embryos then their life has limited value. making it morally acceptable for an abortion
• SPECIESISM

  a conscious animal e.g. a dog has more metal capacity than a person with dementia or a baby. therefore arguing that human life is more important than any other species is morally wrong
• GENESIS 1- summary of god creating the *WORLD*

  shows us his transcendence, omnipotence, and eternal attributes
• GENESIS 2- summary of god creating *MAN* and their banishment

  shows god omnibenevolence, as judge, an immanence
• 'So God created man in his own image' Genesis 1
• 'Be fruitful and multiply' Genesis 1
• 'breathed into his nostrils the breath of life' Genesis 2
• In both creation stories, humans are the most important part. God made humans superior by giving them free will. So Catholics need to use this free will to protect the planet. The Catholic Church teaches that every individual has to work for the 'common good'
• Humanist attitudes to creation and stewardship

  -human life came about randomly

  -we should work for a more sustainable world, and care for animals and do as little harm to the environment as possible
• The Catholic Church's teaching on abortion has never changed - it is considered a mortal sin because it is the killing of an innocent and vulnerable human being.
• • Principles of Catholic Social Teaching in Gaudium et Spes

  • Peace
  • Work
  • Dignity
  • Poor
  • Community
• • "All scripture is inspired by God" (2Tim:16)
• Fundamentalist (or literal) reading of the Bible

  -Fundamentalists take the plain and simple meaning of the Bible as the true one

  -Fundamentalists believe the Bible is 100% correct and inspired in ALL the facts that it contains
• • Jewish views on abortion
  • God is the sole giver and creator of life, humans are in the image of God, and only God can take it away
  • God has "known" us even before birth (Jeremiah)
  • 5th Commandment forbids taking life, and this includes the unborn. "anyone who destroys a life is considered as if he had destroyed the whole world"
  • Most Jews do not believe a foetus is a person until it is born, but will only allow abortion in serious cases eg mother's life is at risk
• • Humanist views on abortion
  • Do not believe in sanctity of life - human life is special but not so much that it always has to be protected
  • Want to help all people have quality of life - so support abortion if this means a happier and fuller life for the mother
  • Do not think that the foetus is a person yet, so don't have to consider its happiness
  • Make decisions based on reason - will consider long term and short terms effects carefully before making a decision
  • Would legalise abortion (to avoid backstreet abortions) but promote adoption as the better solution
• general revelation

  god makes himself known through ordinary human experiences
• special revelation

  god makes himself known through direct personal experiences or specific events
• revelation is the term used to describe the different ways god makes himself known to human beings
• how are humans presented in genesis?

  god makes adam from dust- reference to mortality

  god breathes life into adam-imago dei

  god gives adam and eve a choice- gods free will, we are not robots

  adam names the animals-mankinds dominion
• autonomy: freedom from control, the right to independence
• epistemic freedom: freedom of knowledge, the ability to choose beliefs