Creation

• Stewardship


  The idea that Christians have a duty to look after the environment on God's behalf
• Ways Catholics might carry out their duty to be stewards

  • Throwing away less waste and recycling more
  • Putting pressure on politicians to support laws that protect the environment and buying products from environment-friendly businesses
  • Putting pressure on governments to implement policies agreed at international meetings and boycotting international companies that threaten the environment
• Why do Catholics believe they should care for the environment?

  • All creation was created good by God so Christians should look after all of it (Genesis 1)
  • God made humans stewards of the earth (Genesis 2)
  • Jesus taught Christians to 'love your neighbour as yourself' (Mark 12:31) this includes all people they share the world with
• Sustainability


  Working to develop ways of living that help protect natural resources and ecological balance, often with long-term goals in mind
• Ways that CAFOD supports sustainability

  • Supporting or setting up projects that use renewable energy e.g. solar panels for health clinics in Kenya
  • Working with groups like MONLAR in Sri Lanka, which helps famers to adopt sustainable farming methods (such as the use of natural fertilizers)
• Natural law


  The belief in a natural order to the world, and a natural moral law, given by God
• The Catholic Church and science

  Religion and science support each other and do not have to contradict e.g. religion tries to explain why things happen while science tries to explain how things happen
• Gaudium et Spes 36: '"if methodological investigation…is carried out in a genuinely scientific manner…it never truly conflicts with faith"'
• Creation of Adam


  • Painted by Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome in the 16th century
  • Reflects important Christian beliefs about creation (God bringing the universe into existence) that are found in Genesis, the first book in the Bible
• Creation of Adam - Nature of God

  • God is carried through the air by a group of angels means God is transcendent
  • God looks much older than Adam means God is ancient/eternal
• Creation of Adam - humanity

  • God and Adam both look powerful/muscular and are lying in similar positions means humanity is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27)
  • God and Adam are reaching out to each other means there is a longing for a close relationship between God and humanity
• Old Testament


  The largest part of Scripture and tells the story of God's relationship with Israel before the arrival of Jesus. It begins with the five Books of God's Law, including Genesis, which Jewish people call the Torah.
• New Testament


  It opens with the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) which describe the life and teachings of Jesus. It also contains stories about the first followers of Jesus, the apostles, and includes some of their letters.
• Literary forms in the Bible


  • History
  • Law
  • Prophecy
• Inspiration and Bible as the word of God

  • For Catholics the Bible is the word of God; it reveals God to humans and teaches them about God and what he wants for humanity.
  • They believed that the many writers of the Bible were inspired by the Holy Spirit, which is God's presence and love in the world.
  • Catholics are guided in their interpretation of the Bible by the Magisterium. Catholics believe that the Magisterium is continually inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit.
• Genesis 1 and 2 - nature of God

  • God is Creator: God is the only creator, who has created everything.
  • God is Omnipotent: God is all-powerful, he can even create things from nothing and make everything exactly the way he wants.
  • God is Transcendent: God is beyond time and space, he is unlimited and only needs his own word in order to create.
• Genesis 1 and 2 the nature of humans?

  • Humans are made in the image of God: importance of humanity compared to other animals as being created in the image of God
  • Humans are given free will: God has given humans free will as a gift, the ability to make their own choices.
• The significance of the creation stories for Catholics

  • Stewardship: The belief that humans have a duty to look after the environment on behalf of God.
  • The dignity of human beings: Genesis 1:27 states that God made humans in his image which means for Catholics all humans are equal and all people have dignity.
  • The sanctity of life: Catholics believe that all creation is holy because it has been created by God, however the belief that human life is particularly precious and sacred is known as the sanctity of life.
• Books of the Bible


  • Old Testament
  • New Testament