Cosmologies – how did we get here?

Why do different Christians disagree?

In this lesson, you’re going to learn:

• The different cosmologies• Why Christians disagree about creation

Keywords:

• Conservative • Liberal • Creationist

Catholic / Conservative

• Science says ‘how’• Religion says ‘why’

Catholic – The creation stories were not meant to be taken literally. Science describes how

the universe was created. The creation stories tell us we’re created by God.

Creationist

• Scientific theories are incorrect • Genesis’ account of creation is literally true

Creationist (literalist/fundamentalist)– Genesis is true word for word, evolution and the big bang are wrong. They are likely to believe in

‘intelligent design’

Liberal• Bible should be re-interpreted – Genesis

doesn’t hold any value to explaining how the universe came to be other than that God created it

• Science shows us how the universe got here – not the Bible

Liberal – The Genesis story is just a story. It shows that God created the world but not

how. Science says how.

Scientific Theories

The Big bang theory• Matter is eternal, it can neither be

created nor destroyed, it can only be changed

• About 15 billion years ago, the matter of the universe became so compressed that it produced a huge explosion (the Big Bang)

• As the matter of the universe flew away from the explosion, the forces of the nature (eg gravity) joined some of the matter into stars and about 5 billion years ago, the universe was created

• As the Earth cooled, the conditions became suitable for primitive life to form

Evolution• From the primitive life

forms developed in the beginning times – every other life form evolved

• ‘survival of the fittest’ was always the case – and the weak (inferior) genes ruled out

• Each life form became adapted to its own habitat – and its very much so that one thing lead to another – and with gradual evolution, intelligent life forms (eg humans, apes) came about

What’s the evidence?The Big Bang:

• Red shift effect – the light from distant stars show that the universe is constantly continuing to expand and this shows that the universe started with one big explosion

Evolution:• Fossil records (similarities in fossils to life that

exists now• DNA – 50% of human DNA is the same as that

of a cabbage!

How could these scientific explanations lead to atheism or agnosticism?

• Science explains it all without the need for God to be in the equation

+ =

Christian responses • God was behind the big bang• Explosions notoriously cause chaos – the big

bang caused the universe which is ordered and complex

• If we were inches closer to the sun – the Earth would be to hot for life to form. If we were inches further from it – Earth would be to cold for life to form. This is clearly intelligent design

• Evolution couldn’t happen on its own – it must have had God sustaining it

Potential Exam Questions

• A) What is a conservative Christian?• B) Do you think science shows that God did not design

the world? Give two reasons for your point of viewC) Explain why the scientific explanation of the world leads some people to become atheists or agnostics

• D) ‘Science proves that God did not create the universe’ i) Do you agree? Give reasons for your opinionii) Give reasons why some people may disagree with you

Plenary

C) Why do different Christians disagree about cosmology?

• 8 marks• 5 points/reasons• 8 minutes