Creation

A Questions

•AO1 – Knowledge and Understanding – one side. •Explain in lots of detail•20 mins•Approx 2 sides•Link back to the question•Make links between your

paragraphs – don’t produce a list.

a) Explain ways in which religious believers explain the origin of the universe [30]

• Young Earth Creationism - 6 days, creation ex nihilo, Archbishop Ussher, Bible is Science, God created out of love, God is the omnipotent creator.

• Old Earth Creationism – the ‘days’ were longer periods of time, so the universe originated as long ago as science suggests, Bible central, creation ex nihilo etc.

• Schroeder – the universe originated with the Big Bang, Genesis gives the symbolic truth that God made the world through the scientific processes of the Big Bang.

• Deism – God made the universe, then left it. • The Theory of Intelligent Design

Explain scientific ideas on the origin and nature of the universe. [30]ORIGIN = Big Bang• approx 13 billion years

ago• Singularity exploded• <second time and space• 3 mins protons and

neutrons formed atoms• Half million years, temp

cooled enough for hydrogen and helium to form• Billion years – stars and

galaxies form• Many stars died before our

sun and planets formed

NATURE• Still expanding from

singularity• Still cooling• Random chance – no cause• Expansion may slow and

cause the Big Crunch• Expansion looks to be

quickening – Continuous expansion (Heat Death)

DEAL WITH BOTH ORIGIN AND NATURE IN DETAIL

Explain scientific ideas about the end of the universe [30]

Big Crunch• Expansion slows down

due to gravity• All matter rushes back to

the point of singularity• May cause another ‘bang’

– Oscillating Universe Theory (conditions for life occur by chance)• Evidence expansion

quickening• Missing matter

Endless Expansion• Evidence suggests

expansion getting faster• Theory – expand forever• 2nd law thermodynamics

– eventually run out of energy (entropy)• Universe will die as no

energy. No light or heat means nothing can live = heat death

a) Explain ways in which religious believers explain the origin of life on Earth

• Young Earth Creationism – creation ex nihilo, humans made ‘in God’s image’, the last and greatest of His creation, made to have a relationship with God, made to look after God’s world and its creatures, world made carefully to support humans and for their enjoyment, all part of a divine plan

• Old Earth Creationism – As above, but different time scale.

• Charles Kingsley – God made humans through the processes of evolution “Old God so wise ...”

Explain scientific ideas on the origin of life [30]

• 1859 – Darwin On the Origin of the Species•Galapagos Islands – finches•Natural Selection and adaptation – Example of

wolves and the deer.• Species have adapted and developed over many

years from very simple organisms• Survival of the fittest.• Explains the existence of intelligent life on earth.•No need for a Creator God

Explain religious beliefs on the qualities of a creator God. [30]

• God as Creator – Creationism, God making the world, showing His power and love• God as Father – creates and loves us all, wants us to be

happy, wants us to have a relationship with Him and with each other (creates Eve for Adam)• God as sustainer – Ontological Dependence, gives order

(time), the world is totally dependant upon God.• Deism – God is a powerful creator, but the world is now

independent from Him.

B QuestionsA good B question will:• Have a clear argument running through it, but

will not use ‘I’.• Examine both sides.• Contain analysis (next slide will help)• Be focussed on the question. • Come to a conclusion which is based on

evidence discussed in the essay.

Critical Analysis• This is a very damaging criticism because ___.• However, one could argue that _____.• The Design Argument can not stand up against

this criticism because _____• Although Polkinghorne defends the Design

Argument by stating _____, he fails to protect the argument fully because _______.

• Dawkin’s argument’s is weak here because ____.• Despite this criticism, the Design Argument is still

a sound one because ________.

b) “Science and Religion are irrelevant to each other on the issue of the origin of life. [15]

FOR• Stephen Jay Gould – “We

can neither affirm nor deny it, we simply cannot comment on it as scientists.”• Wittgenstein – Language

Games

AGAINST• Science destroys religion –

Dawkins• The Bible is science –

Creationists• Kingsley and the Anthropic

Principle – religion and science are compatible.

b) Assess the view that science and religion are complimentary on the issue of the origin of the universe. [15]

FOR• Schroeder – Genesis and

the Big Bang. Symbolic interpretations = science and religion are compatible.

AGAINST• Conflict – Dawkins,

Creationists• Irrelevant – Gould,

Wittgenstein

b) “The views of religion and science are in conflict on the issue of the origin of life.” How far do you agree with this statement? [15]

FOR• Science – Dawkins• Religion - Creationism

AGAINST• Complimentary – Kingsley /

Anthropic Principle• Irrelevant – Gould,

Wittgenstein

b) “God is simply an answer for unanswered questions and an explanation for the unexplained.” How far do you agree with this statement? [15]

FOR• Dawkins – God of the

Gaps. Eventually there will be no gaps for God to hide in. • Criticisms of Schroeder

and Kingsley’s attempt to combine religion and science.

AGAINST• Creationism – God

explains everything in the Bible – Science isn’t needed and religion has ALL of the answers• Strengths of Schroeder

and Kingsley’s ideas.• Gould – science and

religion shouldn’t be combined at all.

b) “Intelligent Design is a scientific idea.” How far do you agree with this statement?

FOR• Michele Behe –

Irreducibility of complex structures like DNA• Anthropic Principle – Fine-

tuning = evidence of God.• God can be seen in the

complexities of science – science has revealed the existence of God.

• Daniel Dennett – religious idea. Problems with the eye etc• Dawkins – this is

another example of God of the gaps – science reveals that God does NOT exist (Big Bang and Evolutionary Theories)• Gould – science and

religion are irrelevant to each other.