Topic 2 Religion and Planet Earth

What do religions say about the origins of

life?

.

Genesis Creation Story – Records the details of God creating the world

in seven days. God made mankind “In his image” on the sixth day.

Christians believe that God gave them a world that they need to care

for.

The Roman Catholic Church stated: ‘The Earth and all life on it are …

given to us to share and develop, not to dominate and exploit.’

God created the earth for us to care for it and to protect it not to

destroy it.

What has happened?

Mankind has treated his creation badly. Examples of this are air

pollution, global warming, deforestation, water pollution.

Many species are on the brink of extinction, especially due to

deforestation. Be aware of the consequences of these actions.

Modern scientific theory disputes Genesis:

Time scale (Age of earth/time of Gods creation)

Place of man (Evolution Vs Design)

Extinction (Dinosaurs – Why would God wipe a species out?)

Christians point out that Genesis is not real and just highlights Gods

creation. We should be in” awe” and “wonder” at his power. He was the

“first cause”.

What does the attitude make them say

about the issue?

“I put you in charge” – Responsibility Vs We can do as we wish.

“God looked at his creation and was pleased” – God was pleased with

his design and we should therefore care for it.

How can we be good stewards?

• Recycle

• Cut down on car usage

• Reuse

• Use less electricity/gas/oil

• Campaign to make governments change

• Demonstrations/petitions

• Become vegetarian

• Vote for Governments with Eco-Friendly campaigns – Earth

summits.

• Use renewable products

• Be aware of your actions and how those affect others and the

world.