R E Department

Eduqas Route B Component

O i e ce The belief that God is all powerful

C ea e ihi Creation out of nothing Before God created the universe nothing existed Only
God can create out of nothing
I ag Dei In the image of God The belief that human beings are uniquely a reflection of God s per
sonhood Unlike the other animals human beings are rational free and moral
I ia - God breathed The belief that spirit of God guides and individual to act or write what is
good and true
Re e a 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 in the person of Jesus Christ
S e a d hi -The duty to care for creation responsibly as stewards rather than consumers and to pro
tect it for future generations
T a ce de ce Existing outside of space and time God exists in a way that makes him nothing like
anything else that exists above and beyond creation
 Ca h ic Be ief ab he O igi f he U i e e
a d he C ce f C ea e ihi

G K Che e said if we look at the world we notice that i

eem o p oceed b ce ain le in he g o h of flo e a g een
a chi ec e ha b ild i elf i ho i ible hand The e eem o
be a de ign a p po e an in en on o p od ce he
flo e plan ee and o he hing in he o ld

Catholic refer to the author of the story of the world as God God is the origin of the
world the first cause or Creator Christians Jews and Muslims all call to God the Crea
tor the One who gives the world its meaning

Creation out of Nothing S A g e

There are several things that Augustine introduces about the origin of the universe

Ee a Yo e e and C ea God created

be ide o no hing heaven and earth Every
a In the beginning Sunday in the Nicene Creed
before the creation of the
universe before time and
God is Christians profess their faith
in God make of hea en
space exists only God and ea h of all hing i i
exists ble and in i ible

T a ce de God is
beyond space and time O i e God was able
God is not part of the uni to create something out of
verse but he is not nothing because God is
omnipotent
 Ge e i C ea Acc Ca h ic a d F da e a i
Ca h ic be ief F da e a i be ief
The a h f he bib ica b ae The a h f he bib ica b ae
I i ed b G d I i ed b G d
The b f he Bib e c ai G d e The b f he Bib e c ai G d e
ea ea
The b f he Bib e a e he W d f The b f he Bib e a e he W d f
G d G d
Must take into account the context in They believe that the Bible accounts
which the Bible was written should be taken literally
Genesis is seen as a symbolic parable Creationists are Fundamentalist Christians
about humans relationship with God and and they have a literal understanding of
creation how the universe was created as de
Catholic do not see Genesis as an alterna scribed in Genesis
tive to the Big Bang and evolution but in
stead believe that science answers the Si i a i e f he diffe e a de a e
how questions and religion why
high igh ed i b d
Catholics interpret the period of days as
periods of time rather than taking it liter
ally

Ge e i a d he Big Ba g
Big Bang
This idea of a unique and explosive beginning to the cosmos out of a singular moment a singular dense point containing all
of the universe s matter and energy which is then thrown outwards is called the Big Bang theory What a lot of people do not
realise is that this theory was first put forward not by Stephen Hawking but by a Catholic priest Father Georges Lemaître

Why was a Catholic priest able to come up with this theory? Catholics have a less literalist approach to reading the Bible than
do some other Christian groups

The author of Genesis is saying why things are the way they are not how things are the way they are Theology answers the
question why? Science answers the question how? The author of Genesis is trying to say that this wonderful intelligible uni
verse which God invites us to explore scientifically with our God-given intelligence had a beginning the creative act of a lov
ing and intelligent God who created everything out of nothing If God chose to do that through the Big Bang all well and good!

Stephen Hawking
One thing on which Hawking and the Catholic Church would disagree with regard to the Big Bang theory concerns whether or
not the theory needs to have a Creator Hawking s believes that the universe does not need a creator Hawking says
Beca e he e i a la ch a g a i he ni e e can and ill c ea e i elf f om no hing

A Christian would respond by questioning what caused the Big Bang to happen? Why is there something rather than noth
ing? is the question which ultimately led the leading atheist Anthony Flew to a belief in God
 Ge e i Cha e Da i a d Richa d Da i
While visiting the Galapagos Islands Charles Darwin
noticed that there were variations in some of the characteristics
found in animals of the same species on the different islands
He put this down to the variations in conditions on the different
islands saying that the animals had adapted to their different
conditions His theory of evolution attempted to explain how
these variations come about through the process of natural
selection An example of this would be that giraffes developed
longer necks to help them reach higher food sources in the
trees Those who did not develop this longer neck died out

H d a Ca h ic e d hi he
The Catholic belief is that evolution can compliment the theo
ry of evolution If God wanted to create human beings who
says the process he uses can not take billion years and in
volve a Big Bang and evolution
Several Popes beginning with Pope Pius XII in have taught
that there is no conflict between Darwin s theory and the Cath
olic understanding of God s deliberate purposeful creation of
human beings

St John Paul II wrote there is no conflict between evolution and the doctrine of
the faith regarding man and his vocation

He goes on to say that since further discoveries in the natural sciences and other fields of
study tend to suggest that evolution is a theory of great merit which advances our
understanding

Questions a Catholic might ask Darwin

How did the universe first come into existence?
How the purpose carrying genetic codes which gave rise for survival in living spe
cies come from mere matter?
 Saint Catherine of Siena on Imago Dei

Saint Catherine of Siena was a woman of deep spirituality passionate in her de

sire to make people aware of their openness to God She wrote a famous work about this
called The Dialogue of Divine Providence which is a conversation between God and a soul
trying to make her way to God

In her meditation on imago Dei Catherine uses the image of a reflection in a mirror Why
does she do this?

Let us make man in our own image

and this You did oh eternal Trinity that
man might participate in everything be
longing to You the most high and eter

Catherine of Sienna

O igi So that we can reflect on the idea that we are not random organisms our origin
is in God our life belongs to God alone

C cie ce Because we have God s love and truth in our lives we also have an inner
conscience that tells us when we have done wrong when we come up short of our best
selves

Ligh L e b Catherine says that the goodness of God shows us the stains on our
face like a mirror or in the same way that the sun on the windscreen of a car shows up
the dirt and the smudges!

Dig i a d he Sa c f Life This dignifies everyone Despite being criticised for the
bad company she kept Catherine spent much of her life hanging around with the outcasts
and sinners as did Jesus She knew that because God loved us enough to create us and
make us in his image we can be confident that he will pick us up to try again º

De a d he Sa c f Life More than just respect in this life imago Dei means that
the true destiny of each human is to live in the eternal love of the Trinity Life is thus sacred
both in its origin and in its destiny
 Ca h ic a d O he Ch i a Vie he Va e f
H a Life a d Ab
Catholic beliefs about the sanctity of hu
man life
The Catholic Church teaches that everyone
has the right to life and that H man life i
ac ed beca e f om he beginning i in
ol e he c ea e ac on of God and i e
main fo e e in a pecial ela on hip i h
he C ea o ho i i ole end Catechism
of the Catholic Church CCC Catholic
views about the dignity of human life are H man life m be e pec ed and
rooted in their fundamental belief in the p o ec ed f om he momen of concep
sanctity of human life on F om he fi momen of hi e
i ence a h man being m be ec
ogni ed a ha ing he igh of a pe
on CCC
The UK Law on Abortion
Must be before weeks and two doctors must agree
Conditions are that there must be some risk to the mothers mental or physical health
or to other children if the pregnancy continued
If there is a risk that the baby will be born severely disabled or if there is a risk of
physical harm to the mother then there is no time limit on the abortion

Attitudes towards abortion

The Catholic Church believes that God gives us the gift of life at the moment of concep
tion Before I formed you in the womb I knew you before you came to birth I consecrated
you
From conception onwards the Catholic Church believes that no one has the right to
interfere with anyone s life and that we have a duty to preserve life
The Church will always think that adoption is a better solution to abortion in the case of
an unwanted child
In some situations the Church will support the doctrine of double effect
Other Christian Views
The Ch ch f E g a d A g ica share the Catholic view on the sanctity of human life
As a sister Christian community with a common creed their understanding of the value of
human life is almost identical to the Catholic approach and the two Churches have
worked together on many projects on behalf of the poor at home and abroad

The Ch ch f E g a d recognises that there will be different views on the issue of abor
tion but summarises its own position to be as follows The Ch ch of England combine
ong oppo i on o abo on i h a ecogni on ha he e can be ic l limi ed con
di on nde hich i ma be mo all p efe able o an a ailable al e na e It considers
the number of abortions in the UK to be unacceptably high

H a i
Although there is no official h a i i
on abortion humanists tend towards the pro-
choice position They think that abortion is mor
ally acceptable as a personal choice

Humanists support the legalisation of abortion

so that unsafe or back-street abortions do
not take place

Humanists do not consider life sacred but they

have respect for human life They think that ra
Peter Singer
ther than sanctity of life the quality of life of
A humanist who would be critical of the Catholic view mother unborn or both is much more useful in
of the value of human life would be the Australian helping us decide what to do especially if there
philosopher Peter Singer b is a conflict of interests
Singer believes that we should help as many people as
possible to enjoy life and eliminate the suffering of as
Humanists do not think a foetus becomes a per
many people as possible that is we should increase
son with feelings and rights until well after con
the pleasure and decrease the suffering of humanity
ception
This is a form of utilitarianism
While acknowledging that it is a complex situa
Singer rejects the notion of sanctity of life preferring tion with lots of factors humanists think that
instead the idea of quality of life Quality of life is preference should be given to a more mature
more important when we are deciding what is right human being who already exists in the world
and wrong He says that quality of life for all animal Effectively this supports the woman s right to
species including humans is related to the amount of choose
suffering enjoyment or pleasure they have those
who suffer more have a worse quality of life and
those who enjoy more have a better quality of life
 Whe e Did he Bib e C eF

Writing Beginning around BC

Speaking Oral Tradition
scribes in Israel began to write down
unlike now no one could write
parts of the oral tradition about im
As God was revealed to the Cho
portant people and events
sen people of Israel oral ac
counts were passed on by those
who experienced the events first
The Bible is a collection of different
hand and then by successive
books There are in the Old Testament
and in the New Testament

Old Testament
La writings which offer instructions on how to live e g the Ten Commandments The first five books
the Pentateuch of the Bible are full of this sort of writing and so collectively they are called The Law
Torah in Hebrew
S ie f O igi in some parts we also find creation meditations like Genesis and symbolic narra
tives such as Genesis For example a flashy word for the Adam and Eve story is aetiology a kind of
parable which explains in a symbolic way why things are as they are
Hi those books of the Old Testament which narrate the story of God s people from the time they
entered the Promised Land BC They encourage Israel to imitate the great heroes of their past by
doing what God asks keeping the deal the covenant
P hec prophecy means to speak on behalf of The prophets spoke for God to his people in the
present moment challenging them and their leaders to keep the deal with God The prophets spoke of
Israel as being the future light for all the nations and of having a Messiah who would attract all peoples
to God
Wi d through good times and bad these writings are prayers sayings songs love poetry philo
sophical reflections on life and advice on how to live
New Testament
G e proclamations of the good news gospel about the love of God made visi
ble in Jesus who is God among us
Hi ica Acts of the Apostles an account of the spread of the Gospel in the Early
Church particularly through the experiences of Peter and Paul
Le e actual letters sent by early Christian leaders such as Peter Paul and John to Chris
tian communities encouraging them guiding them and addressing specific issues in the
Early Church
A ca c a richly symbolic way of writing designed to encourage and strengthen the
Early Church through the message that God is in charge of history and will remain faithful

H Ca h ic I e e he Sc i e

Ca h ic believe that the Bible emerged Fundamentalist Christians believe that in

from certain events which were interpreted order to understand the Bible all we
and passed on in oral traditions before even
need to do is read it They take every
tually being written down by human authors
in different literary forms
word in the Bible as literally true They
have a literalist approach
Catholics believe that the Bible contains God s
revelation Revelation means uncovering or
showing In the Bible God communicates
Fundamentalist Christians do not take
himself and his will to human beings
into account the different literary forms
In o de o di co e he ac ed a ho in en
in the Bible
on he eade m ake in o acco n he
condi on of hei me and c l e li e a
gen e in e a ha me and he mode of
feeling peaking and na a ng CCC
We must read the Bible in the context of when
it was written including the literary forms
Catholics believe that the authors of the Bible
were inspired however they do not believe
that everything that is written in the Bible is
true
 Wha d e Ge e i each ab G da dH a Bei g

G di ibe e e a - i g God is infinitely loving and

G d i e e a Genesis
infinitely generous He is the Supreme Being who needs nothing
In he beginning
and so cannot be self-interested and yet he created the universe
God only God has no with us in it So Creation is the result of God s love Creation
beginning comes into existence out of God s infinite love It is God-loved
into being

In he beginning God Creation happens at

c ea ed he hea en and God s word God said
he ea h No he Le he e be ligh and
ea h a a fo mle he e a ligh God
oid he e a da kne speaks creation into exist
o e he deep and God ence For Christians the
pi i ho e ed o e he universe is not a random
a e God aid Le accident a cosmic coinci
he e be ligh and he e

GOD
dence that just happens
a ligh Genesis to be here nor has it al
ways been here
G d a a ce de
God is beyond our reali
ty beyond time and
space

Although the second Creation account tells us of God s omnipotence and other qualities
it is less cosmic and more anthropocentric focused on human beings underlining God s
closeness to us and his desire to be in relationship with us It is a story about human be
ings and their place in creation and in relationship to the Creator God
If the creation accounts are taken together the author is or authors are trying to com
municate the revelation from God that all of creation all that exists is not simply there
it is contingent and has been brought into being by the infinite love and generosity of a
necessary omnipotent transcendent immanent omnibenevolent God
I ag Dei Genesis says God c ea ed man in he image of him elf in he image of
God he c ea ed him male and female he c ea ed hem Human beings male and female
are made last in creation and are made in the imago Dei in the image of God they re
flect something of God in creation

Wha d e Ge e i each ab h a

H a dig i a d a c G d e f C ea
f ife This gives hu Again and again at the
mans a special status and end of each of the six
sanctity in creation We days of Creation God
reflect something of God declares what was cre
in our intelligence our ated that day to be
free will and our ability to good All that is
relate and love brought into being by
the omnibenevolent
generous and living

H a e a d hi In Genesis God gives human beings a special mastery

dominion over the other species as well as over the plants for food Catholics believe that
being made in the image of God humans are also stewards of creation exercising a spe
cial responsibility for its care As Pope Francis pointed out in his encyclical letter
La da o Si human beings must regard all creatures as part of one created family since
they share one and the same Father in God the Creator

Ge e i
The i ag Dei God creates Man Adam from the soil Genesis Human and hu
mility both come from the same Latin word humus meaning soil or earth Adam is
materially made of the earth but at the same time has the divine breath of God the
spark of life a soul

Ma e a d fe a e In this second creation story God takes his time bringing together
Male and Female Far from being an afterthought the creation of Eve demonstrates our
need for one another and is the highlight of the account drawing a love song rap out
of Adam Genesis
G d e f c ea Man is placed in Eden Genesis an idyllic place full of good
ness to live life and enjoy the goodness of God s gifts in creation

H a e a d hi Human beings are granted the gift of rationality in order to share in

God s intelligent love for creation to order c l a e and ake ca e of i Genesis
We are told in that there was no bush or plant and no man to care for the earth God
invites humans to work with him in caring for creation

F eed fl i h God places the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the
garden Genesis In Man is invited to use the freedom to do God s will We
also see in the cooperation of man and woman their complementarity

AC ai f Ca h ic a d H a i Vie
P e e i g he P a e a d he E i e

Ca h lic ee h man being a e a d , hi i a g abl o fi eligio

d
God ook he man and e led him in he ga den of Eden o c l i a e and ake ca e
of i Gene i 2:15
The Se en h Commandmen i o hall no eal E od 20:15. Ca holic be-
lie e ha hi eq i e e pec fo he ni e al de ina ion of good (CCC2401).
The good of he ea h incl de a heal h en i onmen and inhabi able plane a
he a e God gif o all people.

H ma i do not look to God gods or the supernatural in order to understand how the
universe works They say that we should base the way we behave on natural empathy and
a concern for human beings and other animals Since they do not believe in either a life be
yond this one or any purpose to the universe they believe that human beings have to give
meaning to their lives here and now by seeking happiness and helping others to do the
same
Humanists support birth-control programmes because they see overpopulation as a threat
to preserving the planet and future happiness Likewise humanists are increasingly recog
nising the rights of animals over those of humans in order to avoid the accusation of
speciesism associated with thinkers like Peter Singer
Ca h ic U de a di g f C ea E e ed i A
The C ea f Ada
 The T ee f Life

The hand of God the

Father offering a
wreath of victory to
Christ
The image of God s
right hand is used
often in artwork to
symbolise God s
power

The twelve doves symbolise the chosen Apostles of Jesus

is a symbolic number as it relates to the tribes of Israel who God first made his cove
nant with The apostles take their place in the new covenant
 At the top of the mosaic you will see the first
two letters of the word Christ in Greek and
these are combined into a Christogram called
the Chi-Rho This symbol is still common in
Catholic churches today and is often seen on
baptismal candles priestly vestments and
sacred vessels

The book of Revelation uses the symbolism of the Greek letters alpha and omega several
times Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet In Revela
tions God speaks of himself as Alpha and Omega and from the very earliest times Chris
tians understood the title to refer to Jesus also

S a f he S b i
The whole cosmos was created by God the Father through the Word of God
In time that Word became flesh in Jesus of Nazareth He died to redeem sinful human
beings on the wood of the Cross which is therefore the tree of life
Jesus is also the Risen Lord the all-powerful Judge of the universe that was created
through him Colossians
He is how humans find their meaning The loving God who created us and who is the
Father of us all seeks to unite us in Christ through the community of the Church as
one family Although sin divides us and turns us against one another humanity must
not forget its common origin in God and its destiny in God Colossians
The victory of Christ has to be accepted in the life of each of us The mosaic invites
those who look at it to ponder its rich symbols and enter into the mystery of God
creation and the battle between good and evil It boldly asks which side we are on
are we for Life or for Death?
 I ag Dei a d Ca h ic S cia Teachi g

For Catholics Genesis tells the truth that God is Creator of everything that creation is
good Genesis and that human beings were made in the image and likeness of
God and given the task of caring for creation Catholic call this task stewardship of
creation
To care for creation means to protect and conserve it using the earth s resources in a
sustainable way This benefits both the earth itself and human beings especially the
poorest people living in LEDC who are most affected by climate change even though
they have done the least to cause it
For Catholics considering those who are the poorest and most vulnerable first is al
ways part of protecting the environment
Pope Francis says that peace j ce and p e e a on of c ea on canno be epa a
ed e e a emp o p e e e ecolog m ake in o acco n he igh of he poo e
and mo lne able people Laudato Si

Members of the Catholic Church have always given selfless examples of respecting
the dignity of each person through the service of others Justice and charity have al
ways been integral to how committed Catholics have lived their faith

From - the worlds bishops gathered in Rome for the Second Vatican Coun
cil to discuss and make decisions on Church teachings One document Gaudium et
Spes which looked at the Church in the modern world made it clear that the con
cept of the image of God has greatly influenced Church teaching on human dignity
equality justice and peace
 The W f CAFOD a d SVP

Dignity is a key principle of Catholic Social Teaching it is also one of CAFOD s key values We belie e in
he in in ic digni of e e pe on We o k i h all people ega dle of ace gende eligion o
poli c CAFOD says that part of its vision is a world where the rights and dignity of every person are re
spected

When a lawyer asked And

who is my neighbour? Je
sus told him the story of
the Good Samaritan show Anyone who needs me and whom I can help is my
ing neighbourly love to a neighbour The concept of neighbour is now universal
wounded man from anoth ised yet it remains concrete Despite being extended to
er culture who had nothing all mankind it is not reduced to a generic abstract and
with which to repay the undemanding expression of love but calls for my own
favour Luke At practical commitment here and now
the end of the parable Je
sus said Go and do the
same yourself Neighbour
need not be restricted to The Catholic Social Teaching principle stewardship of crea
local people Pope Bene tion is integral to CAFOD s work CAFOD aims to promote hu
dict XVI wrote the fol man development while also protecting and sustaining the
lowing environment

SVP
The Fundamental Principles of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul say that the Society s work involves
all forms of aid by individual contact in order to promote the dignity and integrity of man Individual vis
its to people who are sick lonely addicted imprisoned or coping with disability form a large proportion
of the Society s work SVP members aim to ensure that every person visited knows that he or she is val
ued and respected as an individual and that there is someone they can turn to for a helping hand or a
sympathetic ear
St Vincent de Paul said God doe no con ide he o come of he good o k nde aken b he cha i
ha accompanied i The SVP says that its vision is inspired by Christ s message to love our neighbour as
ourselves The Society is non-judgemental about those asking for assistance it will help anyone in need
as long as the local membership is able to do so In some areas an SVP support centre community shop
or furniture store serves the most disadvantaged people in the neighbourhood