w Hindu ideas about creation

(

objective|

Hindu cosmology is based on a cyclical idea of time. This meansthat

worlds and new bodiesare continually being recreated so that the atman

can continueits journey to moksha. Hindussee the universe as one of

many bubblesin space. Thereis no one universeor one act of creation.

Creation is a continuous Process.

Consider how Hindustories

have been usedto explain

the origin of the universe and

howthis teaching relates to

scientific theories.

Stories from Hindutradition

Here is a Hindu story about the origin of the world.

Long, long ago, Lord Vishnu created the different

universesand in each universe he lay down ona

celestial cobra snake in an ocean of milk. A pure

white lotus flower came from his navel and,fast

asleep,insideits satin petals,lay Lord Brahma,the

creator, the source of all things.

the egg into two halves

arch of the sky, and one

While Lord Brahmaslept,

there was nothing. Then

Brahmastirred and woke

up, and began to create

the world and everything

in its four quarters.First,

he created the godsof

the sky, the moon and the

sun. He placed them in

the heavensto bring night

and day. Then he created

fire, the wind and the

ocean.

Into the ocean the Lord

Brahmaplaced a gleaming

golden egg. Gently

rocking on the waves, the

egg grew and grew until

onedayit started to crack,

L wiser and wider,untilit A. Brahma emerging from the lotus flower

split wide open. From its goldeninside, Lord Brahma

stepped out, crownedin shining light. He divided

made humanbeingsto live on the earth and so the

world was made. But when Lord Brahmafalls asleep

again,his creation will dissolve into nothing, and the

world we know will no longer exist.

and placed one above as the

below as the earth. Then he

an

+et

TOD

ow Hindu stories

Hindu cosmology is based on a cyclical idea of time- means tha n | ° consider h;

worlds and new bodies are continuallyeing rec ted so that the atma

| have peen used to explain

van continueits journhha, Hindus e the yniverse

a8 one 0 | the origin ofthe universe and

ey to moksha. indus or one act of creation.| how this teaching relates to

iversescientific theont*

many b imati ubbles in space. There is 2 one ut

ion is a continuous process:

encae

_

i en. From its goldeninside, Lo

rd Brahma

light. He divided

nof the world.d one above as the

Here is a Hindu story about the origi

Heng, long ago, Lord Vishnucreated the different

the egginthalves and place

universesandin each universe helay dow? ona

archof the sky, and one below as the earth. Thenhe

celestial cobra snake in an ocean of milk. pure

madehumanaings to live On the earth and so the

de. But whenLord Brahma

falls asleep

ing, and the

«navel and:white lotus flower camefrom hi

Brahma, the4 myalee, insideits satin petals, lay Lor

reator, the sourceofall things-

While Lord Brahmaslept,

there was nothing. Then

=

| .

Brahmastirred and woke Sis' =

up, and beganto create e

the world and everything |

in its four quarters.First,

he created the godsof

the sky, the moon and the

sun. He placed them in

the heavensto bring night

and day. Then he created

fire, the wind and the

ocean.

Into the ocean the Lord

Brahmaplaced a gleaming

golden egg. Gently

rocking on the waves, the

egg grew and grew until

one dayit started to crack,

wider and wider,until it

ee

eer

caan

emcin

ceeelet

n

L

e

om

8)

Chapter4Religionandlife

wScientifictheoriesabouttheoriginsofa6

|

theuniverse”i

ForarecapofHinduideasoni

TheBigBangtheorytimeandspace,lookbackat

ScientistsnowthinkthattheBigBangwasnotamassiveexpansioninChapter1,pages22-23.

space,butofspaceitself,whichhappenedabout13.8billionyearsago,

andwhichkickedoffacosmicexpansionfromasinglepointofvery

highdensityandtemperature.Itproducednotoneworldbutmany

(

Keyterm|

worldsasgalaxiesdriftedapart.Thiscosmicexpansioniscontinuing,

nowatamorerapidratethanbefore.BigBang:amassiveexpansion

ofspacewhichsetinmotion

thecreationoftheuniverse

Somescientistshavesuggestedthat,followingtheBigBang,the

universewillreachitsmaximumpointofexpansionandbeginto

contract,eventuallyimplodingintowhattheyrefertoasa‘Big

Crunch’.ThiscouldleadtoanotherBigBang,withanewuniverse

beingformed.

ABigBangfollowedbyaBigCrunchfollowedbyanotherBig

BangwouldfitinwithHinduideasofacyclicaluniverse.After

eachcycleoftime,theuniverseisdissolved,followedbythe

longsleepofVishnuorBrahma,thenthecyclebeginsagain.

Thestoryofthegoldeneggexpandinguntilitcrackedopen

couldbecomparedtotheBigBang,whichsetinmotion

theuniversecreatedbyBrahmainHinduteaching.

(eae)

Activities

4Write100wordsexplainingtwodifferentideasaboutthe

originsoftheuniverse.

2Writeascientificexplanationofhowtheuniversebegan

usingonlytheHindustory.

3Writeonesentencetoexplaineachofthefollowing:

a_theBigBang

btheBigCrunch.

L-

;;5aA.Howmightthegoldenegginthe

DiscussionactivityHinducreationstoryrelatetoscientific

explanationsoftheoriginsoftheuniverse?

DiscusswithafriendthewaysinwhichHinduandscientificaccountsofthe

originsoftheuniversearea)similarandb)different.

YoushouldnowhaveconsideredhowHindustorieshavebeenusedtoxStudytip

explaintheoriginsoftheuniverse,andhowHinduteachingsrelatetotitul

today’sscientifictheoriesoftheBigBangandtheBigCrunch.WhenaquestionasksyoutoCompare"Y

toexaminesimilaritiesanddifferences,

thendrawaconclusion.:

Me The origins and purpose of humanlife

mw How Hindus see humanlife iObjectives

| Hindusdo not put humansat the centre of the universe, nor do they

see humansas the highest form oflife on earth. They see all creatures . Understane what Hindus teach ‘

as being part of the Divine Spirit/Supreme Consciousness. Hindu feee iwe aneipyrrose

scriptures talk about the creation of the first man with the Divine Spirit ® Considerwh a Hind

as Purusha, who becamethefirst sacrifice. This means he surrendered ansiger "= ermineteaching supports the idea of

his divine existence so that human existence could begin. The Rig Veda eweltion:

goes onto say that horses were born,then animals with twosets of teeth

(such as donkeys and mules), followed by cows, goats and sheep;next,

the moon wasborn from Purusha’s mind,the sun from his twoeyes;

then from his mouth camerain andfire; from his breath, the wind.

Ly

(Keyterm

© Theory of Evolution:the

theory that higher forms oflife

have gradually developed from

lower ones

(

Activity |

Explain in your own words Hindu

teachings about:

a_ the origin of humanlife, and ; |

b the sequenceof creation. |

A Purushaasthefirst man andorigin ofother createdlife

@ The Theory of Evolution

||||

Hindu scriptures give the idea that life goes throughstagesof|

developmentand that one universe follows another.= ie |

(

Research activity

|

In 1859, Charles Darwin explained in his Theory of Evolution how life

on the planet developed as a slow processover millions of years. The Lookup the avatars ofVishnu

and make a note of the orderin

earliest formsoflife developed into more varied and complex physical :

formsbythe following processes:which they came.

Chapter4Religionandlife

°‘naturalselection’,inwhichonlycreatureswithcharacteristicsmost

suitedtolivinginaparticularenvironmentwillsurvive

°‘survivalofthefittest’,inwhichtheweakestofthespecieswill

naturallydieoutandonlythestrongestsurvive.

Inthisway,animallifefirstdevelopedfromsinglecellorganisms.

Humanbeings,thehighestformoflife,finallydevelopedfromapes.

ManypeopleinVictorianEnglandwereoutragedbythistheorybecause

itseemedtogoagainstChristianteachingaboutGodcreatingtheworld.

ComparingHinduteachingswiththeTheoryofEvolution

Hinduscripturesdonotsupporttheideaofnaturalselectionorthesurvivalofthefittest.Theydonotagreethatmanisthelastandmostperfectspeciestobecreated.Alllivingcreatures

areofequalworthandshouldberespectedastheyhaveapartofBrahmaninthem.However,

thesequenceoftheavatarsofVishnudoescomparewellwiththeideaoflivingbeingsdevelopingthroughprogressivestages.ManyHindus,therefore,canacceptevolutionand

haveaclearideaof‘higher’and‘lower’formsof

life.Evolutionisalsosupportedbytheteaching

abouttheatmancontinuingtoliveinanewbody

afteronebodydies.Animals,reptilesandinsects

arelowerformsfortheatmanifitspreviouslifehasbeenunsatisfactory.Also,Hindusbelievethatwithintherepeatedcycleoflifeanddeath,

thereisaspiritualevolutionleadingeventually

tounionwithGod.

@Hinduideasaboutthepurpose

ofhumanlife

MostHinduideasabouthumanlifearebasedontherealselforatman

beingthechangelesspartofeachperson.Althoughanimallifeis

valued,thereisadifferencebetweenanimalsandhumans.Hindu

storiesoftencomparetheatmaninahumantothedriverofavehicle,

orthebodytolayersofclothescoveringtherealperson.Humansare

meanttolivetheirlivesseekingmoksha,andtowardsbeingreborn

intoahigherformoflifeifmokshaisnotyetachieved.Humansare

expectedtoliveaccordingtomoralrulesandalwaysshowvirtuessuch

ashonesty,austerity,cleanlinessandcompassion.Becausetheyhave

amoralsense,humansaredifferentfromanimalswhichareguidedby

instinctalone.

YoushouldnowhaveconsideredHinduteachingsaboutthecreation

andpurposeofhumanlifeandthewaysinwhichtheseideasmay

supportthetheoryofevolution.

A.CharlesDarwinexplainedtheTheoryofEvolution

rActivities|

1Writeaparagraphof

100wordsexplainingthe

TheoryofEvolution

2Explaintwowaysinwhich

Hinduteachingsbothagreeanddisagreewiththeideaof

evolution.

3InwhatwaysdoHindusthinkthathumansandanimalsare

similaranddifferent?SS

WStudytip

ItisagoodideatolearntheTheoryofEvolution,andconsideritsrelationto

Hinduviews.

*oS

The value of the world

and the dutyto protectit

Hindusare always respectful of the natural world and see the power of

—

Objectives )

God in the natural environment. This means they look upon the world

with awe and wonder, recognising thatit is complex and the way itis

madeis beyondtheir understanding.

cient times Hindus were aware of the spectacular

beauty of mountains such as the Himalayas, and were awarealso of the

powerofrivers such as the Indus and the Ganges to determine whether

ld be fertile or not.If the rivers dried up, the land wouldtheir land shou.

not be able to produce food. River crossings and mountain peaks were

consideredespecially holy. Particular deities were thoughtto dwell in

these places and were worshippedthere.

It is clear that in an

© Understand what Hinduism

teaches about awe and

wonderin nature.

e Understand how humans have

a dutyto look after the natural

L world.

[

K |Key terms

© awe:a feeling of respect, mixed

feelings of fear and wonder

© wonder: marvelling at the

complexity and beauty of

something

@ stewardship: theidea that

believers have a duty to look

after the environment on

behalf of God

e responsibility: a duty to care

for, or having control over,

something or someone

e dominion: dominance or

powerover something; having

charge of something or ruling A. Hindus have looked uponthe mountain peaks of the Himalayas with awe and wonder

since ancient times.

m Stewardship and dominion

There are two contrasting religious ideas about howthe natural world

shouldbetreated:

humans have been given special responsibility

to protect and care for the earth. Since the earth belongs to God,it is only

‘on loam’ to humans. Therefore, its resources are for them to use, but they

mustuse only whatthey need for survival, and they must never abuse

thesegifts. The duty ofhumansis to care for the earth on behalf of God so

that future generations can enjoy it as well. Some religious people believe

that theywill be judged whenthey die onhowwell they have looked after

the earth. Hindusbelieve that they have a duty to look after the natural

worldin orderto attain good karmaandeventually reach moksha.

1. Stewardship means that

L overit

G 6 When

|

admire the

wondersof a sunset or the

beauty of the moon, my soul

expandsin the worship of

the creator. 9 5

Mahatma Gandhi

—

|

|

|

Chapter4Religionandlife

2.Dominionistheideathathumanshavebeengiventheearthtouse

astheywish.Animalsandplantshavebeengiventothemforfood,

whileothernaturalresourcesarethereforthemtomakeshelter

andclothing.Whileitistruethathumanshavepoweroverthe

environmentandcanusedominionresponsibly,ideasofdominionin

moderntimeshavebeenusedtojustifyusingresourcesirresponsibly

(suchasover-productionofgoods,intensiveindustrialdevelopment

andwealth-creation).Mostreligiousbelieverswouldthinkitwrong

touseresourcesirresponsibly.

Hindusbelievethattheearthistheirmotherasitprovidesfortheir

needs.Theyfeeltheyhaveadutytoeachothertorespecttheearth

astheyhavedonesinceancienttimes.

@WhatdoHinduscripturessay?

HinduscripturesconstantlyrefertotheSupremeBeingasexistingin

everything,whichmeansfarmorethanGodjustcreatingeverything.

HindusbelievethateverysinglepartofthenaturalworldispartofGod,the

completeBrahman.Soeverytimeapartofthenaturalworldisdamaged

byhumans,thiswillbringconsequencesfortheworldaspartofakind

of‘globalkarma’.Damagetotheenvironmentcausedbypeopleacting

irresponsiblywillbeimpossibletoputright.

TheUpanishadsteachHindusthatmaterialandspiritualresources

shouldbeusedwisely.

G&Therearetwobirds,twosweetfriends,whodwellontheself-

sametree.Theoneeatsthefruitthereof,andtheotherlooksonin

silence.55

SvetasvataraUnpanishad4.6

Thetextaboutthebirdscanbeinterpretedintwoways.Oneisthatthe

treefromwhichthebirdiseatingisBrahman,sothebirdisgaining

spiritualnourishment,whiletheotherbirdisignoringGod.Thesecond

interpretationisthatthebirdeatingthefruitofthetreeisgreedily

gobblinguptheworld’sresourceswithnothoughtforothers.

Religiouspeoplegenerallyagreethattheearth’sresourcescanbe

used,butonlyiftheyareusedresponsiblyforthegoodofeveryone.

Theyshouldneverbeusedselfishlytosatisfygreed.Gandhisaid,‘The

earthhasenoughforeveryone’sneed,noteveryone’sgreed’,andthe

BhagavadGitastatesthatapersontakingresourceswithoutanythought

forothersorputtingsomethingbackinreturnis‘justathief’(Bhagavad

Gita3.2).Hindusknowthereforethattheymustusetheearth’s

resourcessustainably.

YoushouldhaveconsideredwhatHinduismteachesaboutaweand

wonderinnature,andhowhumansshouldpractiselookingafterthe

naturalworld.

Extensionactivity

Findouttheattitudesofa)the

GreenPartyinBritainandb)

theChurchofEnglandtowards

lookingaftertheearth.

A‘Therearetwobirds,twosweetfriends,

whodwellontheself-sametree...

(or)Activities

1.Writethreepointsguiding

Hindusintheirattitude

towardsusingtheearth's

resources.

2IfGodhasprovidedallthe

resourcesforpeople'sneeds,

explainwhyresourcesare

runningout.

3HowmightHindusputinto

practicetheteachingsof

theUpanishadsandGandhi

abouttheuseoftheearth's

resources?

Links

FormoreinformationonsustainabilityandHinduattitudestotheenvironment,seeChapter2,pages54-55.

WStudytip

Makesureyoucanexplainhowideasof

stewardshipanddominiondiffer.

6

Haveyouever been amazed at how manystars can be seen ona

cloudless night? The size of the universe is astonishing. Our galaxy,

the Milky Way, is about 100,000 light years in diameter.It would take

roughly 2.5 million years to travel to the next galaxy,if travelling at the

speedoflight. The currently observable universe is about 93 billion

light years in diameter and contains

more than 100billion galaxies.

Doesthe universe go on forever?

Wedo not know the answer. How

did the universe come into being?

Wasthere a time when nothing

existed? How did nothing become

something?

Christians believe that the universe

didn’t just makeitself, but thatit

was designed and made by God.

They believe that God createdall

things that exist ex nihilo —a Latin

term meaning ‘out of nothing’.

Genesis 1:1 — 2:3 gives one of the

accountsin the Bible of how God

created the universe. In thestory,

God created the heavens and the

earth in six days and then rested

on the seventh.

Godsaid,‘Let there be light.’ He called the ‘light’ day and the

darkness night.

A spiral galaxy

2.: God madethesky.

God formedtheseas and theland, covering the land with

vegetation andplants.

4: God created the lights in the sky — the sun, moon andstars.

- 5: God madefish and other animals in the seas, and birdsin theair.

I 5: God finishedby creatingall of the animals on land, and by

making humans. He made humansin his own image.

Day 7: Godrested on the seventh day and madeit holy. He was very

pleased with his creation becauseit was good.

[Objectives

@ Explore Christian beliefs about

the origin of the universe.

© Understand the Big Bang theory.

(Keyterms

© universe:all of time and space

andits contents; includes

planets,stars, galaxies, the

contentsof intergalactic

space,the smallest subatomic

particles, and all matter and

energy

In the beginning God created

the heavensandtheearth.

Genesis 1:1 [NIV]

is

Chapter4Religionandlife

Didthisreallyhappen?

SomeChristiansbelievethatthecreationstoriesdescribeexactlyhow

theuniversewascreated.Fundamentalistsbelievethateveryword

intheBiblehasbeeninspiredbyGodandisthereforecorrect.Some

believethateverythingwascreatedinsixdays,butothersinterpret

‘day’asrepresentingalongerperiodoftime.TheHebrewword‘yor’

hasdifferentmeanings.Itcould,forexample,meantwelvehoursof

daylight,oralong,indefiniteperiodoftime.

Incontrast,liberalsregardtheseaccountsasmorelikeparablesor

symbolicaccounts,wherethemainmessageisthatGodbroughtinto

beingtheuniverseandallthatisinit.TheseChristiansmightlookto

sciencetohelpthemunderstandhowGoddidthis.

BTheBigBangtheory

TheBigBangtheoryis

currentlytheleading

scientificexplanationfor

howtheuniversebegan.It

suggeststhattheuniverse

startedwithanincredibly

small,hot,dense

something—asingularity,

whichexpandedoverthe

next13.8billionyearsorso

tobecomethecosmosthat

weknowtoday.Asthe

universecontinuedto

expandandcool,the

matterthathadbeenflunginalldirectionsbecamestarsgroupedinto

galaxies.Becausecurrentinstrumentsdonotallowastronomerstopeer

backattheuniverse’sbirth,muchofwhatweunderstandabouttheBig

Bangtheorycomesfrommathematicaltheoryandmodels.

AAnartist’simpressionoftheBigBang

Isthe'studyoftheoriginoftheuniverseanareawherescienceand

theologymeetordisagree?Wascreationasupernaturaleventthattook

placeoutsidethenaturalworld?Isthereamasterarchitectoutthere?

Mostscientistsbelievethattheuniversehadabeginning.WasGodthe

‘firstcause’?IsthereaconflictbetweenGenesis1andtheBigBang?Yes,

ifyoubelievethatGodcreatedeverythinginsixdays,butnotnecessarily

ifeachdaystandsforalongperiodoftime.TheBigBangcouldhave

beenGod’swayofformingtheuniverse.

Activities|

t

Keyterm)

1.Inyourownwords,recounttheGenesis1creationstory.

DescribetwoofthemainmessagesofthisGenesisstory.

ExplainthedifferentwaysinwhichChristiansinterpretthiscreationstory.

ExplaintheBigBangtheory.

‘ItispossibletobelieveboththestoryinGenesis1andtheBigBang

theory:Doyouagree?Givereasonsforyouropinion.

uikbWN

©fundamentalistChristians:

Christianswhobelievethat

thestatementsintheBibleare

literallytrueandbelievethere

arecertainbasicbeliefsthatare

essentialtotheChristianfaith

eliberals:Christianswhobelieve

thattheBible’sauthorswere

guidedbyGod,butthatnot

everythingtheywroteisa

literalaccountofwhatactually

Lhappened

Discussionactivity

Inpairsorsmallgroupsdiscuss

thefollowingstatements:

‘ThecreationstoryaboutGod

makingtheworldinsevendaysis

madeuptoexplainwhatnobody

knows:

‘Therehastobeacreator

becauseitisimpossiblefor

nothingtobecomesomething:

‘Sciencehasmadethecreation

Lstoryunbelievable: __S

wrStudytip

Youshouldbeabletosaywhat

happenedoneachofthesixdaysof

creationinthestoryinGenesis1.

Christiansbelievethat

Godcreatedtheuniverse

asapreciousgiftandwas

pleasedwithhiscreation.

Youshouldnowknow

aboutthescientifictheory

oftheBigBang,andhow

differentChristiansinterpret

thistheory.

6

ele The value of the world

w Howvaluableis the world?

Addupthevalueofall the gold, diamonds, preciousstones, natural

resources, food produced by agriculture and industrial outputin the world

and it would be a mammothtotal. But is that alone the value of the world?

No,of course not. We cannotput a price onits valueasit is our home, and

provides and sustainslife. As far as we know, nowhereelse in our solar

system can sustainlife like planet Earth. Christians regard the world as a

priceless gift from God, loaned to humansas a result of his love.

(

Discussion activity

In small groupsorpairs, discuss any instances where you have been struck by

aweor wonderat something you have seen in nature.

The world has the ‘wow’factor

Theview from a high mountain, the Grand Canyon,NiagaraFalls, the

beauty of dewglistening on a cobweb,the detail of snowflakes seen undera

microscope,and the vastness of space are all examples of the awesomeness

of creation. Such beauty gives a sense of amazement, awe and wonder.

G6 when| consideryour heavens, the work ofyourfingers, the

moonandthestars, which you haveset in place, whatis mankind that

you are mindful of them, humanbeingsthat youcare for them? 99

Psalm 8:3-4 [NIV]

The world is complex and

fascinating. Caterpillars turning into

butterflies, black and white cows

eating green grass to produce white

milk, and trees bursting into life in

springtimeare just a few examples

of the mystery and wonder oflife.

How couldit all happen? Christians

believe that Godis responsible.

GG Forsince the creation of the

world God's invisible qualities

_ his eternal poweranddivine

nature — have beenclearly seen,

being understood from what has

been made,so that people are

without excuse. 99

Romans1:20 [NIV]

—Objective

aboutthe value of the wo

L to protectit.

e Understand Christian beliefs

and the duty of human beingsrid

—

—Key terms

)

universe

e awe:a feeling of devout

wonder

for, or having controlover,

something or someone

after the environment on

behalf of God

e@ dominion: dominance or

charge of something or ru

L overit

TTA. The awesomelandscapeofthe Valley ofRocks, Lynton, Devon

e wonder: marvelling at the

complexity and beauty of the

respect, mixed with fear or

e responsibility: a duty to care

© stewardship:the idea that

believers have a duty to look

powerover something; having

ling —

o Oo

9ovoq

HE

sunagg

QO®

Chapter4Religionandlife

A.ThetranquilbeautyofalakeATheamazingcoloursofflowersinagarden

mStewardship

Imaginegenerouslyallowingafriendtoliveforfreeinahousethatbelongstoyou.Theoneconditionisthattheylookafteritbecauseitis

uniqueandirreplaceable.However,theydamageandthendestroyit.

Thiswouldbeextremelyupsetting.

ChristiansbelievethatGodhasgivenhumanstheprivilegeofliving

onplanetEarthbutwiththeresponsibilityoflookingafteritand

preventingitfrombeingruined.ThereisonlyoneplanetEarthandit

cannotbereplaced.Thisspecialresponsibilitytoprotectandcarefor

theearthisknownasstewardship.InthestoryinGenesis2,Adam,

thefirstman,wasgiventhetaskoflookingaftertheGardenofEden

(Genesis2:15).Asstewardsofthenaturalworld,Christiansbelievethat

peoplehavebeenappointedbyGodtorespectandmanagetheworld,

workingwithnaturetopreservewhatGodhasgiven.Inreturnweare

abletousewhatisprovidedinasustainablewayforoursurvival.Many

ChristiansbelievethattheywillbeaccountabletoGodconcerninghow

welltheylookedaftertheEarth.

&Dominion

Inordertomanagetheearth,Christiansteachthathumansweregiven

thepowerandauthoritytoruleovertheworld.Thisisknownashaving

dominion.

6G6Godblessedthemandsaidtothem,‘Befruitfulandincreasein

number;filltheearthandsubdueit.Ruleoverthefishintheseaand

thebirdsintheskyandovereverylivingcreaturethatmovesonthe

ground:99

Genesis1:28[NIV]

AminorityofChristianshaveinterpreted‘subduingtheworld’as

meaningthatpeoplecandowhattheylikewithitandeverything

initbecausetheyareincharge.Themajority,however,believethat

humanshavebeenentrustedtobecaretakers(stewards)ofGod’sworld.

Theycannotdowhattheyliketobenefitthemselvesifthisdamages

somethingthatGodhasmade.

CActivities

1Explainthedifferencebetweenstewardshipand

dominion.

2aHowwouldyoufeelifapreciouspossessionyouownwasdamaged?

bExplainwhatthisfeelingmightteachusabouthow

someoneshouldtreatthe

Earth.

3‘TheEarthbelongstoussowe

candowhatwelikewithit:

Doyouagree?NS WStudytipItwillbehelpfulifyoucanexplainaweandwonder,andknowthedifference

betweenstewardshipanddominion

andhowtheseideasapplytotheworld.

Youshouldnowknow

thatChristiansbelieve

thatGodgavehumansthe

responsibilitytomanage

theearthandensureits

protection.Theybelievethattheworldisvaluable

becauseGodcreatedit.