VCE RE&S pre exam quote revision

"I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth."

Nicene Creed (381 CE) — Proves God is the ultimate reality and Creator.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

Gospel of John (John 1:1) — Proves Jesus is divine and exists with God.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 28:19) — Direct biblical basis for the Holy Trinity and Christian ritual.

"God created mankind in his own image."

Genesis 1:27 — Proves humans have inherent dignity and worth because they are made in God's image.

"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good."

Genesis 1:31 — Proves creation is good and has intrinsic value because it comes from God.

"Be still, and know that I am God."

Psalm 46:10 — Proves God can be encountered through spiritual experience and prayer.

"You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church."

Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 16:18) — Provides biblical grounding for the Church's authority and structure.

"Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it."

Genesis 1:28 — Proves humans have a particular role and responsibility within creation.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son… to have eternal life."

Gospel of John (John 3:16) — Affirms the Catholic belief in eternal life through Christ.

"I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live…"

Gospel of John (John 11:25) — Proves Jesus is the source of resurrection and eternal life.

"I believe in… the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting."

Apostles' Creed (8th c.) — Explicit Catholic belief in resurrection and eternal life.

"He was pierced for our transgressions… and by his wounds we are healed."

Isaiah 53:5 — Proves suffering can have a redemptive purpose.

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 27:46) — Shows Jesus genuinely experienced human suffering.

"Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

Matthew 6:10 (Lord's Prayer) — Shows Christians are called to establish God's reign on earth.

"Love your neighbour as yourself."

Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 22:39) — Proves human relationships should be based on love.

"Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 25:40) — Proves serving vulnerable people is serving Christ.

"The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it."

Genesis 2:15 — Proves humans have a stewardship responsibility to care for creation.

"The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all."

Pope Francis, Laudato Si' (§23, 2015) — Modern application of stewardship and the common good.

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

Gospel of Luke (Luke 23:34) — Proves God/Christ offers forgiveness even to those who cause suffering.

"begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father"

Nicene Creed (Council of Nicaea, 325 CE) — Rejects Arianism and affirms Jesus' full divinity.

"If they have killed him for doing what he did, then I too have to walk the same path."

Oscar Romero (1977) — Shows Romero's experience following Rutilio Grande's murder changed his commitment to justice.

"I will not abandon my people. Rather I will run with them all the risks that my ministry demands."

Oscar Romero (1977) — Demonstrates his changed commitment to the poor and oppressed.

"We need to give our lives in order to protect the lives of others; this was the path of the Crucified One."

Oscar Romero (recorded by Leonardo Boff) — Links his faith in action to Christ's sacrificial suffering.

"I offer my blood for the redemption and resurrection of El Salvador."

Oscar Romero — Strongly demonstrates the concept of redemptive suffering.

"I wouldn't say it's been a conversion, but an evolution."

Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chávez describing Romero — Shows Romero's beliefs developed gradually through life experiences.

"It wasn't ideas that changed [Romero]. It was reality."

María López Vigil — Shows how social experiences influenced Romero's religious beliefs.

"The church is not a museum of souvenirs."

Oscar Romero — Shows his belief that Catholicism must respond to contemporary circumstances.

"You shall not murder."

Exodus 20:13 — Supports Catholic opposition to Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) and intentionally ending innocent life.

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you."

Jeremiah 1:5 — Affirms that human life has value and purpose from God (sanctity of life).

"Carry each other's burdens."

Paul (Galatians 6:2) — Proves Catholic response to suffering should support people rather than intentionally causing death.

"There was a time when the Son was not."

Arius (Early 4th century) — Arian challenge asserting that Jesus was created and therefore not eternal.

Jesus is "not of the same substance" as the Father.

Arian teaching (Early 4th century) — Directly challenges Jesus' full divinity.

"Human activities, principally through emissions of greenhouse gases, have unequivocally caused global warming."

IPCC (2023, AR6 Synthesis Report) — Scientific challenge identifying human activity as the cause of global warming.

"Wilfully causing environmental degradation is a sin."

Pope Francis — Frames climate change as a moral and religious issue.

"The principle of the maximization of profits… reflects a misunderstanding of the very concept of the economy."

Pope Francis, Laudato Si' 195 (2015) — Catholic criticism of economic systems prioritising profit over creation.

"All is not lost."

Pope Francis, Laudato Si' 205 (2015) — Affirms the Catholic stance that positive environmental action is possible.

"Nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live."

Pope Francis, Laudato Si' 139 (2015) — Proves humans are interconnected with creation (stewardship).

"Ecological conversion."

Pope Francis, Laudato Si' §219 (2015) — Calls for fundamental changes in human attitudes, values, and behavior toward creation.

"A culture of care."

Pope Francis, Laudato Si' §231 (2015) — Calls for active care for humanity and the environment.

"A preferential option for the poorest of our brothers and sisters."

Pope Francis, Laudato Si' §158 (2015) — Connects climate action and environmental protection with social justice.

“like-minded Catholic parishes, schools, organisations and households committed to caring for our common home.”

Caritas Australia, 2024, Welcome to Catholic Earthcare!

“the ethical and spiritual roots of environmental problems”

— Laudato Si’, §9 How Pope Francis/Laudato Si influenced the challenge

“Moral Issue”

Pope John Paul II January 1st 1990 portrayal of climate change

“I believe in one god … I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ … I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life”

Nicene Creed against VAD quote or UR holy trinity quote

Quote: “The Church is the continuation of Christ’s Incarnation.”

Meaning: The Church must continue Jesus’ mission by serving the poor and challenging injustice.

Romero increasingly saw defending the poor as central to the Church’s mission.

15 October 1974: Romero became Bishop of Santiago de María, where he witnessed poverty and violence against campesinos.

Romero SLE start

3 February 1977: Romero became Archbishop of San Salvador. He was initially viewed as a conservative church leader.

Romero SLE during

12 March 1977: his friend, Jesuit priest Rutilio Grande, was assassinated alongside two companions. This prompted Romero to more strongly defend the poor and condemn injustice.

Romero end SLE

18 June 2015: Major Catholic response linking environmental protection, integral ecology and care for the poor.

Laudato Si published

29th of November 2017

VAD ethical challenge origination