Origins of the Universe

Scientific Materialist

Relies on research and evidence. Accepts the Big Bang Theory as an explanation for the origin of the universe. Rejects religion.

Empirical

Originating in or based on observation or experience.

Revelation

The way in which God makes Himself and His will known to humanity.

General Revelation

The ways in which God makes Himself known to everyone. (E.g. the beauty and complexity of the natural world.)

Special Revelation

When God reveals Himself directly to an individual or group - he has chosen these people 'especially'. (E.g. Moses and the Burning Bush.)

Ex Nihilo

Out of nothing.

Imago Dei

In God's image.

Fundamentalist Christian

Believe the Bible to be the literal word of God - everything happened exactly as it is written. Rejects science.

Liberal Christian

Believes the Bible to be symbolic - beliefs are based on faith and reason.

Genesis 1 & 2

Key Verses from Genesis that describe the creation of the universe.

Creationists

Fundamentalist Christians who believe everything in the Bible actually happened.

Compatibilist Christians

Liberal Christians who believe religion and science can work together.

Big Bang Theory

A scientific explanation for the origin of the universe.

Existential Questions

Questions concerning the purpose and meaning of life.

Empirical Evidence

Evidence that can be observed through the senses.

Authority

The right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.

First-hand Observation

Directly witnessing an event or phenomenon.

Second-hand Understanding

Knowledge gained from others' interpretations rather than direct experience.

Creation in 6 Days

The belief that God created the world in six literal days.

Timelessness of the Bible

The belief that the Bible's teachings are appropriate for all people, in all places, for all time.

Contradictions in the Bible

The acceptance that the Bible may contain inconsistencies due to its human authorship.

God's Will

The divine purpose or plan that God has for humanity.

Professor John Polkinghorne

A scientist and priest who believes in the compatibility of science and faith.

Creation Story

Narrative explaining how the universe and life were created, often found in religious texts.

Spiritual Truth

The belief that the Bible contains deeper meanings beyond literal interpretations.

Omnipresent

The attribute of God being present everywhere at the same time.

Intelligent Design

The belief that the universe and living things are best explained by an intelligent cause.

Cosmological Argument

An argument for the existence of a creator God, also known as the 'First Cause' argument, stating that everything has to have a cause, including the universe.

Teleological Argument

Another argument for the existence of a creator God, known as the 'Design' argument, which posits that the structured order of the world indicates a creator.

Paley's Watch Analogy

An analogy used by William Paley to compare the universe to a watch, arguing that just as a watch has a designer, so too must the universe.

Infinite Regress

The concept that a chain of causes must end at some point; otherwise, there would be no first cause, leading to an endless backward chain.

Goldilocks Zone

The perfect position of the Earth that allows life to exist, where any changes would mean that life wouldn't have flourished.

Singularity

The infinitely hot, infinitely small, and infinitely dense point from which the universe originated according to the Big Bang Theory.

Expansion

The rapid growth of the universe that occurred after the Big Bang, allowing it to form matter, stars, and galaxies.

Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR)

The thermal energy radiation left over from the Big Bang, discovered in 1964, which provides evidence for the Big Bang Theory.

Edwin Hubble

An astronomer who discovered that galaxies are moving away from each other, leading to the formulation of Hubble's Law regarding the expansion of the universe.

Hubble's Law

The observation that the universe is expanding, based on the redshift of light from distant galaxies.

Georges Lemaître

A Catholic priest who first proposed the Big Bang Theory in 1931.

First Cause

The concept that there must be an initial cause that started everything, often identified as God in the Cosmological Argument.

Summa Theologica

The book by St Thomas Aquinas where he explained the Cosmological Argument.

Complexity of Life

The intricate structures and processes in living organisms that suggest the existence of a creator.

Temperature

One of the conditions in the Goldilocks Zone that is crucial for the existence of life on Earth. T…

Oxygen Level

Another critical condition in the Goldilocks Zone necessary for life to flourish on Earth. O…

Evidence from Nature

Observations from the natural world, such as the complexity of life and the position of Earth, that suggest a designer.

Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson

The astronomers who discovered the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation in 1963.

Blind Chance

The idea that the universe could have come into existence without purpose or design, often rejected by those who support the existence of a creator.

Complex Universe

The highly complicated nature of the universe that suggests it is unlikely to have formed by random chance.

William Paley

The philosopher who first proposed the Teleological Argument in 1802.

Existence of God

The belief in a divine creator, often supported by arguments such as the Cosmological and Teleological Arguments.

Relative Abundance

Proportion of elements in the universe today.

Hydrogen Proportion

Expected amount of hydrogen if Big Bang occurred.

Pope Francis' Warning

Literal interpretation of Genesis can misrepresent God.

Genesis and Big Bang

Genesis may symbolically describe the Big Bang.

Holistic Understanding

Combining science and religion for comprehensive insight.

Dominion

Humans' role to govern God's creation.

Creation of Woman

Woman created from man's rib in Genesis.

Fixity of Species

Belief that species remain unchanged over time.

Omnibenevolence

God's nature of being all-good and caring.

Omnipotence

God's is all powerful

Literalist View

Interprets Genesis as a factual historical account.

Dendrochronology

Tree-ring dating method for determining age.

Symbolic Reading

Interpreting Genesis as a metaphorical narrative.

Scientific Theory of Creation

Explains how the universe was formed scientifically.

Genesis' Purpose

To reveal God's nature and creation process.

scientific vagueness of Genesis

Genesis lacks specific details compared to science.

Human Specialness

Humans are the pinnacle of God's creation.

Radiocarbon dating

Involves determining the age of a fossil by measuring its carbon-14 content and this has found fossils to be many millions of years old. Method estimating Earth's age at 4.5 billion years.

Fixity of species

The belief that God created each species separately, and no species could develop out of another.

Jean Baptiste Lamarck

The French naturalist who observed that in the same way we inherit characteristics from our parents, an animal might also pass characteristics onto its offspring.

Natural Selection

The process by which individuals that are best adapted to an environment have the best chance for survival.

Survival of the Fittest

Only animals that are best adapted have the chance to survive and pass their useful characteristics on to the next generation.

Peppered moth case study

The rise and fall of the peppered moth is one of the best known examples of 'survival of the fittest'.

Theory of Evolution

Defined as the process by which different kinds of living organisms are believed to have developed from a common ancestor, over the course of the history of the earth.

Human Evolution

Hominids are the group consisting of all modern and extinct Great Apes, including modern humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans.

Fossils

The remains of organisms (plant or animal) that lived long ago, providing evidence that animals and plants can change over long periods of time.

Charles Darwin

The scientist who gave a plausible explanation of how gradual change might occur through natural selection.

HMS Beagle

The ship on which Charles Darwin set off to observe Finches in the Galapagos Islands.

Galapagos Islands

The location where Darwin observed 13 different kinds of finch and began to question the idea of separate creation.

Origins of the Species

The book published by Charles Darwin in 1859 that challenged popular notions of divine creation.

Common ancestor

The single celled life form which first appeared around 3.8 billion years ago from which different kinds of living organisms are believed to have developed.

Adaptation

The process by which species change over time to better fit their environment.

Variation

Differences among individuals in a species that can be due to genetic differences.

Reproduction

The biological process by which new individual organisms are produced.

Heritable traits

Physical or behavioral characteristics that can be passed from parents to offspring.

Industrial Revolution impact

The period that changed the visibility of light and dark peppered moths due to changes in tree bark color.

Bacteria

The first life forms that are dated to around 3000 million years ago.

Carbon-14

A radioactive isotope used in radiocarbon dating to determine the age of fossils.

Heritable Traits

Characteristics passed from parents to offspring.

Theistic Evolution

Belief that God guided evolutionary processes.

Archbishop Ussher

Claimed Earth was created in 4004 BC.

Human Soul

Non-material essence, not evolved, created by God.

Pope John Paul II

Encouraged consideration of science and faith theories.

Fossil Record

Evidence showing complexity of life over time.

Biological Complexity

Diversity of life forms resulting from evolution.

Christian Faith

Belief system emphasizing God's love and creation.