THE UNIVERSE AND THE PLACE OF HUMANS IN IT

Part 1 Topic A

Summary The origin of the universe The place of human beings in

the universe The purpose of the universe

Professor Stephen Hawking http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=Kd4FgGSY5BY

This is a question common to all religious and all non-religious people.

How did the universe come about, why did it come about and how important are we in relation to the rest of the universe?

Purpose When you think of humans in relation to

the universe, questions of purpose arise. As logical beings, we search for answers. We have to deal with suffering and

injustice. In particular, we have to deal with death.

Purpose We see what appears to be order. We see beauty and witness nature with awe. We see pictures from outer space and can hardly

contemplate the sheer size of the universe.

Evolution All living things have evolved. Humans and apes share a common

ancestor. The idea is that certain animals of a

particular species that have desired characteristics to suit their environment are more likely to survive. Their desired characteristics are then passed on to the next generation and so eventually the entire species have that characteristic.

Example: the peppered moth

Christianity

Genesis 1 and 2

Read these passages. What do they tell us about Christian beliefs about the universe and the place of humans in the world?How does this compare and contrast with evolution?

Christianity - summary God created the heavens and the earth in 6 days

(most do not take this literally) Humans were the pinnacle of God’s creation Humans were created in the image and likeness of

God and were created with free will Most Christians believe they are created in God’s

image and grow towards God’s likeness Humans were created with responsibility for the

earth and all its living creatures and plants. They were created as stewards of the earth.

Key texts: Genesis 1-3

Islam

The wording in the Qur’an is different but the creation narratives are very similar to those in the Bible.

Allah created angels and jinns. Angels did not have free will and jinns did – it was the jinns who sinned and turned away from Allah.

One day = a period of time (not to be taken literally) No ‘day of rest’. What message might this be giving

us about the Islamic presentation of Allah? Humans are Khalifah – act as Allah’s representative on

earth (in the limited human way). They are therefore the most important part of Allah’s creation. Iblis, Satan, was the one angel who refused to bow down to Adam

Task Read the extracts from the

Qur’an. What do these tell you about

Islamic teachings on creation and the role of humans?

How do these teachings compare to Christian teachings?

Buddhism

There are no sacred texts outlining any kind of creation by a deity, other than some local origin myths.

There is no revelation from God or gods in sacred text.

There is therefore no conflict in Buddhist tradition with evolution (if anything, the Buddhist concept of reincarnation i.e. renewal, marries well with evolution).

Buddhism The universe is in a constant state of renewal. All creatures are in this state, subject to reincarnation

according to karma they have accumulated. Suffering is caused by desire. Humans need to strive

towards enlightenment – being freed from desire and attachment which causes suffering. Humans have to follow the noble eight fold path which involves treating other creatures with respect, caring for the environment and generally being mindful of their surroundings.

This shows that the way humans behave in their environment has a direct link with their future fate and the fate of others. They are therefore directly linked with the order of the universe.

BuddhismTask:

Create and image with an explanation to show the Buddhist understanding of the universe and the place of humans within it.

Include labels and explanations. To do this you will need to refer to the text ‘the realms of the universe’.

Buddhism - summary We are all trapped in the cycle of samsara

(birth, death and rebirth) Everything in the universe is changing,

impermanent Suffering is caused by our selfish desires We desire but can never be truly satisfied

because the world is always changing The only way to achieve true happiness is by

detaching ourselves from the world If we achieve this detachment, we become

enlightened and will be freed from samsara after death

To achieve enlightenment we need to believe in the four noble truths and follow the noble eight fold path

Hinduism Brahman – The Ultimate Reality

Brahma: creator and source of creation Vishnu: Preserver Shiva: Destroyer

The order of the universe is cyclical, caused by the Ultimate Reality, Brahman.

Humans strive to achieve Moksha – extraction of the soul from samsara.

Hinduism The role of humans

Ahimsa – complete non-violence Destroying the earth for selfish

means will result in bad karma. All living things have an atman, or

soul This includes trees, which are

important due to their life giving qualities.

All of creation is sacred because it is a divine creation.

Hinduism

Various creation myths in different texts. Read the information and the example of a

myth and answer these questions: Explain how Hindu creation myths could be

compatible with the Big Bang theory. How important do you think it is for creation

narratives to be compatible with science?

Complete the quiz at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/rs/environment/hinduismbeliefsrev3.shtml

Summary – the universe and place of humans in it

Christianity – God the Creator, Genesis 1-3, humans are stewards, image and likeness of God.

Islam – Allah the Creator, creation in the Qur’an is similar to that in the Bible, humans are Khalifah.

Buddhism – no creation narrative, samsara, reincarnation, suffering caused by desire, karma

Hinduism – samsara, reincarnation, strive towards Moksha, everything has atman, creation is sacred, karma.

Linear world viewCyclical world view

Prep Research

What is meant by animal rights and animal welfare? Are they the same or do they mean something different?

Research one religious attitude concerning the treatment of animals.

Animal Rights

Would you allow this?

…this?

…this?

…this?

…this?

…this?

…or this?

Animal Rights - views Animal rights is an issue people often feel

strongly about. The person who loves animals may say that it is totally wrong to experiment on them to find a cure for cancer, yet quite happily squash a wasp!

Keeping an animal as a pet may be acceptable to many, yet some may disagree with turning it into a show animal.

What gives animals rights? Should an animal have rights? What

makes a mouse different from a carrot? Do all living creatures have the same rights? What makes a dog different to a fly?

QuestionShould animals have rights as humans do? Why?

Animal

Religion and Animal Rights What rights do you think animals have?

Create your own ‘declaration of animal welfare’. You need to list at least 5 approved practices.Animal welfare

Christianity Anthropocentric view of the universe

God created animals and they are therefore sacred.

However, humans are created in the image and likeness of God and are therefore far more important.

Animals are subordinate Many Christians are meat-eaters and

believe that animal testing is important for scientific research. However, many would argue that unnecessary cruelty is not justified.

Islam

Animals should be treated with compassion

Halal Some vegetarian but not all. Cannot eat

pork – it is Haraam. Also leaning towards anthropocentrism.

Animals not mentioned much in the Qur’an (only in relation to humans)

Cannot be beaten or killed unnecessarily

Buddhism

Do not harm living things Right livelihood – do not do work that involves

killing animals Animals are in the position they are because of

bad karma accumulated their past lives. They could be seen as lesser creatures by some Buddhists.

Some are vegetarian but this is not strict for all Buddhists.

To test on animals for scientific research may be necessary – lesser of two evils

Hinduism

Ahimsa All creatures have souls All have the possibility of reaching

moksha Animals should therefore be treated

with respect Many are vegetarian and all believe

the cow to be sacred so will therefore not eat beef

Prep Construct a debate between two parties

on animal rights. For example, one party is Buddhist

arguing for the equality of all living creatures and one party is Christian arguing for the importance of humans in God’s creation.

How do you think this debate might go? Decide what each party would say and construct the argument.

Example B – I believe all living creatures have the

possibility of enlightenment. C – I would argue that animals are less important

as God created us in His image and likeness. B – but you may be reincarnated as a lesser

animal. Would you then say humans were more important?

C – animals are not rational creatures. They can’t think about these issues

……………….etc