Christianity (Leaving Cert Religious Education): Revision Notes

Christianity

Overview of Christian creation beliefs

Christianity teaches that God brought the entire universe into existence from nothing over seven days. This creative act was not a one-time event - God remains actively involved in sustaining and continuing creation throughout history.

Core beliefs about God and creation

Christians hold several fundamental beliefs about God's role as creator:

• God as sole creator - God is the unique and only creator of everything that exists apart from himself
• God as origin and purpose - The divine serves as both the starting point and ultimate destination of the universe
• Connection to salvation - The same God who created the world is also the God who offers salvation to humanity
• Biblical foundation - The opening verse of Genesis states: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1)

The central concept of creation involves bringing something into existence that previously did not exist at all.

Creation out of nothing (Creatio ex nihilo)

This Latin term describes the Christian belief that God created the universe without using any pre-existing materials.

Key aspects include:

• Divine transcendence - God exists completely separate from and beyond the created world
• Goodness of creation - Since God created from nothing rather than flawed materials, creation itself is fundamentally good
• Rejection of dualism - This view opposes beliefs like Gnosticism that considered matter to be evil
• God's absolute power - Only God possesses the ability to create something from complete nothingness

Continuous creation (Creatio continua)

Christianity also emphasises God's ongoing involvement with creation:

• Present divine activity - God remains at the centre of the natural world today
• Ongoing relationship - Creation involves continuous interaction between God and the world
• Divine dependence - The universe relies on God's sustaining power moment by moment
• Beyond origins - This concept extends far beyond just how the universe began

Practical applications

Interconnection and stewardship

Christian creation beliefs lead to important practical conclusions:

• Human dependence - People rely on maintaining proper relationships with the natural environment for survival
• Stewardship responsibility - This interconnection requires humans to respect and care for creation
• Biblical mandate - Genesis 2:15 records: "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it"

God's presence in creation

• Divine immanence - God is present throughout the cosmos via the Holy Spirit
• Sacred nature - This makes the natural world sacred, so damaging creation represents an attack on God himself
• Nature as sacrament - The natural world serves as a holy sign that reveals God's presence to humanity

Human partnership with God

Christians believe humans serve as God's stewards and partners in caring for creation. Nature represents a divine gift entrusted to humanity for careful tending and preservation.