God’s CreationYEAR 8 RELIGIOUS EDUCATIONTERM 3 2012Servite College

GOD INSPIRED THE STORIES OF THE BIBLE IN THREE STEPS God revealed the lessons that he wants

us all to understand and learn. God inspired the early writers of the

Bible to ask themselves: What is the best way to present and recall Gods lessons?

Craft story details to preserve the lessons God intended us to learn.

The Two Creation Stories That tell us how creation came to be Yahwist, Priestly and other creation

stories found in Genesis inform us about what Gods teachings are about:

- Human nature- The relationship we need to have with

God- Social relationships- Justice- Conscience

The Priestly Creation story God makes humanity master of creation Here we understand the concept of

environmental stewardship we have over the rest of creation.

God made creation for us so that we can have a visual representation of Gods love for humanity.

Creation is here for everyone to use for the necessities of life.

The Yahwist creation story Again the theme that we are masters of Gods

creation is revealed in this creation story. “to see what he would call them; each was to

hear the name the man would give it” (Genesis 2:19)

This quote reveals to us that because God gave us the responsibility to name the animals within creation it indicates that we have superiority over all creation.

This is not to say that we are more superior than God though!!

The story of the Fall Adam and Eve was tempted by the devil to

disobey Gods command. This was the moment we experienced original

sin=complete separation from God. We have inherited sin from the parents of the

human race. Our perception of mastery over creation is now

distorted because it does not align with Gods view of mastery over creation. We now exploit and destroy creation for greed and selfish purposes.

The story of the Flood and Noah God flooded the Earth to restore

creation to its original state of harmony. We learn that God has entitled us to use

the resources available within creation for our needs.

“Every living thing will be yours to eat, no less than the foliage of the plants. I give you everything with this” (Genesis 9:3)

Universal destination of Goods This term refers to the even distribution of

the Earths resources to all humanity as God intended.

“The goods of the creation are destined for the whole human race” (CCC 2402)

There is an uneven distribution of the Earths resources. People are taking more than what they need-Breaking the 7th commandment.

There is much poverty in the world today.

Stewardship We are called to see the goodness in creation

as God does. This means we must look after and protect

the Earths resources. Stewardship means we must ensure the

following occurs: - That creation is providing for the needs of

everyone not just the ‘rich and famous’- Ensuring that creation and its beauty is

maintained for future generations

Gods state of Original Justice Harmony with self Harmony with others Harmony with creation Harmony with God

After original sin these harmonious relationships were damaged.

Complete activity 1.2 on Original Justice.