“Life was created.” Discuss (20 marks)
Many Christians would be the side to believe that life was created, whereas Science would argue it
was developed over time. In this essay, I will discuss both sides of the argument, such as the literal
interpretation, symbolic interpretation, teleological argument, and evolution.
The Bible story of the creation of Adam and Eve – the first man and woman according to the Jewish
scriptures - accepted by Christians (and Muslims) can be found in Genesis Chapters 1 and 2. In
Chapter 1, God completes the creation of the Universe and the Earth and everything in it in six days.
On the sixth day ‘he created man and woman in his own image, in the image of God he created him.’
(Genesis 1.27) The story tells of the first man and the first woman and how they were created
specially by God and were the final act of the creation and the ‘best bit’ of God’s creation. They are
made, so the story says, in the image of God or as the story outs it; ‘in our likeness’ (Genesis 1:26).
No one is quite sure what ‘in our likeness’ means. Perhaps, it has a physical meaning or perhaps a
spiritual one. Perhaps this means that humans are ‘god-like’ in relation to how we physically look, or
because of the abilities we have, or because we have a spiritual ‘self’ in a way which is similar to God.
However, what is important in the story for Christians is that life, including that of humans, originated
on Earth because God made it happen. There is no implication that it was gradual or that anyone
living thing was linked to any other. They were made by God using physical material and in the case
of human; they had life breathed into them’ by God. I agree with the statement to a certain extent.
This creation story might be important for Christians today as this highlights the understanding of
God and Christians are able to develop using this type of revelation. E.g. Benevolent, Omniscient etc.
As a result, this shows that God is an all-powerful entity capable of designing humans simply out of
dirt and ribs. However, some issues associated with Genesis such as ‘How is God creating humans?
With hands? Is God invisible? Therefore, life was created because it gives people who already believe
in God a purpose to their lives.
A literalist will accept the Genesis accounts of the creation of humans just as it is written. This is an
act of faith – if the Bible says it happened then in faith you believe that it happened. The Bible is
God’s word and God’s word is true. Even if the creation of a human from ‘dust’ seems hard to accept,
a believer accepts it because it is in the Bible. As a result of this, many Christians believe that God is
all powerful which means he can do anything – including making a fully functioning man from dust
and a fully functioning woman from the rib of a man. However, those who argue against a literal
interpretation of the creation story often use the sudden appearance of Cain’s wife as a challenge to
a literal interpretation of the story because Adam and Eve had two sons. Cain and Abel. Cain killed
Abel. Cain then found a wife – so either took his sister as his wife (a sister whose birth to Adam and
Eve is not recorded) or there were other people created by God around the time of Adam and Eve
(whose names are never recorded), two of whom were the parents of Cain’s wife.
“Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch”. (Genesis 4.8)
Opponents of a literalist understanding of the creation story often use this as a big stick with which
to bash literalists. A consequence of this is that some literalists respond that these were different
times so perhaps different rules applied about relationships or, that because the Bible doesn’t
mention the creation of other people in addition to Adam and Eve and their children is no reason to
assume, they didn’t exist - and certainly no reason to doubt the overall truth of the story. I agree with
the Christian view that the Bible was written by humans who were inspired by God. They still follow
Many Christians would be the side to believe that life was created, whereas Science would argue it
was developed over time. In this essay, I will discuss both sides of the argument, such as the literal
interpretation, symbolic interpretation, teleological argument, and evolution.
The Bible story of the creation of Adam and Eve – the first man and woman according to the Jewish
scriptures - accepted by Christians (and Muslims) can be found in Genesis Chapters 1 and 2. In
Chapter 1, God completes the creation of the Universe and the Earth and everything in it in six days.
On the sixth day ‘he created man and woman in his own image, in the image of God he created him.’
(Genesis 1.27) The story tells of the first man and the first woman and how they were created
specially by God and were the final act of the creation and the ‘best bit’ of God’s creation. They are
made, so the story says, in the image of God or as the story outs it; ‘in our likeness’ (Genesis 1:26).
No one is quite sure what ‘in our likeness’ means. Perhaps, it has a physical meaning or perhaps a
spiritual one. Perhaps this means that humans are ‘god-like’ in relation to how we physically look, or
because of the abilities we have, or because we have a spiritual ‘self’ in a way which is similar to God.
However, what is important in the story for Christians is that life, including that of humans, originated
on Earth because God made it happen. There is no implication that it was gradual or that anyone
living thing was linked to any other. They were made by God using physical material and in the case
of human; they had life breathed into them’ by God. I agree with the statement to a certain extent.
This creation story might be important for Christians today as this highlights the understanding of
God and Christians are able to develop using this type of revelation. E.g. Benevolent, Omniscient etc.
As a result, this shows that God is an all-powerful entity capable of designing humans simply out of
dirt and ribs. However, some issues associated with Genesis such as ‘How is God creating humans?
With hands? Is God invisible? Therefore, life was created because it gives people who already believe
in God a purpose to their lives.
A literalist will accept the Genesis accounts of the creation of humans just as it is written. This is an
act of faith – if the Bible says it happened then in faith you believe that it happened. The Bible is
God’s word and God’s word is true. Even if the creation of a human from ‘dust’ seems hard to accept,
a believer accepts it because it is in the Bible. As a result of this, many Christians believe that God is
all powerful which means he can do anything – including making a fully functioning man from dust
and a fully functioning woman from the rib of a man. However, those who argue against a literal
interpretation of the creation story often use the sudden appearance of Cain’s wife as a challenge to
a literal interpretation of the story because Adam and Eve had two sons. Cain and Abel. Cain killed
Abel. Cain then found a wife – so either took his sister as his wife (a sister whose birth to Adam and
Eve is not recorded) or there were other people created by God around the time of Adam and Eve
(whose names are never recorded), two of whom were the parents of Cain’s wife.
“Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch”. (Genesis 4.8)
Opponents of a literalist understanding of the creation story often use this as a big stick with which
to bash literalists. A consequence of this is that some literalists respond that these were different
times so perhaps different rules applied about relationships or, that because the Bible doesn’t
mention the creation of other people in addition to Adam and Eve and their children is no reason to
assume, they didn’t exist - and certainly no reason to doubt the overall truth of the story. I agree with
the Christian view that the Bible was written by humans who were inspired by God. They still follow
