Hi, my name is Ms. Minton, and welcome to this Christian Beliefs lesson on interpreting Genesis.

Now, by the end of this lesson, you'll be able to compare different Christian interpretations of creation and explain the importance and influence of these beliefs today.

Now, lots of our learning today will be new to you, but we'll also be drawing upon knowledge of the creation accounts found in Genesis in the Old Testament.

Let's make a start on our new learning by taking a look at our keywords for today.

We have creation, Genesis, liberal, literal, and literalist.

Creation refers to the creation of the universe being regarded as an act of God.

Genesis is the first book of the Bible found in the Old Testament, and it contains the creation accounts.

The word liberal refers to Christians who believe that the Bible was written by human authors who were inspired by God, and therefore believe that the Bible should be read in context.

And finally, literal or literalist refers to Christians who believe the Bible is the true and exact word of God.

Our lesson today will have two parts.

We'll start by looking at Christian interpretations of creation, and we'll then move on to look at the importance and influence of these beliefs.

So let's get started and take a look at Christian interpretations of creation.

Here is a statement that says the accounts of creation found in Genesis are factual.

I would like you to pause the video, and either talk to a partner, talk to me or have a think to yourself.

How far do you agree or disagree with this statement? Use the number line to support your discussion.

1 being strongly disagree and 10 being strongly agree.

Pause the video and discuss.

Now during your thinking time or your discussion, you may have began to notice that there are different ways the creation accounts in Genesis can be interpreted.

And two significant interpretations within Christianity are literal and non-literal, which is also referred to as liberal.

Christians who take a literalist approach, hold the belief that the Genesis accounts of creation are historical and factual accounts of how the universe began.

Now this belief is rooted in the belief that the Bible is the exact word of God, and therefore what's written in the Bible is the complete truth, and that includes the Genesis creation accounts.

Now, this means that what's written in the Bible is taken literally, so it's taken to be factual.

Now, Rachel is a Plymouth Brethren, and she takes a literalist approach to the creation accounts.

She says, "The Bible teaches that God created the universe in six days and rested on the seventh.

In this time, the Bible says that God created all living things including humans.

I believe that Genesis provides a historical and accurate account of creation because the Bible is the actual word of God.

Christians who take a literalist approach like Rachel reject scientific theories of creation such as the Big Bang Theory and the Theory of Evolution.

Now, I'd like you to pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me or have a think to yourself.

Why do you think literalist Christians Would reject these theories? Off you go.

So literalist Christians may argue that these theories contradict what's written in Genesis, and therefore they can't be true, which is why they would reject theories like the Big Bang and Evolution.

So let's check your understanding.

Which of the following regard the Genesis creation accounts as historical and factual? A, conservative, B, literalist, C, liberal, or D, loyal? Well done.

The correct answer is B.

Literalist Christians regard the Genesis creation accounts as historical and factual.

Well done.

Now, some Christians interpret the creation accounts in Genesis as being metaphorical and symbolic.

Now, I'd like you to pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me or have a think to yourself.

What does it mean for something to be metaphorical and symbolic? Off you go.

So to say that something is metaphorical and symbolic, means to interpret hidden meanings within something rather than taking it as being fact.

Some Christians regard the Genesis creation accounts as a story with hidden meanings and hidden truths within it.

And Christians who take this approach are known as liberals or liberal Christians.

Grace is a Roman Catholic and she takes a liberal approach.

She says, "I believe that the creation accounts in Genesis are metaphorical stories.

I believe this because the Bible was written by human authors who were inspired by God and must be read in the context it was written, which is not always historically accurate.

I can learn important things about God such as he is omnipotent and omni benevolent.

I also learn that humans are a special part of God's creation, even if they were not created exactly how Genesis says they were." Fergus is a liberal Anglican and he also shares the belief that the creation accounts in Genesis are symbolic.

He says, "I also believe that the creation accounts in Genesis are symbolic stories with important messages and meanings within them.

For example, Genesis 1:3 says, "God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." I believe that this quote is symbolic of God's power to create from nothing rather than a historic fact of how the universe began.

Christians who take a liberal approach like Grace and Fergus often accept scientific theories of creation such as the Big Bang Theory and the Theory of Evolution.

Now, I'd like you to pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me or have a think to yourself.

How is it possible for liberal Christians to believe in both God and scientific theories of creation? Off you go.

So this is possible because most Christians who take a liberal approach, hold the belief that God is responsible for creation, but that God's method of creation may have been through the Big Bang and Evolution.

So let's check your understanding.

True or false? Liberal Christians are likely to accept scientific theories surrounding creation.

Fantastic.

That statement is true.

But why is that statement true? Well, it's because many liberal Christians view the Genesis creation stories as symbolic, which means they may agree with scientific theories.

So well done for identifying that the statement is true and for identifying the reason why.

It's now time for you to have a go at a task.

Rachel, Grace, and Fergus are discussing the statement that the accounts of creation found in Genesis are factual.

I'd like you to explain how each of them might develop the point that they've given.

So Rachel a Plymouth Brethren takes a literalist approach, and she says that the creation accounts found in Genesis are factual.

Grace, a Roman Catholic takes a liberal approach, and she says that the creation accounts found in Genesis should be read as metaphorical accounts.

Finally, Fergus, a liberal Anglican takes a liberal approach.

And he says that the creation accounts found in Genesis are symbolic stories containing important truths.

So pause the video and have a go at explaining how each of these people might develop the point that they've given.

Off you go.

Well done for your work during that task.

So you are asked to explain how each of these people might develop the point that they gave.

So Rachel had said that the creation accounts in Genesis are factual, and you may have said that the Bible is the exact word of God, and therefore what's written in Genesis about creation is true.

Grace had said that the creation accounts found in Genesis should be read as metaphorical accounts, and you may have said that the Bible was written by human authors who were inspired by God, and therefore Genesis was not intended to be a factually accurate account.

Finally, Fergus said that the creation accounts found in Genesis are symbolic stories containing important truths, and you may have said that Christians can learn about God's nature through the accounts of creation in Genesis.

For example, God saying let there be light might not be historically accurate, but it does highlight God's powerful nature.

So well done explaining how each of these people may have developed their point.

I'd now like you to have a go at a second task relating to the arguments that Rachel, Grace, and Fergus gave.

I'd like you to choose the strongest argument that either agrees or disagrees with the statement that the creation accounts found in Genesis are factual, and I'd like you to explain why it's the strongest argument.

Now to help you with your response.

Here are some sentence starters.

You might start by saying that a strong argument that agrees or disagrees with the statement that the accounts of creation found in Genesis are factual is, and then insert your argument, and then explain why you think that's a strong argument by saying that this is a strong argument because, or this is a compelling argument because, or you could say that the argument is powerful and give a reason why, or that the argument is convincing and give a reason why.

So pause the video and have a go.

Welcome for your work during that task.

So you were asked to choose the strongest argument to agree or disagree with the statement that the accounts of creation found in Genesis are factual and you were asked to explain why it was a strong argument.

Now your response might be similar to this.

A strong argument which disagrees with the statement that the accounts of creation found in Genesis are factual is that the accounts of creation are just symbolic stories with meaningful truths.

This is a strong argument because it acknowledges that there are some important pieces of information in the accounts of creation found in Genesis, but also allows for belief in scientific theories of creation.

Now, you may have chosen a different argument that either agreed or disagreed with the statement, but hopefully like me, you've been able to explain why that argument is convincing or strong.

So well done.

We're now moving on to the second part of our lesson, which is to look at the importance and influence of these beliefs.

Let's start by considering why beliefs about creation might be important for Christians today.

So pause the video and either talk to a partner about this or have a think to yourself.

Off you go.

So as part of your thinking time or your discussion, you may have considered that beliefs about creation are important for Christians because they help Christians gain an understanding of God's nature.

So for example, Christians can learn about God's omnipotence through the quote, "Let there be light," from Genesis.

Christians can also gain an understanding of human origin, so where humans come from, and linking to this beliefs about creation help humans understand their own role and duty within creation.

Beliefs about creation can also influence Christian beliefs, thoughts, and actions.

Laura and Jun are discussing the influence that Christian beliefs about creation may have.

Laura says, "I think the lives of Christians who interpret the creation accounts literally would be heavily influenced by this belief, because they believe God is responsible for the universe and all living things.

Jun responds and he says, "I agree, but I think the lives of Christians with a liberal approach would also be influenced by their beliefs about creation.

This is because although they interpret the story as being metaphorical and not factual, they still believe that God is responsible for creation." Laura and Jun are correct in saying that the creation accounts found in Genesis influence the lives of Christians.

But Jun is correct in saying that it influences liberal Christians as well as literalist Christians.

Whether a Christian takes a literal or liberal approach, the Genesis creation accounts can still impact a Christian's thoughts, behaviours, and actions.

For example, many Christians believe that creation is special because of the teachings in Genesis 1, and this means that creation should be cared for.

I'd like you to pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me or have a think to yourself.

How might the belief that creation is special and should be cared for influence a Christian? What sort of things might they do? How might they act? Off you go.

So as part of your discussion or your thinking time, you have considered that the belief that creation is special might influence a Christian to recycle.

It might influence them to support climate campaigns to try and reduce the impact that humans have on the environment.

It might also influence them to reject things like animal testing because animals are God's creation.

Or it could influence them to conserve water and other resources of the natural Earth.

So let's check your understanding.

Give one way beliefs about creation might influence a Christian, A, testing on animals, B, contributing to climate change, C, conserve natural resources, or D, use natural resources excessively.

Fantastic.

The correct answer is C.

One way beliefs about creation might influence a Christian is that they might conserve that Earth's natural resources.

Well done.

Now, the Genesis creation accounts may also influence the beliefs that Christians have towards human life, and this is because for many Christians, the belief that God created humankind and gave humans a special role within creation means that human life is precious and sacred.

Now, Danielle, who is Roman Catholic, shares her beliefs about how creation influences her.

She says, "I'm a Catholic and I believe that the creation accounts in Genesis are metaphorical.

The creation account, particularly Genesis 2, teach me important truths about God and humanity.

One of these truths is that God is responsible for the creation of human life.

This influences me to respect and care for a human life at all times.

Because of this belief, I disagree with euthanasia and abortion." So let's check your understanding.

True or false.

Rhe Genesis creation accounts only influence how Christians treat the environment.

Fantastic.

That statement is false.

But why is that statement false? Well, it's because actually Genesis 2 can influence how Christians think of and behave towards human life.

And we saw the example of Danielle who is a Roman Catholic saying that Genesis 2 influences her beliefs about abortion and euthanasia.

So well done for identifying that that statement is false and for identifying the reason why.

It's now time for you to have a go at a task.

This table contains points relevant to the following task.

Explain why beliefs about creation are important to Christians.

Now in this table, the points have been completed for you, and the points are that beliefs about creation are important because they help Christians understand God's nature.

And beliefs about creation are important because they influence attitudes towards human life.

Now, for each point I would like you to include a source of wisdom and authority, and then develop that point and source to explain the importance of beliefs about creation.

So pause the video and have a go.

Well done for your work during that task.

So for the first point that beliefs about creation are important because they help Christians understand God's nature.

You may have used the source of wisdom and authority from Genesis 1, which states that God commanded, "Let there be light." And you may have said that whether a Christian takes a literal or liberal approach, this teaching from Genesis demonstrates God's power and helps Christians gain a deeper understanding of what God is like.

For the second point, that beliefs about creation are important because they influence attitudes towards human life.

You may have used Genesis 2 as a source of wisdom and authority.

And you may have said that Genesis 2 teaches that God is responsible for the creation of human life.

You may have then developed this by saying that many Christians are influenced by this teaching to care for, protect and respect human life, which shows that beliefs about creation are significant enough to shape human attitudes towards others.

So well done again for your work on that task.

We've now reached the end of our lesson, but before we finish, let's take a look at some of the key things that we've learned today.

So we've learned that there are different Christian interpretations of the accounts in Genesis, and that some Christians take a literal view of Genesis and view them as being historical and factual accounts of creation.

Whereas other Christians hold a liberal view and believe that the Genesis accounts are metaphorical and contain important truths about God and humans.

We've also seen that the creation accounts are important in helping Christians understand God and humans.

And we've seen that the creation accounts might influence Christians to take care of the Earth because Genesis states that it's God's creation, and that the creation accounts can influence Christian's beliefs, thoughts, and behaviours to towards human life.

So well done for all of your hard work this lesson, it's been wonderful learning with you.