Origins Essay Christian Worldview PDF

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Essay where we were assigned a list of topics to choose from and within those topics, were a list of questions that we had to answer as we wrote the essay...

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Name: Ryan Duarte Course: CWV 101 Date: 1/31/21 Instructor: M. Koontz Origins Essay The Characteristics of the Creator and creation What are the characteristics of the Creator and creation? (250 - 300 words) 2 sources required Genesis 1:1-2, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the water. God saw what he had made, and it was very good." This verse does a very good job of describing and answering the question of "what are the characteristics of the Creator and creation" and answers that by saying how God (the Creator) created all things within this universe and shows that he is all-powerful and the creator of all things. From that verse we can also examine that all of us humans, animals, creation exist because God created it all. Later in Genesis I remember it saying, that by His hands he knit us together and one characteristic about Him is that He is very creative and was able to come up with so many new ideas so that each individual whether it be human or animal is unique in it's own way. Another characteristic about God (our Creator) is that he is capable of doing anything he wants to and can make something out of nothing. Within the article that I read (Identity Found In God The Creator and The Creation), the author referenced this characteristic of God and went on to say "I don't know aobut you, but I find great excitement in considering what else God, our Creator can do!"(Conn, Vickie). Even though there is so much more to say and explain about the characteristics of the Creator and creation, unfortunately, I can't elaborate more on this topic as I would exceed the word count, but I'm going to leave off on this verse; "God immeasurably able to do more than all we can ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20).

Meaning of Being Created in God’s Image What does it mean to be created in God's image? (How does this relate to human value, dignity, and flourishing? (250 - 300 words) 2 sources required A verse that can directly answer this question in a sentence or two is Genesis 1:26-27 "When God said, "let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and overall the creatures that move along the ground." So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. According to the article I've read "What Does It Mean to Be Made in the Image of God?", "Of all the major religions of the world, only the biblical religions of Judaism and Christianity affirm that human beings are made in the image of God" (Samples, Kenneth). There are many other parts of the Bible as well that mention that all of God's creatures were created in the image of God. Another thing the article talks about is the three views of the Imago Dei and how it relates to being created in the image of God. Now I believe we talked about the Imago Dei in class one of the days either this week or

last week, but after having read about the three views, I would like to explain them. The first one is the resemblance view, this view says that humankind possesses has a type of nature that resembles God in a way and contains certain like qualities/characteristics related to God. The next one is relational view, this view is very popular modern day and says that humans are more like God when it comes to an individuals unique relational qualities. The last one is representative view, this view says that being made in the image of God is more about what a person does rather than what a person really is.

Caring for Creation Is there a need to care for creation, and if so, how? (250 - 300 words) 2 sources required As a Christian, I feel that it is very important for us to care for creation due to many reasons. A verse that answers this question perfectly would be Genesis 1:28; "And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." To elaborate, as Christians, all people should be responsible for caring for God's creation and should be motivated by Scripture to love and care for the Earth because God chose to bless us with such beautiful creation. Within the article that I read, the author goes to say how "because of human activity, we see effects like species extinction and climate change", and later goes on to say, "We can choose to move foward with rational hope, accepting the problems we face while taking action"(BIOLOGOS). For my next point, I want to talk about how if we as humans of this earth really love God, then we should care for his creation. Since there are many nonbelievers roaming this earth, most don't seem to care about this earth, but others do. Unfortunately, because of some peoples actions, there has been a loss of biodiversity. Species have become more extinct at an insane rate of 1,000-10,000 times faster than anticipated. The point being, if we love what God loves, then we must do our best as humans of this earth to maintain and treat this earth with love, just as God treats us.

References Conn, Vickie. “The Creator and The Creation.” MARTINS CREEK MENNONITE CHURCH, www.mcmc.org/vickis-blog/the-creator-and-the-creation.

Samples, Kenneth. “What Does It Mean To Be Made in the Image of God.” Home, reasons.org/explore/blogs/reflections/read/reflections/2017/09/05/what-does-it-mean-tobe-made-in-the-image-of-god? kw=&mt=b&loc=9029977&n=g&d=c&adp=&cid=997227 3030&adgid=98968234525&tid=dsa385363630316&gclid=Cj0KCQiAx9mABhD0ARIsAEfpavSToybnLHv23ZBfB55f 0KFk0mBQSOUE8kbTPAFuICT_xNbrj2KKeQMaAiTKEALw_wcB.

Koontz, M., PowerPoint Slides. Retrieved 20 January, 2021

Bible

BioLogos. “Why Should Christians Care for Creation? - Common-Questions.” BioLogos, BioLogos, 2 Oct. 2019, biologos.org/common-questions/why-should-christians-care-forcreation....