The Origin of Life

1. The Origin of Life • Objective: To better understand the origin of life by addressing what happened and how it happened. • What happened? The earth and all living creatures came to be. • How did it happen? There are several explanations from: Sacred Scripture; Scientific opinions; and Editorial comments with reasoning.

2. Genesis Chapter 1 • Grade 8th Originof Life Genesis 1 & 2.docx Two important parts to remember in Genesis I: • In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth…, and • God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them.

3. What Happened? What happened? The earth was formed, man and woman occupied the earth – The Occurrence. Can we accept this occurrence as dictated by Genesis and substantiated by our presence here today? What does Genesis II say? 8th Grade Origin of Life Genesis 1 & 2.docx God made man and woman. They were not ashamed of their nakedness. Why?

4. How did it happen? As stated above, there are many explanations beside the Creation Story from Genesis concerning ‘How’ we happened. To better understand these explanations in concert with Catholic teaching let us carefully read the comments of Mr. George S. Johnston. He writes “Catholics should anchor themselves in the proposition that there can be no real conflict between faith and science. The danger occurs when scientists trespass into theology, or vice versa.”

5. Pictures of what is and what was

6. What is the Truth? "The creation of all things by God at the beginning of time; the special creation of man; the formation of the first woman from the first man; the unity of the human race; the original happiness of our first parents in the state of justice, integrity, and immortality; the command given by God to man to test his obedience; the transgression of the divine command at the instigation of the devil under the form of a serpent; the degradation of our first parents from that primeval state of innocence; and the promise of a future redeemer." Note that the Church says nothing definite about how, in specific detail, God created the world and its various forms of life, or how long any of this took. The only "special creation" mentioned is that of man, who is unique in having a spiritual immortal soul. In the Church's eyes, Genesis deals with historical fact, not scientific process--with the *what* of creation, not the *how*.

7. The ‘what’ and the ‘how’ Let us examine The Origins of Life: A Catholic View • by George Sim Johnston (August 8, 2005) 8th Grade Origin of Life Typed.docx This is provided as a handout for you. It is also attached to Net Classroom.

8. The Theology of the Body In what primary way did Adam realize that he was different from the animals? 8th Grade Origin of Life Genesis 1 & 2.docx Answer: None was a suitable partner for the man. “Man can not fully find himself except through the sincere gift of self.” What does the Church mean by this statement? What does Genesis II say? Pope Benedict XVI wrote: man supports the gift of self to others, for their good, for the good of all, in the local, national and world political communities. Is this not the same as “men for others”?

9. Theology of the Body (cont.) Becoming ‘one flesh’ refers to much more than joining two bodies. Why? Only the appearance of the woman, a being who is flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones (Gen 2:23), and in whom the spirit of God the Creator is also alive, can satisfy the need for interpersonal dialogue, so vital for human existence. Answer: In the other, whether man or woman, there is a reflection of God himself, the definitive goal and fulfillment of every person. Why were Adam and Eve not ashamed of their nakedness prior to the Fall? Answer: They were made in the divine image and were free of sin. No one can be ashamed of the ‘divine’.

10. Theology of the Body (cont.) Why do we instinctively seem to cover ourselves if a stranger were to enter the room and see us unclothed? Answer: Sin brought ‘shame’ into the world. Our nakedness is part of ‘self’ which must be shielded from others. Why is it difficult to believe that our bodies are holy? Answer: After the ‘fall’ man and woman lost their innocence and their ‘divine’ nature which exposed them to sin. Our weakness to sin causes one to feel less holy. How did sexual desire change after the Fall? Answer: It was no longer rooted in holiness. Lust is sexual desire void of what? Answer: Love, Purity of heart, God’ will, chastity, purity of intention, modesty, decency, and intimate sharing of the person.

11. Theology of the Body (cont.) What does ethos mean? Answer: It is the distinguishing character, moral nature, or guiding beliefs of a person or group. Can your ethos change? Answer: Yes. Sin can change this. Why do some people think of Christian morality as an oppressive list of rules? What is “freedom from the law”? Answer: When a person chooses to sin, any rule which restricts the sin will seem oppressive. For this reason it is necessary for mankind to keep a pure heart centered on being ‘a man for others’. This is self-less and reflects God’s will. When a person becomes self-less doing God’s will they are not oppressed or restricted, and thus are ‘free from the law’ because they abide by the law.

12. Conclusion The Catholic Church has never had a problem with "evolution" (as opposed to philosophical Darwinism, which sees man solely as the product of materialist forces). The Church has never taught that the first chapter of Genesis is meant to teach science. The Church insists that man is not an accident; that no matter how He went about creating Homo sapiens, God from all eternity intended that man and all creation exist in their present form. Catholics are not obliged to square scientific data with the early verses of Genesis, whose truths - and they are truths, not myths - are expressed in an archaic, pre-scientific Hebrew idiom. And they can look forward with confidence to modern scientific discoveries which, more often than not, raise fundamental questions which science itself cannot answer. (Dr. Johnston The Death of Darwinism)

13. The Theology of the Theology of the BodyGenesis II Pope John Paul II wrote an encyclical, Evangelium Vitae. The content of this document is here: Evangelium vitae.docx Human life should be always be protected from natural conception to natural death.

14. Who wrote this? “All too often, as we know from experience, people do not choose life, they do not accept the ‘Gospel of Life’ but let themselves be led by ideologies and ways of thinking that block life, that do not respect life, because they are dictated by selfishness, self-interest, profit, power and pleasure, and not by love, by concern for the good of others. …As a result, the living God is replaced by fleeting human idols which offer the intoxication of a flash of freedom, but in the end bring new forms of slavery and death.”

15. Darwin Confessed: Nevertheless, Darwin confessed, "To suppose that the eye with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree." [Charles Darwin, "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life," 1859, p. 155. ]