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Name: Carson Poarch Course: CWV-101-O512 Date: 06/19/23 Instructor: Robert Vaughan Be sure you answer Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and the Reference section of this assignment before submitting. Part One: Christian Beliefs Respond thoroughly to the prompts in this part, using total of 250-350 words combined. Use the Bible and at least one academic source (textbook, topic overview, or peer-reviewed article). Cite all of the resources used with in-text citations. Include all the sources you cite on a reference section at the end of this document. 1. Summarize Christian beliefs about the origins of the universe: God created the Heavens and the earth in six days, having the seventh day as a day of rest. He created the world from materials that were already there, not from nothing. He created every part of the earth from the seas to humans. The creation of the universe is a very important part of God's plan and our salvation. The earth was created so that we could come to earth and have the opportunity to have free agency and to learn and grow so that we can one day return to Heaven. 1. Summarize Genesis 1-2: In the book of Genesis 1 and 2, we come to learn that God created the world. We learn that he created not only the earth, and everything on it, but the Heavens as well. It talks about how mankind is made in His image and that he created Eve from the rib of Adam. We learn that they knew not good from evil and that they lived in harmony in the garden. Finally it took God six days to completely finish creating the earth. This included light, seasons, water, all of the animals and people. God blessed the seventh day and made it known as a day of rest. 1. Summarize general revelation and special revelation: I believe that God tends to reveal himself to us through many different ways, which we identify as revelation. I would describe general revelation as God speaking to us in a natural way. For instance This could be through finding something in the scriptures that relates with the situation we are going through, finding reasoning in a trial, or something such as philosophy. Another example could be seeing God's hand in physical sciences. It often helps us as Christians to understand the creation and its connection to God. Special revelation is also seen as personal revelation. It is when God reveals himself in a way that is spiritual and brought up through extreme faith. One example of this would be when the spirit guides

us or God gives us visions or feelings that guides us through our lives to make Christlike decisions. Another example of this would be miracles that happened in the scriptures and that continue to happen today. “The truths revealed by special revelation could not be known through looking at unwritten tradition, nature, providence, history, our conscience, or any by reasoning process. God must reveal them directly to us” (Stewart, 2007). 1. Summarize the three major Creationism approaches to Genesis 1-2: The three approaches are, young Earth creationism, old Earth creationism, and evolutionary creationism. Young-earth Creationism is the understanding that God created the world and the universe in six days. It is also the belief that the earth is young, being created only 6 thousand years ago. It also has theories that, before the fall, there were no living beings. Old-Earth Creation is an approach that looks to science for answers. It accepts theories about the universe but does not believe in the idea of evolution. Evolution Creation is the approach that believes in conventional science on the age of the universe. It sees God as someone who simply allowed evolution to happen watching over it and leading it. Part Two: Current Understanding Respond thoroughly to the prompts in this part, using total of 250-350 words combined. Use the Bible and at least one academic source (textbook, topic overview, or peer-reviewed article). Cite all of the resources used with in-text citations. Include all the sources you cite on a reference section at the end of this document. 1. My current beliefs about the origin of the universe: I have always believed that God created the universe and all things that dwell on it. I believe that He created all of us in His image and that we are here to be tested and to grow. I believe that He not only created the earth, the seas, and the animals, but that He created the stars in the sky and the Heavens above us. Although I believe fully that God created the earth and that He led the entire process, I can see that science has helped us to understand some of God's creations on this earth and helps us to understand how certain things work. 1. My current beliefs about evolution: My belief in evolution is one that has always been back and forth. In some ways I believe in evolutionary creation, but in other ways I see God's hand in all things and changes. What I have come up with is that God was active in creation and could have even had some part in the evolution process. As I said before I believe that we are made in the image of God and that He created all things on earth. Saying this I believe that man and the earth has evolved in some ways, growing with science. I however do not believe that humans evolved from some other living thing.

1. My current beliefs about the age of the earth: I believe that the earth is much older than the Young-earth creation approach believes. I do believe that the earth was created and that dinosaurs once roamed the earth millions of years ago and that the stories in the bible were in older times. More than my spiritual understanding of the age of the earth, I believe in scientists and their work that prove that it is more than 6000 years old. “Earth is estimated to be 4.54 billion years old, plus or minus about 50 million years” (National Geographic, 2022). Scientists have found that rocks are dated back to billions of years ago and that the earth would have to be older than just a few thousand years. 1. My current beliefs about if the Bible and science can be reconciled: In my personal opinion I believe that science and the Bible can be reconciled. I believe that for the most part the truths that we find in the Bible and other forms of scripture, do not conflict with the truths we find in nature. I think that this helps us to see that they are connected and that science can help us to understand. “The purpose of science is not to verify nor to add to inspired Scripture, but science can help us eliminate improper ways of reading it” (Roels, 2022) Part Three: Impact of Current Understanding Respond thoroughly to the prompts in this part, using a total of 250-350 words combined. Use the Bible and at least one academic source (textbook, topic overview, or peer-reviewed article). Cite all of the resources used with in-text citations. Include all the sources you cite on a reference section at the end of this document. 1. Therefore, this is what I believe about the nature of God: I believe that God is merciful and just. I think that He is a man of patience and understanding, but He also has laid out so many ways for us to succeed in this life and expects us to give back in some ways. The Lord loves effort and loves to see that we know Him in a personal way. I believe that there is only one God and that we are made in His image. He is perfect and knows what is best for us even when we don’t know ourselves. He is our ultimate advocate and we cannot fail if He is on our side. “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love” (John 4;8) 1. Therefore, this is what I believe about the nature of Humanity: I believe that humanity is naturally influenced by the world. I think that our goal on this earth is to learn how to defend ourselves from the temptations of the natural man. We as humans are here to overcome the temptations and pride cycles of this world. “May we let the gospel light guide us that we may be in the world and yet not partake of the evil of the world”. I

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believe that humanity tries to be happy in a world where happiness is presented as wealth, fame and lavishness. I believe that we can only be truly happy when we let go of these things and help being others to God. We do not take the things of this world with us but we do take our knowledge and our relationships that we have created. We have to decide where we stand and what matters most to us. I believe that humanity has this innate yearning for a closeness with God deep down and they just have to show a little effort to unlock it. 1. Therefore, this is what I believe about the care for the Earth: I believe that God wants us to take care of this earth. In the beginning He allowed Adam and Eve to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. I believe that God is proud of this place that He has created and wants us to nurture and care for the world so that all of His children can enjoy it. “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it”. (Genesis 2;15) God initially had his children take care of the Garden of Eden and I know that He would want us to do the same! References: Stewart, D. (24 Apr, 2007). What Is Special Revelation?. Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/don_stewart_1196.cfm Gabrielli, A. (2022, November 1). Earth 101 . National Geographic . https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/earth-101/ Roels , S., & BioLogos. (2022, August 8). Can science and scripture be reconciled? . BioLogos. https://biologos.org/common-questions/can-science-and-scripture-be-reconciled Cullimore, J. (1973, October 2). To be in the world but not of the world. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. https://site.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general- conference/1973/10/to-be-in-the-world-but-not-of-the-world? Scriptures (Bible) . Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints . (n.d.). https://site.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures?