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New
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Year 10
AQA

Different Christian interpretations of creation

I can compare different Christian interpretations of creation and explain how these beliefs influence Christians.

icon-background-square
New
New
Year 10
AQA

Different Christian interpretations of creation

I can compare different Christian interpretations of creation and explain how these beliefs influence Christians.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. There are different Christian interpretations of the creation accounts in Genesis.
  2. Some Christians interpret the Genesis accounts literally and view them as historical and factual accounts of creation.
  3. Some Christians take a liberal approach and believe that the Genesis accounts are metaphorical and symbolic.
  4. Christians may be influenced to take care of the earth because Genesis states that it is God’s creation.
  5. The Genesis creation accounts can influence a Christians beliefs, thoughts and behaviour towards human life.

Keywords

  • Creation - bringing the world into existence; the belief that the world is God’s loving creation

  • Genesis - the first book of the Bible in the Old Testament; contains the creation accounts

  • Liberal - referring to Christians who believe the Bible was written by human authors inspired by God and should be read in context

  • Literal/literalist - referring to Christians who view the Bible as the true and exact word of God

Common misconception

All Christians believe that the Bible is a historical and factual account of history.

Some Christians take a literalist approach and believe that the Bible is a historical and factual account. However, some Christians regard parts of the Bible, including the creation accounts as metaphorical, this is known as a liberal approach.


To help you plan your year 10 religious education lesson on: Different Christian interpretations of creation, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Learning cycle 2 contains reference to knowledge covered in Component 2: Thematic studies (stewardship, abortion and euthanasia). You may wish to make links between this content and Component 2: Thematic studies during this lesson.
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Adult supervision recommended

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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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5 Questions

Q1.
Match the keywords to the correct definition
Correct Answer:Trinity ,belief that God is One in three Persons
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belief that God is One in three Persons

Correct Answer:the Father ,1st Person of the Trinity; the creator of the universe.
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1st Person of the Trinity; the creator of the universe.

Correct Answer:the Son/Son of God ,2nd Person of the Trinity; Jesus seen as God incarnate.
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2nd Person of the Trinity; Jesus seen as God incarnate.

Correct Answer:Holy Spirit,3rd Person of the Trinity; present with believers
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3rd Person of the Trinity; present with believers

Q2.
What does the Nicene creed say is the role of God the father?
to become human and bring salvation
Correct answer: the creator of all that is seen and unseen
to bring life
Q3.
What does the Nicene creed say the role of God the Holy Spirit is?
the creator of all that is seen and unseen
to become human and bring salvation
Correct answer: to bring life
Q4.
Why is evil and suffering a problem for Christians?
Correct answer: because they believe in an all-powerful, all loving God who should stop it
because they should be perfect and not be evil
because other people are evil and cause all the suffering
Q5.
Which nature of God means that God is all-powerful?
Omniscient
Correct answer: Omnipotent
Omnibenevolent

5 Questions

Q1.
Match the keywords to the correct definition.
Correct Answer:creation,bringing the world into existence
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bringing the world into existence

Correct Answer:Genesis ,1st book of the Bible - contains the creation story
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1st book of the Bible - contains the creation story

Correct Answer:liberal/liberalist,believe the Bible was written by humans and inspired by God
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believe the Bible was written by humans and inspired by God

Correct Answer:literal/literalist,believe the Bible is the exact word of God
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believe the Bible is the exact word of God

Q2.
Which one of the following statements are true?
all Christians believe the Bible is a historical and factual account of history
Correct answer: some Christians believe the Bible is a historical and factual account of history
all Christians think the Bible is a metaphor and shouldn’t be taken literally
all Christians reject scientific theories about how the world began
Q3.
What do some Christians believe God creating light is?
Correct answer: a symbol of God’s power to create something from nothing
God creating the sun
a made up story invented by early humans
Q4.
Which one of the following is an influence of the Christian belief that God created the earth?
They won’t try and care for the world as it belongs to God.
They will use the earth for their own benefit.
Correct answer: They will try and look after God’s creation as a sign of thanks.
Q5.
Which of the following must you do to be successful in a 12-marker question in the exam?
only put one point of view
Correct answer: link the information to the statements
Correct answer: explain different points of view in detail
write a clear introduction
Correct answer: include religious teachings, key concepts and quotes