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Christianity teaches that God is responsible for the creation of the Earth and universe. This is described in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. Catholics believe this account shows them important elements of God’s nature, such as his omnipotence. Most Catholics also accept scientific theories about how the world came into existence, such as the Big Bang.

Genesis 1

Genesis 1 is the very first chapter of the Bible and so is found at the start of the Old Testament. It begins with God creating different parts of the universe on six different days. He starts with Heavens and Earth as well as light and dark, and finishes with animals and humans on day six. When God finishes the creation of the universe, he sees that it is perfect.

After each new thing God creates, this sentence is repeated: God saw all that he had made and it was very good (Genesis 1:31). This reminds Catholics that God is loving, as everything he creates is good.

Genesis 2 and 3

Genesis 2 and 3 go into more detail about the creation of humanity. It is in these chapters that the creation of the Garden of Eden is first mentioned. The story of the Garden of Eden is as follows:

• God forms a man, known as Adam, out of the dust of the Earth and breathes life into him.
• God then creates the Garden of Eden and places Adam there.
• God creates birds and animals for Adam, and Adam names these.
• God decides to create another human. He creates a woman, Eve, out of Adam’s rib while Adam is asleep.
• Adam and Eve live an innocent and sinless life in the Garden of Eden until the serpent, which some Christians believe represents Satan, tempts them to eat the fruit God has forbidden them from eating.
• Eve eats the fruit first and then gives some to Adam. As a result, they are both banished from the Garden of Eden.
• Eve is punished with the pain of childbirth, and Adam is condemned to work hard for his living.

This account is significant as it shows that God has given humans self-knowledge and free will. This means they are capable of choosing between good and evil.

Different Christian understandings of creation

Some Christians are literalists or creationists. This means they believe the Bible is the actual word of God. They believe that Genesis 1 and 2 are true and accurate descriptions of how the world was created and should be taken literally. Literalists reject scientific theories such as the Big Bang and evolution.

Other Christians, including many Catholics, believe that Genesis can be interpreted metaphorically. For example, when Genesis uses the word ‘day’, this can be taken to mean a much longer period of time, perhaps millions or billions of years. With this belief, both biblical and scientific accounts of creation can be accepted. Pope Francis supports this interpretation of the creation story.

Significance of the creation story in understanding God’s nature

The account of creation demonstrates that God is:

• Omnipotent - God is all powerful and is responsible for creating the entire universe and everything in it.
• Omnibenevolent - Creating an entire universe demonstrates God’s loving nature. Humans are seen as the most important part of this creation.
• Eternal - Christians believe God has always existed as the three persons of the Trinity and has no end.