Origins of the universe and life

Theme B examines religious and scientific accounts of how the universe and life began, and how religion and science relate to each other. AQA expects you to compare at least two religions and a non-religious (Humanist/atheist) view.

Scientific theories

The Big Bang

The dominant scientific account of cosmological origins. About 13.8 billion years ago, the universe began from an extraordinarily hot, dense singularity and has been expanding ever since. Key evidence: the Cosmic Microwave Background CMB radiation (Penzias and Wilson, 1965), the redshift of distant galaxies (Hubble, 1929), and the abundance of light elements.

Evolution by natural selection

Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species (1859) proposed that all life has descended from common ancestors through the mechanism of natural selection: random genetic variation + differential survival and reproduction = change over time. The fossil record, comparative anatomy, genetics (DNA) and observed speciation all confirm evolution. Life on Earth began approximately 3.8 billion years ago.

Religious creation accounts

Christianity

• Genesis 1: God created the universe in six days; humans on the sixth day in his image (imago Dei). "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1).
• Interpretations:
  • Literalist/Young-Earth creationist: six 24-hour days; ~6 000 years ago. Earth exactly as described. Groups include Answers in Genesis.
  • Day-age creationism: the six "days" are long ages; Genesis and science broadly compatible.
  • Theistic evolution: God created through the Big Bang and evolution. Genesis is theological, not scientific. The Catholic Church explicitly accepts the Big Bang and evolution — Pope John Paul II (1996): "evolution is more than a hypothesis." Pope Francis (2014) affirmed both.
  • Framework interpretation: Genesis 1 is a literary framework describing what God created, not how or when.

Islam

• The Qur'an describes Allah creating the heavens and earth in six periods (ayyam, Qur'an 7:54).
• Qur'an 21:30: "Do not those who disbelieve see that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity, and We separated them?" — some Muslim scholars see this as compatible with the Big Bang.
• Qur'an 21:30 also says "We made from water every living thing" — some read this as compatible with abiogenesis/evolution.
• Most Sunni scholars accept that Allah may have used natural processes; however, humans (Adam and Hawwa) are typically seen as specially created, not evolved.
• Harun Yahya (Adnan Oktar) represents an Islamic creationism; the mainstream is more open.

Humanism

• Accepts scientific consensus: Big Bang + evolution are the best-supported explanations.
• No need to invoke God. The universe's existence and life's complexity are explicable naturalistically.
• Humanists celebrate science as humanity's greatest tool for understanding reality.

Science vs religion — key frameworks

Position	Description
Conflict (Draper, White)	Science and religion are inherently opposed; as science advances, religion retreats
Independence (Gould's NOMA)	Science (how/when) and religion (why/meaning) are "non-overlapping magisteria" — different questions, no conflict
Dialogue (Barbour, Polkinghorne)	Science and religion can inform each other; both seek truth
Integration	Religious thought can incorporate scientific findings (theistic evolution)

Stephen Jay Gould's NOMA (Non-Overlapping Magisteria) is widely referenced in AQA mark schemes.

John Polkinghorne (physicist and Anglican priest) argued that the fine-tuning of the universe's constants points to a Creator — the anthropic principle.

Why does this matter for ethics?

• If humans are imago Dei, they have unique dignity and moral status — basis for human rights.
• If life evolved by chance, human uniqueness must be grounded differently (capacity for reason, consciousness).
• Environmental ethics depend on whether humans are stewards, dominion-holders, or simply one species among many.

Examiner tips

• Always give at least two religious views and one non-religious view for 12-mark questions.
• Name a scholar: Polkinghorne (dialogue), Gould (NOMA), Darwin (evolution).
• Show intra-religious diversity — not all Christians reject evolution; Catholics accept it.