Origins of the Universe, the Sanctity of Life and Abortion
Christians must explain not only how the universe began, but why it and human life matter. This lesson looks at three connected ideas: the origin and value of the universe, the sanctity of human life, and how that belief shapes the Christian debate about abortion.
Where Did the Universe Come From?
Scientists explain the origin of the universe through the Big Bang theory: everything expanded rapidly from a single, extremely dense point around 13.8 billion years ago. Many Christians accept this scientific explanation and see it as compatible with their faith, believing God could have used the Big Bang as his method of creation. Other Christians read the Genesis account more literally and see a conflict between the Big Bang theory and a six-day creation.
Georges Lemaître was a Catholic priest and physicist who, in 1927, proposed the theory that the universe began expanding from a single point — the theory that later became known as the Big Bang. Many Christians see his work as proof that science and faith can agree, since a priest himself proposed a scientific origin for the universe.
The Bible teaches that the universe has value because God made it and called it good. Genesis 1–2 describes God creating light, land, sea, plants and animals in stages, delighting in what he had made. Christians believe this means the universe belongs to God, not to human beings, so Christians see themselves as exercising stewardship over creation rather than ownership.
Genesis 1:28 tells humans to “have dominion” over the earth, while Genesis 2:15 places the first man in the garden “to work it and take care of it”. Some people treat the natural world purely as a commodity — a resource to use and sell for profit, with no regard for its wider value. Most Christians reject this view. Because the universe is God’s creation and reflects his goodness, treating it only as something to exploit dishonours God’s ownership and ignores humanity’s responsibility to look after it.
The Sanctity of Life
Christians believe that human life is holy because it is given by God — this is called the sanctity of life. The strongest evidence for this in the Bible is Genesis 1:27: “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them.” Because every person carries something of God’s own image, Christians believe every human life has equal, God-given worth.
Genesis 1–3 develops this idea further. God gives Adam and Eve responsibility for creation, and even after their disobedience in Genesis 3, God does not abandon or destroy them. Christians read this as proof that human worth does not depend on being perfect — every person, whatever their circumstances, is precious to God simply because they are made in his image.
Because Christians believe every human life is made in God’s image and belongs to God, the sanctity of life shapes Christian views on issues from abortion to euthanasia to war. Life should never be treated as worthless or disposable, and only God has the ultimate right to give and take it.
Evolution and the Origins of Human Life
Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution explains that humans developed gradually from earlier species through natural selection, sometimes summarised as “survival of the fittest”. This raises questions for Christians: if humans evolved like other animals, are they still specially made in God’s image? Christians respond in different ways. Some reject evolution and hold to a literal six-day creation. Many others accept evolution as scientifically accurate but believe God guided the process — meaning evolution is simply the method God used to create life, not evidence against him.
The Church of England has officially stated that evolution and Christian belief are compatible. In 2008 the Church published a statement by its Director of Mission and Public Affairs, ‘Good religion needs good science’, which accepted Darwin’s theory and encouraged Christians not to see science as a threat to faith. This shows that, for many Christians today, accepting evolution and believing in God as Creator are not contradictions — science explains the “how”, while faith explains the “why” and gives life its ultimate value.
Sanctity of Life and Abortion
Abortion is one of the clearest places where belief in the sanctity of life becomes a real ethical debate. Because Christians believe life is a gift from God from its earliest stages, many see abortion as the taking of an innocent human life.
Most Catholic and many other Christians hold a pro-life position: life is sacred from conception, so directly intended abortion is always seriously wrong, though Catholic teaching accepts that a foetus may be lost indirectly as a side effect of medical treatment needed to save the mother’s life. Some other Christians would allow abortion where the mother’s life is at risk. This is reinforced by Catholic teaching: Humanae Vitae (Pope Paul VI, 1968) rules out directly procured abortion, and Evangelium Vitae (Pope John Paul II, 1995) teaches that human life is sacred and inviolable from conception, calling abortion a grave moral disorder.
Other Christians hold a divergent, pro-choice position. Some apply situation ethics, arguing that the most loving response in a specific situation — for example, when the mother’s health is at serious risk, or in cases of rape — may be to allow an abortion, rather than applying a fixed rule to every case.
Non-religious voices, including atheists and Humanists, often argue for a woman’s right to choose what happens to her own body, and question whether an early foetus should be treated as a full person with equal rights to the mother. Christians usually respond that human worth does not depend on being wanted or convenient — because life is made in God’s image from its beginning, it deserves protection regardless of the circumstances of conception.
The abortion debate shows sanctity of life in action: pro-life Christians defend the unborn as made in God’s image; pro-choice Christians may apply situation ethics to hard cases; non-religious critics focus on a woman’s right to choose; Christians respond by reasserting that all human life has God-given worth.