2) Life and Death Flashcards
2.1 The Day of Judgement
The last day, when God judges all of humanity according to how they have lived.
-Judged as acceptable will go to heaven, those that aren’t will to to hell
-‘we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ’ (2 Corinthians)
2.1 The parable of the sheep and the goats
Jesus uses the example of a shepherd who separates his sheep from his goats in order to help his followers understand what judgement will be like.
-Sheep - lived good lives and believed in God - go to heaven
-Goats - rejected God and sinned - go to hell
-Jesus explains that helping a person, whoever they are, is just the same as helping Jesus himself and is therefore a duty for all Christians
2.1 The parable of the sheep and the goats quote
‘whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
‘they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.’
2.1 The rich man and Lazarus
A rich man ignored a poor beggar at his gate (Lazarus). When both men died Lazarus went to heaven and the rich man went to hill. He asked Abraham if he could send a messenger to his friends and family to warn them about his fate but was refused.
–Abrahim send they already had the words of several prophets in the scriptures to warn them
‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’
2.1 Teaching of the rich man and Lazarus
-Going to heaven or hell depends on their actions in their earthly life
-they must follow the guidance given in the scriptures and God’s law in order to go to Heaven
-people must be kind and compassionate to go to heaven
2.1 Heaven
Christians are happy there and will know God on a more personal level.
2.1 Differing views on Hell
-Traditional Christian view of Hell - place of fire, darkness and punishment where sinners will be cast for eternity - ‘unquenchable fires of hell’ (Mark 9)
-Hell is an absence of God where people who have rejected God throughout life are rejected by him after death. (2 Thessolonians) says that sinners will be ‘forever separated from the Lord’.
-Some liberal Christians interpret Hell in terms of the psychological pain caused by the conscious when people finally face up to their own sins.
-God does not resurrect sinners to eternal punishment. John 3:16 - Jesus saves people from death. Resurrection is for those who believe in Jesus.
2.1 Christ’s resurrection
Through his cruxifiction, he pays the penalty for mankind’s sin and relationship with God.
On the cross, he says ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’
-This is the full incarnation of God to become completely human. God’s gift and sacrifice to us is to place all of humanity’s sin of Jesus and feel the burden of humanity
When Jesus dies, ‘the curtain of the temple was torn in two’
-The curtain of the temple separated the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle - the Holy of Holies (term in the Hebrew Bible), where God’s presence appeared. Only the High Priest could enter. The fact that it is torn shows the divide between humanity and god has gone.
2.1 Teaching of the resurrection
-when Jesus died on the cross, he was sacrificed for the sins of humankind. This allows humans to be reunited with God after death in Heaven - salvation
-Although physical death happens, those who believe in Christ and follow his example will be given eternal life in heaven
‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life’ (John 3:16)
2.1 How to achieve salvation
Roman Catholic, Orthodox and some Anglican Christians believe it is by:
-receiving sacraments (baptism, confirmation, reconciliation/confession, the Eucharist (Holy Communion)
-leading a Christian life
2.2 A ‘good’ meaning of life
-universal application
-makes sense of life (why are we here)
-profound moral, spiritual, physical implications
-impeccable (without weakness)
2.2 Christian views of the meaning of life
-to know God
-To display the glory of God
-To seek the kingdom of God in the afterlife
-Share in the love of God
-To be good
2.2 The meaning of life - to know God
Thomas Aquinas said it is to know God. Proof that God exists:
-Beauty and order of creation
-Universal awareness of right and wrong
-Exposure to Christians/ the Bible
2.2 The meaning of life - to display the glory of God
-Only humans were made imago dei
-Genesis - ‘Be fruitful and multiply’ - our work is to display God’s greatness, and to spread His creation to fill the world
-Everything we do should be the glory of God
2.2 The meaning of life - To seek the kingdom of God in the afterlife
-Enter heaven by doing God’s will
-This way we can be happy
‘the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God’ (1 Corinthians)
2.2 The meaning of life - Share in the love of God
–Before Christ, humanity lived an empty, sinful life.
-God sent down his only son to save us from eternal death - ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life’ (John 3:16)
-God’s agape (unconditional love) - we need to learn to love as he has loved us
2.2 The meaning of life - imitate Jesus
Replace original sin with Christ as he came down to earth to save us
-life is a process of becoming more like Christ as he is perfect and we will enter Heaven
-‘Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect’ (Matthew 5:48)
2.2 The meaning of life - to be good
-‘Love your neighbor as yourself’
2.2 Argument against the meaning of life
-Jean Paul Satre - nothing has a pre-ordained, God given purpose so we are free to do whatever we want
-The Christian view is too prescriptive and exclusive as only people who believe in Christ can have a ‘good’ meaning of life
-‘existence precedes essence’
2.3 Euthanasia
-Means ‘gentle and easy death’
-used to describe the deliberate ending of a person’s life for compassionate reasons - e.g. because they are suffering
2.3 UK Law on euthanasia and assisted suicide
Euthanasia - Illegal - regarded as manslaughter or murder - can carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment
Assisted suicide - illegal - can carry a prison sentence of up to 14 years (under the Suicide Act 1961)
2.3 Alternatives for euthanasia
Hospice - where specialist medical staff look after the terminally ill
-Refusing treatment - allowed. They must have the capacity to understand the situation they are in
2.3 Secular arguments supporting euthanasia
-humans should be able to decide how they die
-enables a person to die with dignity, in control of their situation
-death is private
-family and friends are spared from a drawn out death
-animals can be euthanized out of kindness, why can’t humans be
2.3 Secular arguments against euthanasia
-weakens society’s respect for life
-puts too much power in the hands of doctors
-could be a slippery slope that leads to involuntary euthanasia - those seen as undesirable can be killed - eugenics
2.3 Christian arguments supporting euthanasia
-Death is not the end
-‘Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me’ (Psalms)
-death is not a bad thing
-no more suffering
-one will be joined with God and comforted
2.3 Against euthanasia - ethical gradualism
Slippery slope - this could lead to the incidental involuntary euthanization of people who are not wanted
2.3 Abortion
Termination of pregnancy. UK law only permits abortion up to 24 weeks.
2.3 Laws on abortion
The Abortion Act 1967 - abortion is legal if:
-it is performed by a registered medical practitioner (a doctor)
-authorised by two doctors
-acting in good faith
-UK law only permits abortion up to 24 weeks
-It is allowed up to birth if there is a risk to the woman’s life (or of serious harm) or if the child will be born with a severe disability.
2.3 Alternatives to abortion
-parenting, raising the child
-adoption - give child up for adoption
2.3 5 Secular arguments supporting abortion
-woman’s right to choose
-in cases of rape, it is lacking compassion to deny woman the right to an abortion
-may be too young
-woman’s health is more important than the embryo
-making it illegal could lead to ‘back street’ abortions-more suffering to health and well being of women
2.3 5 Secular arguments against abortion
-every human being should have the right to live and reach their potential
-there are alternatives - adoption
-unborn child denied choice
-destroys human life, making it cheap and disposable
-people with disabilities can live full, happy lives
2.3 4 Christian arguments against abortion
-the unborn fetus is already a life
-sanctity of life
-it is unjust
-should not be a way out of sin
2.3 Against abortion - fetus is already a life
‘before I formed you in the womb I knew you’ (Jeremiah 1:5)
-was a person long before he was born
The Roman Catholic Church
-believe human life begins at conception
2.3 Against abortion - Sanctity of life
Birth and death are part of the life process God has created
-no human has the authority to take the life of an innocent person
2.3 Against abortion - it is unjust
The taking of an innocent human life at its most defenceless
Against abortion - not a way out of sin
‘do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?’ (Corinthians)
-do not commit sexual sins for pleasure/ outside of marriage
2.3 2 Christian arguments supporting abortion
-fetus is not a life
-people were given the choice by God
2.3 Supporting abortion - a unborn fetus is not a life
‘And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life: and man became a living soul.’
-man had consciousness after their bodies were formed
2.3 Supporting abortion - people were given the choice
In Genesis, we were given dominion over other things
-in case of unwanted pregnancy
-women have the God-given authority of choosing whether they want to keep the baby
2.4 Christian teaching of love
-Unconditional love (agape) The love of God for man and of man for God.
-The last supper
-Parable of the good Samaritan