8.1 - CONTENT - Rights and Responsibilities

Question 1

What is genetic engineering?

Answer 1

Genetic engineering is the process where the structure and characteristics of genes is changed.

Question 2

What are the four types of moral authority for Christians?

Answer 2

1) The Bible
2) The Church
3) Conscience
4) Situation Ethics

Question 3

Why do some Christians use the guidance of the Church as a basis for making moral authority?

Answer 3

1) Christians believe that God continues to speak to them and to the world through the Church. Therefore, Christians should follow the Church’s teaching as they are inspired by God.
2) Christians believe that the Church is the Body of Christ. This means that Jesus continues to act in the world today, through the Church. Therefore, Christians should follow the Church’s teaching as they are Christ’s teachings.
3) The Church is a community of believers in God. Therefore, Christians believe that God guides the Church in its moral teachings, so they should be followed.
4) The leaders of the Church have had training and studied the teachings of the Bible and their Christians denomination for many years. This means that they members of their Churches trust that what their leaders are telling them is Gods will.

Question 4

Why do some Christians use the Bible as a basis of moral authority?

Answer 4

1) It is the word of God.
2) The Bible is filled with the laws of God.
3) The Bible shows the teachings of Jesus.
4) It was written by the leaders of the early Church.

Question 5

Give reasons why genetic engineering might be a controversial issue.

Answer 5

• It could be the start of a slippery slope
• Humans do not have the power to decide what is defective and what is not
• It can be seen as ‘playing God’
• The exact effects of this can’t always be known

Question 6

What is a cloning?

Answer 6

A clone is an exact copy of something else.

Question 7

Name two types of cloning and explain what they are.

Answer 7

• Reproductive cloning is a technology that is used to create an animal or plant with an identical genetic make-up to another.
• Therapeutic cloning is the cloning of embryos to use in research on human development and disease.

Question 8

Give a Roman Catholic teaching that is against genetic engineering.

Answer 8

‘For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mothers womb.’
OR ‘Who can make straight what he has made crooked?’ Ecclesiastes 7:13

Question 9

Give three reasons why Christians may accept genetic engineering.

Answer 9

• Christians believe that God has given them authority over all living things on earth and some argue that this includes the genes of organisms.
• The Golden Rule of Jesus is to ‘do to others what you would have them do to you’ and some Christians argue that this means genetic engineering is acceptable when its for the cure of a painful disease or disorder.
• Jesus healed many people, which suggests that Christians should do all they can to heal and improve the health of human beings.

Question 10

Give a Roman Catholic teaching that supports genetic engineering.

Answer 10

Humans have ‘dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every living thing that moves on the earth’

Question 11

Why do some use their conscience as a guide to moral decision making?

Answer 11

They believe that they should look at what the Bible ans the Church say about a moral issue and then follow their conscience. Therefore, Christians should never act against their conscience.

Question 12

What is situation ethics?

Answer 12

The idea that Christians should base moral decisions on what is the most loving thing to do.

Question 13

Why do some Christians use situation ethics as a guide for moral decision making?

Answer 13

1) Love should be the only principle upon which to make moral choices.
2) A good action is on which aims to do the most loving thing. It is based on the simple teaching of Jesus, ‘My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you’ (John 15:12).
3) A person should only obey the rules in the Bible or of the Church if that teaching results in the most loving thing to do.

Question 14

What are human rights?

Answer 14

The rights and freedoms to which everyone is entitled

Question 15

Give some examples of human rights.

Answer 15

• Everyone’s right to life shall be protected by law
• No one shall be subjected to torture or inhuman treatment
• Everyone has the right to liberty (unless lawfully arrested and imprisoned)
• Everyone charged with a criminal offence has the right to a fair trial
• Everyone has the right to a private family and home life
• Everyone has the right to freedom of expression and assembly (unless they are threatening national security or public safety)
• Everyone has the right to live without prejudice.

Question 16

Why are human rights important to Christians?

Answer 16

• Every human being is created by God, in God’s image and all of God’s creation should be treated with respect
• God loves everyone equally so they should be treated equally
• The teachings of the Bible are in line with most human rights laws.

Question 17

Explain democratic processes.

Answer 17

The ways in which citizens can take part in government (usually through elections).

Question 18

Explain electoral processes.

Answer 18

The ways in which voting is organised.

Question 19

Why is it important to take part in democratic and electoral processes?

Answer 19

Politics affects every single person in the UK. The policies and laws made by the national and local government rule our lives. They decide things like the taxes people will pay and how much money people will receive on benefits; how often our rubbish is collected’ what health treatment people can get on the NHS; what human rights citizens are entitled to; whether the armed forces go to war - the list is endless.
The people we vote for will be responsible for these decisions and many more. This actually means that the voting public has a huge amount of political power, which makes it important to vote.

Question 20

Give three reasons why Christians may oppose genetic engineering.

Answer 20

• Only God can create life and humans should not ‘play at being God’. This is the most extreme view and most likely disagree with all kinds of genetic engineering.
• Some Christians believe that human life begins at the moment of conception and see an embryo as a ‘person’. These Christians are opposed to anything that involves research on embryos which ‘discard’ the embryos as they see it as murder.
• Most Christians would be opposed to genetic engineering that corrects ‘defects’ which does not cause suffering, such as being short-sighted.

Question 21

Name some Christians moral duties.

Answer 21

• Honour your parents
• Do not murder
• Do not steal
• Do not commit adultery
• Do not lie
• Do not covet other people’s belongings.

Question 22

Name three examples that could be used to explain Christian moral duties.

Answer 22

• The Golden Rule
• The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats
• Am I my brothers keeper?

Question 23

How does the Golden Rule help Christians to understand their moral responsibilities?

Answer 23

The Golden rule - ‘do to others what you would have them do to you’ gives Christians a basic measuring stick by which they can judge their actions

Question 24

How does the the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats help Christians to understand their moral responsibilities?

Answer 24

In the parable of the sheep and the goats - shows how God will separate people into those who have served others and those who have not

Jesus taught that it is Christians moral duty to feed the hungry, visit the sick, help those in prison etc - if Christians are doing this for others then they are doing them for Jesus - ‘i tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me’.

Question 25

How does the story of Cain and Abel - ‘am i my brothers’ keeper?’ help Christians to understand their moral responsibilities?

Answer 25

Christians must not stand by when others are in need - he uses the example of Cain who had killed his brother and denied any involvement - declaring that it was not up to him to care for others - he asked ‘am I my brother’s keeper?’

This example warns Christians that it is their moral duty actively to care for others

John’s 2nd epistle - “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? …. ‘let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth”