Dialogue Flashcards
Christian importance in society
School terms based around festivals - Christmas, Easter
7 day week - creation story - shop hour restrictions on Sundays
Popular Bible names - Daniel, Sarah
Christianity in England
2011 census - 59.4% Christians (>1/2 CofE)
Down 12% since 2001
Monarch as Supreme Governor of CofE
Head of State of UK / Defender of Faith (CofE) / Supreme Governor
Approves new clerics (bishops) with PM / opens sessions - make laws
Christianity in public
House of Lords - make laws - 26 Lord Spiritual
Rites of passage - baptism, marriage, funeral
Public holidays - Good Friday (Jesus’ death), Easter Monday (resurrection), Christmas (Jesus’ birth)
Faith schools
7000 faith schools - 1/3 of state funded schools
Link faith - 1/6 decide students on religion, teachers on faith
CofE - teach how beliefs relevant today, faith is commitment to understanding God, faith can help people in difficult scenarios
CC - deepen religious understanding, relate to daily life, desire for personal meaning, aware of commitment demands
Place of religion in England
Secularisation - religious beliefs, practices, organisations are less important in society
CofE - 40% population in 1983 - 17% in 2014
Muslims - 0.5% - 5%
No religion - 31% - 49%
Effects of secularisation
Less attend services in church - marriage, baptism, confirmation
More churches closed - Christian festival less significant
Rationalisation - science to explain universe
Differentiation - church no longer controls people’s lives
Decline of community - larger world - no small church community
Humanism
See world using science - no religion
- reject supernatural, reasoned concern for humans and animals, need meaning in life without afterlife
British Humanist Association - 1967
Schools
RE compulsory - reached most religions + religion in GB is mostly Christian
National Secular Society - against promoting religion (fine with teaching)
- non religious + humanist views should be taught
Marriage
RC - must be to church laws - reject civil marriage
CofE reject same sex marriage but accept civil marriage
CofE allows remarry if vicar agrees - RC don’t allow
Annulment - RC allow if no priest or proper consent
Arranged and forced marriage
RC - need consent by both for marriage
CofE - forced marriage is legally and morally wrong
Legal age is 16 with parents consent - RC is 16(m) and 14(f)
Equality
God created humans in His image - love everyone - people fought against unjust society (MLK)
CofE allow women as priests and Bishops / RC don’t allow - not will of God
Euthanasia
Voluntary - person wants / involuntary - person can’t ask (coma)
Passive - not giving medicine / active - deliberate (drugs) - illegal
- public poll - 70% support / MPs against
- CC - wrong - life is gift from God
- CofE - care should be offered - protecting life > protecting autonomy
People believe have right over own life - Christians say its God’s right
- Quakers - accept but should care to support pain
‘You shall not murder’
Abortion
Christianity - life begins at conception - abortion wrong
Legal - termination before 24th week (after foetus can survive)
People - women have choice - their body and life
RC - never accepted (foetus has right to live) - unless to save mother (intention to preserve life)
CofE - mixed - accept if to save mother, foetus badly disabled, pregnancy from rape - offer alternatives (adoption)
Genetic manipulation
Therapeutic cloning - take body cell, remove nucleus, place in egg, embryo develops stem cells, grow into any cell
- CC opposed - embryo is human
- CofE - embryo not human yet - cautious
Creation of life
Artificial insemination - sperm collected and inserted directly to uterus
- CofE- conception should be from sex but accept if can’t / RC against
IVF - sperm and eggs fertilised outside then put back inside
- RC - against - no conception + concern for embryos (destroyed)
- CofE - accepts - research done within 14 days (then becomes unique)
Exclusivism
Only one religion true, others false - if not Christian, go to hell
Interfaith - RC believe so missionaries - Muslims pray to different God
Intro faith - history of Catholics and Protestants disagreeing
Inclusivism
Christianity only true religion but others can go to heaven too
Can be ethical but not Christian
Pluralism
God revealed through all traditions - not only Jesus
- All religions are equally close to truth - respect
Intra faith communication
Dialogue across churches - emphasise common beliefs/ respect differences
‘Love your neighbour as yourself’
Ecumenicalism
Unity of Christian churches - World Council of Churches (350) - work together for peace across world
- exclusivists don’t accept other denominations - want to stand out
Interfaith dialogue
Attempt to understand and respect different faiths - friendships, opportunities to learn, multi faith events, projects
- causes conflict - 1/2 Muslims experienced violence
- RC promotes - PCID - promote respect, study, dialogue
- CofE - programme - meet, understand, share
Religious identity
Israel - Jewish (ethnicity) / Iran - Shi’a (leader) / Sri Lanka - Buddhist (people)
Britain is Christian - people say not as important
Proselytisation
Tell others of faith and convert them
Evangelist - tell others of Christianity - might not accept
Freedom of choice vs. Freedom of expression
Non religious views
Religious - universe exists because of God
Non religious - universe explained by science
- atheist - no God since can’t prove
- agnostic - don’t know if God exists - haven’t proved/not proved exists
Secularist - can’t believe but keep privet / humanist - only science
Shared views
Christianity - morality from Jesus’ teachings / non religious - human values, not Christian
- compassion - from God, Bible, Jesus (love everyone)
- support in need - parable of Good Samaritan
- promote peace over war - Jesus teaches peace, Old Testament
- protect environment - God’s Creation - human duty to care for it
Secular > Religion ?
NSS + BHA against CofE
Education - against religious groups in school - choose students freely - RS should have non religious views
Religious exemption - against choosing staff from faith
Blasphemy - protect religious importance
Disagreement in beliefs
Impermanence of marriage - Christian lifelong commitment - too easy to divorce
Sex before marriage - Christian say sex in marriage - socially acceptable
Parenting outside marriage - C say marriage relationship for children
Single parenthood - C say family is 2 parents
Same sex partnerships - some C still against - doesn’t reflect marriage
Materialism - C believe wealth and fame have no importance in after life
