Dialogue

Question 1

Christian importance in society

Answer 1

School terms based around festivals - Christmas, Easter
7 day week - creation story - shop hour restrictions on Sundays
Popular Bible names - Daniel, Sarah

Question 2

Christianity in England

Answer 2

2011 census - 59.4% Christians (>1/2 CofE)

Down 12% since 2001

Question 3

Monarch as Supreme Governor of CofE

Answer 3

Head of State of UK / Defender of Faith (CofE) / Supreme Governor
Approves new clerics (bishops) with PM / opens sessions - make laws

Question 4

Christianity in public

Answer 4

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)

Question 5

Faith schools

Answer 5

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

Question 6

Place of religion in England

Answer 6

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%

Question 7

Effects of secularisation

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Humanism

Answer 8

See world using science - no religion
- reject supernatural, reasoned concern for humans and animals, need meaning in life without afterlife
British Humanist Association - 1967

Question 9

Schools

Answer 9

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

Question 10

Marriage

Answer 10

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

Question 11

Arranged and forced marriage

Answer 11

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)

Question 12

Equality

Answer 12

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

Question 13

Euthanasia

Answer 13

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’

Question 14

Abortion

Answer 14

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)

Question 15

Genetic manipulation

Answer 15

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

Question 16

Creation of life

Answer 16

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)

Question 17

Exclusivism

Answer 17

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

Question 18

Inclusivism

Answer 18

Christianity only true religion but others can go to heaven too
Can be ethical but not Christian

Question 19

Pluralism

Answer 19

God revealed through all traditions - not only Jesus

- All religions are equally close to truth - respect

Question 20

Intra faith communication

Answer 20

Dialogue across churches - emphasise common beliefs/ respect differences
‘Love your neighbour as yourself’

Question 21

Ecumenicalism

Answer 21

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

Question 22

Interfaith dialogue

Answer 22

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

Question 23

Religious identity

Answer 23

Israel - Jewish (ethnicity) / Iran - Shi’a (leader) / Sri Lanka - Buddhist (people)
Britain is Christian - people say not as important

Question 24

Proselytisation

Answer 24

Tell others of faith and convert them
Evangelist - tell others of Christianity - might not accept
Freedom of choice vs. Freedom of expression

Question 25

Non religious views

Answer 25

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

Question 26

Shared views

Answer 26

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

Question 27

Secular > Religion ?

Answer 27

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

Question 28

Disagreement in beliefs

Answer 28

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