Dialogue between religious and non-religious beliefs

Question 1

What does establishment mean?

Answer 1

Establishment means that the Church has strong links with the state.

Question 2

The Queen is…

Answer 2

head of state and Defender of the Faith.

Question 3

State three roles of the Supreme Governor of the Church of England

Answer 3

Three roles of the Supreme Governor of the Church of England are:
* approves the appointment of senior clerics
* opens new sessions of the General Synod
* keeps the coronation vow to maintain the Church.

Question 4

What part of the House of Lords is made up of bishops?

Answer 4

The House of Lords includes 26 bishops. (Lords Spiritual)

Question 5

What is their role?

Answer 5

They help to hold the government to account for its spending, its actions and making laws.

Question 6

Give three examples of Christian services that may be used to mark key events.

Answer 6

Christian services that may be used to mark key events include baptism, marriage and funerals.

Question 7

List the four Christian events that are marked by public holidays

Answer 7

Good Friday
* Easter Monday
* Christmas Day
* Boxing Day

Question 8

What is secularisation?

Answer 8

Secularisation is the idea that religious beliefs, practices and traditions are becoming less important in society.

Question 9

State three pieces of evidence which suggest secularisation is increasing in the UK

Answer 9

Decline in church attendance. Religions other than Christianity have grown but the fastest growing group are those who say that they have no religion. CofE- 40%-17%, Muslim-0.5%-5%, 49% no religion. (1983-2014)
Religious teachings and organisations are no longer respected
We can rely on material comforts and so have less of a need for supernatural ideas
Religion has become a private matter and has less influence in public life
People are becoming less comitted to religious values and practices like prayer and worship
Religion has become more of a leisure pursuit than a deep commitment.

Question 10

three processes that occur in the modernisation of society that have a direct influence on the decline
of religion

Answer 10

Rationalisation - Society becomes more committed to following practical and provable procedures such as science, economics and politics
Differentiation - also known as social fragmentation, and is the process by which society develops increasingly specialised institutions such as law, economy and health. Religion is no longer directly relevant to the operation of any of them
The decline of community - this is also known as societalisation, where modenr life is increasingly organised and regulated, not within close-knit local communities but on a level governed by state insitutions and the government. Religion used to be at the heart of a local community, but is irrelavent for a society governed by the state.

Question 11

. Describe why some people do not agree that secularisation is occurring

Answer 11

• Traditional religious beliefs may have lost their appeal, but most people still hold religious beliefs
• Religion is important in ethnic minority groups (muslims)
• Some new religions and movements haev experienced popularity
• Even if religious importance is waning in the west it is still important in other parts of world i.e., the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa

Question 12

State two potential clashes between religious and secular values in education

Answer 12

• the teaching of religious education in state schools that promotes religion
• worship in state schools.
• opposes confessional teaching of christianity

Question 13

State a difference between a civil marriage and a Christian marriage

Answer 13

In a civil marriage there are no promises to God, it is simply a legal contract

Question 14

Name a Christian denomination that recognises the validity of a civil marriage between two people of the
same sex

Answer 14

Scottish Episcopal Church

Question 15

State how the Catholic teaching on divorce is different from the law on divorce.

Answer 15

The Catholic Church does not recognise the legal separation that a divorce creates. This means from a Catholic
perspective any further relationship is the same as adultery.

Question 16

How does the Marriage Act 2013 promote equality?

Answer 16

The Marriage Act of 2013 promotes equality because it makes same-sex civil marriages lawful in England and
Wales.
It also ensures that religious organisations are not made to carry them out if they do not want to.

Question 17

Give two religious views for opposing euthanasia and two non-religious view

Answer 17

Many Christians oppose euthanasia because:
* life is sacred and only God has the right to end it
* euthanasia is a deliberate act of killing and this goes against the sixth Commandment to not kill.
* Christians have a duty to care for the suffering
Two non-religious views that also oppose euthanasia are:
* it is a doctor’s duty to preserve life, not to take it
* medical advances mean that cures for terminal illnesses are increasingly likely and pain control can be
* elderly people may feel pressure to agree to euthansia so that they aren’t a burden to their relatives
highly effective.
*

Question 18

State the difference between passive and active euthanasia

Answer 18

Passive euthanasia is when the patient dies because the medical professionals either don’t do something
necessary to keep the patient alive or they stop doing something that is keeping the patient alive.
Active euthanasia is when the medical professionals deliberately do something that causes the patient to die.

Question 19

When do many Christians believe that life begins?

Answer 19

Many Christians believe that life begins at the moment of conception (fertilisation)

Question 20

Give two reasons why the Catholic Church is opposed to abortion.

Answer 20

The Catholic Church is opposed to abortion because it believes that only God has the right to take life. It also
believes that it is an act of murder as life begins at conception. This goes against the sixth Commandment.
Bring Islamic viewpoint here for 15 marker

Question 21

What is therapeutic cloning?

Answer 21

Therapeutic cloning is cloning and growing cells that can be used in an attempt to cure someone of a serious
medical condition. This can be done with human cells using cloned human embryos.

Question 22

Why does the Catholic Church disagree with it?

Answer 22

The Catholic Church teaches life begins at conception, so using embryos in this way is considered wrong. It is
objectifying human life and reducing its God-given value

Question 23

What are AI and IVF?

Answer 23

AI is artificial insemination - sperm implanted into the ovaries
IVF is in vitro fertilisation - eggs and sperm extracted, fertlised in a lab

Question 24

What does the Church of England teach about the use of fertility treatment, both AI and IVF?

Answer 24

The Church of England accepts fertility treatment as a means of enabling a couple to have a child and bring it
up in a loving and stable home environment.

Question 25

.Explain the difference between exclusivism and inclusivism.

Answer 25

Exclusivism is the view that only one religion is true and all others are wrong. Followers of other religions will
therefore go to hell after death. However, inclusivism argues that God would not narrow down his criteria for
salvation in this way because he is loving. Christian inclusivists believe that non-Christians can go to heaven if
they have expressed a faith in Jesus.

Question 26

. State why pluralists disagree with exclusivists and inclusivists.

Answer 26

Pluralists disagree with both these views because they believe that God reveals himself through all of the
world’s religions.

Question 27

Describe what ecumenism tries to achieve

Answer 27

Ecumenism is trying to achieve dialogue across denominations but within the faith.

Question 28

What three areas does the World Council of Churches work in?

Answer 28

• establishing a global fellowship of churches
• building peace and serving human need
• educating and training to ensure future ecumenism.

Question 29

List three reasons why some Christians do not agree with ecumenism.

Answer 29

Christian exclusivists find it hard to accept other denominations on equal terms
* some churches are happy to remain distinct
* some churches are concerned that ecumenism will make them less distinct from other Christian
groups.

Question 30

Describe what is meant by inter-faith dialogue

Answer 30

Inter-faith dialogue is dialogue between different religions.

Question 31

What does inter-faith dialogue aim to achieve?

Answer 31

It aims to achieve increased social ties between faiths, opportunities to learn about each other’s faith, the
promotion of multi-faith events and engaging in practical projects to help people, reduce tension between religious groups, promote mutal respect.

Question 32

Give two examples of countries closely associated with specific religions

Answer 32

Judaism and Israel, Iran and Islam

Question 33

What is proselytisation?

Answer 33

Proselytisation is when a believer tells people about their faith and tries to convert them.

Question 34

How may a person who is being proselytised feel?

Answer 34

Some people may feel it is an invasion of their privacy and that it does not respect the views they already hold.
Argument against this - not allowing proselytisation infringes on freedom of speech/expression
Could mention that freedom of expression doesn’t really exist anymore due to LGBTQ antics - i.e., enforcement of specific pronouns, and the government passing laws to support this, remove freedom of expression.

Question 35

What is the difference between agnosticism and atheism?

Answer 35

Atheism is a non-belief in the existence of God whereas agnosticism says that it is impossible to know whether
God exists or not.

Question 36

Describe what it means to be a secularist.

Answer 36

Secularists say everyone has a right to their beliefs but that they are a private matter and they should not
affect society.

Question 37

What is humanism?

Answer 37

Humanists do not accept any religious view of the universe, they find their own meaning without any
reference to God. They believe all people should be treated equally and allowed their own private beliefs
about God.

Question 38

List values and ideals that are shared between Christianity, atheism, agnosticism, humanism and
secularism

Answer 38

Compassion, support for the needy, promotion of peace over war and protection of the environment are
values shared between Christianity, atheism, agnosticism, humanism and secularism.

Question 39

State three Christian values that may no longer seem important in secular society.

Answer 39

sex as an act of procreation to be expressed only within a marriage relationship
marriage as the ideal relationship to bring up children.
the value of spiritual and moral values over wealth, celebrity or possessions.
it is very easy to get divorces now
although many christians, such as quakers, support same-sex marriage, other do not
although single parenthood is almost inevitable, christians still see the ideal family as that shown in the bible - father and mother with children

Question 40

. State an example of a privilege given to religious values that humanists disagree with

Answer 40

Establishment - NSS and BHA both belive the CofE should be disestablished as they play too great a role in the decision making of the state
Education - worship in schools without a religious charter must be over 50% christian
Religious exemption - employment law in Britain allows religious organisations to not hire people due to them not share their faith