essay plans

Question 1

Humans are more important than animals

Answer 1

• Imago dei
• specism
• anthropocentrism (Kant)
• Physicalism, epicureans (accidental existence)

Question 2

there is more to life than the physical world

Answer 2

• Physicalists, ockam’s razor
• BUT Pragmatism
• Logical positivism
• If god made physical world, must be beyond it

Question 3

Humans will always cause conflict

Answer 3

• Selfishness hardwired + ought implies can
• BUT existentialism
• original sin
• Pelagius, free will+good

Question 4

humans should be held responsible for their actions

Answer 4

• Richard dawkins + ought implies can
• God judges us so we must have f.w
• Hard determinism - nature ruled by laws, our minds nature
• Sartre rejects

Question 5

There is only one god

Answer 5

• omnipotence problem
• Descartes on omnipotence
• monotheistic makes unity - neither jew nor..
• David hume - less conflict in polytheism

Question 6

God is only possible explanation for universe

Answer 6

• William paley complexity argument
• David hume - not necessarily perfect being
• argument from contingency
• Empiricists + Ockhams razor

Question 7

everyone suffers, therefore god cannot exist

Answer 7

• problem of evil
• platinga’s free will defence
• BUT utilitarianism
• John hick soul making

Question 8

All religious people should oppose conflict

Answer 8

• Imago dei
• jesus showed righteous anger
• jesus was pacifist
• just war theory - jus ad bellum - aquinas

Question 9

religious people have a duty to confront bullying

Answer 9

• anyone who hates brother sister is murderer
• inevitable because of original sin
• neither jew nor gentile - discriminatory bully
• blessed are those when people insult you (Matt 11:15)

Question 10

Bullying is natural

Answer 10

• original sin, the fall
• Pelagianism
• Freud death instinct
• Rousseau - because of society

Question 11

all sins should be crimes

Answer 11

• divine command theory
• now multi faith society - less the 50% Christian in london, article 18
• ten commandments have some solid rules, eg dont kill, kant agrees
• some bad, eglatarianism

Question 12

there is no point in punishment if it does not change the wrongdoer

Answer 12

• jesus on accepting evil, cheek etc
• lex talionis
• agape, karuna
• utilitarianism if..

Question 13

capital punishment is never justified

Answer 13

• imago dei
• lex talionis
• discriminatory - 4% in us
• aquinas - they are just beasts now

Question 14

religious people should uphold all human rights

Answer 14

• js mill - article 3 right to iberty
• you are not your own
• niether jew… article 7 equality before law
• dont worship other gods deutronomy (article 18)

Question 15

men and women should be equal in all things

Answer 15

• wives helpers and submit yourselves…
• all eqaul in eyes of god
• eve caused original sin
• egalitarianism

Question 16

prejudice and discrimination are the biggest problems facing society today

Answer 16

• Imago dei, neither jew…
• Enoch powel rivers of blood 1968
• BUT cosmopolitan egalitarianism SO rejecting equality
• Jesus refuse help to canaanite

Question 17

religious people should oppose multi ethnic society

Answer 17

• universal access exclusivists, conversion
• BUT restrictive access exclusivists
• pluralism
  -BUT how can this be true

Question 18

it is more important to work for justice than to give to charity

Answer 18

• Marxism
• Effective altruism
• charity does not fix problem, egalitarianism
• Libertarianism, misfortune not injustice, coersion is wrong

Question 19

there is no afterlife

Answer 19

• physicalism, lucretius
• god breathed in soul
• logical positivism
• whoever believes will not perish

Question 20

is there point in finding meaning of life

Answer 20

• way to salvation
• point of world is to change it - marx
• Socrates - unexamined world not worth living
• Albert Camus (athiest), cannot be a purpose

Question 21

Euthanasia is always wrong

Answer 21

• you are not your own, imago dei
• harm principle
• GK chesterton
• seneca on quality of life

Question 22

Homosexual relationships best model for society

Answer 22

• sex purpose is procreative only
• Quakers
• Leviticus 18:22 - detestable, scripture god breathed
• JS mill harm principle

Question 23

No one should have sex outside marriage

Answer 23

• premarital - better to bur w passion (St P)
• BUT utilitarianism
• Adultery - violation of sacrament
• BUT harm principle only for physical

Question 24

Religious people should not get married

Answer 24

• Gods plan was to marry
• Better to focus on god, do not love anything…
• Aquinas - marriage ideal place for children
• Plato

Question 25

Religious people should never divorce

Answer 25

• marriage is a sacrament, what god has joined let no one…
• Utilitarianism
• Remarriage is adultery, Jesus quote
• Jesus gave exception

Question 26

It is the responsibility of family to look after their elders

Answer 26

• ten commandments - honour parents
• Plato responsibility of all
• Agape
• God tells to murder family

Question 27

Nuclear family is the best model for society

Answer 27

• Aquinas, ideal place for children
• Plato
• Catechism - domestic church
• Jesus says to hate family

Question 28

All religious people should have children

Answer 28

• be fruitful, one of moral precepts
• Do not love anything in the world
• Utilitarianism
• David benetar asymmetry argument

Question 29

Disabled people have the same rights as other in society

Answer 29

• equality act 2010, good bcs imago dei
• BUT kant- those who lack ability to reason
• equality act implies social model of disability
• abelist language, nancy eiesland disability theology