Life And Death Flashcards
What do literal Christians believe about the creation of the world?
The world was created by God in 6 days with a 7th to rest, because this is what it says in the bible and all scripture is ‘God-breathed’ so must be taken literally. Young earth creationists say this happened less than 10,000 years ago, whereas old earth says millions, because ‘a day to God is like a thousand years’.
Genesis starts with the story of creation. God creates the world in 6 days.
Day 1: Day and night
Day 2: Land and sea
Day 3: Plants and seeds
Day 4: Stars, sun and moon
Day 5: Animals
Day 6: Food and humans
Day 7: Rest
God created a man from soil named Adam, and a land for him to live on called the Garden of Eden. God thought Adam needed a helper, so he made Eve. Eve ate the forbidden fruit, thus causing the fall and original sin.
What do liberal Christians believe about the creation of the earth?
Liberal Christians interpret most stories in the bible as myths to teach lessons. Two creation stories contradict on whether humans or animals came first, and therefore cannot both be true. Some believe in theistic guided evolution, and others believe that God decided the laws of nature and then evolution happened independently. Most Christians are liberal.
What do humanists believe about the creation of the universe?
Believe that the world can be explained by science, not religion. They are likely to believe in the Big Bang theory, which states that the universe began from a singular tiny, dense point, and as it expanded atoms began to appear. Stephen Hawking’s research has showed that the universe is still expanding. Humanists would explain life on earth by the theory of evolution, which was proposed by Charles Darwin in 1859 after he completed a 30 year study of the gradual change which lead to modern humans. He showed that random mutations within species are sometimes useful, meaning an animal can survive for longer and pass on more of its genetics so that this mutation becomes more common. This phenomenon is known as survival of the fittest. Richard Dawkins is an atheist and biologist who is a great supporter of this theory, as he says evolution does not need help from a higher being.
What do christians believe about the environment?
Humans are given the resources they need to survive, and because they have a soul and are made imago dei they are more important and therefore have dominion over the other life forms. However, the world is God’s and therefore we should take care of it, and not exploit any natural resources
Give two Bible quotes about the environment
“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Genesis 1:26
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” Psalm 24:1
What do humanists believe about the environment?
Believe in sustainability for the sake of current health, the survival of future generations and animals. This comes from empathy rather than seeing the world as holy or sacred.
Peter singer is a contemporary philosopher, utilitarian and vegetarian, who proposed the term speciesism. He said that all arguments for treating animals as lesser are invalid – there are humans who have less mental capacity, but we wouldn’t eat them if they tasted good. He believes that the pleasures of our palate are never worth a life.
What is the Catholic view on abortion?
Abortion is wrong because life begins at conception, and therefore aborting a fetus is taking a life. This goes against natural law and God’s commandments. Catholics also believe that all humans have souls from the moment they are conceived and all human life is sacred. Abortion could also be considered playing God, by deciding matters of life and death. The only way an abortion could be acceptable is if it follows the doctrine of double effect; by doing a medical procedure to save the mother, you kill the baby as a side effect
What is the Church of England view on abortion?
Abortion is a great moral evil, but it is sometimes the lesser of two evils, like if the fetus has a severe disability and will only live a short life.
What is the pro-choice view on abortions?
Women should have the right to choose whether or not they have a baby, and only they can know whether they are ready for a baby. If the baby cannot exist without her, is it really a life? Mary Anne Warren says that banning abortion impacts all parts of society, and JJ Thompson says that having sex is not consent to have a baby
What is the Catholic view of euthanasia?
All life is sacred, and therefore should be preserved, therefore euthanasia is wrong. Any action to deliberately bring about death is murder. In 1995 the Pope said euthanasia is a “grave violation of the law of God”. Catholics would instead focus on caring for and easing the pain for the remainder of the persons life. They would, however, accept passive euthanasia – allowing instead of doing, e.g. if the patient stopped eating
Describe why someone may be pro-euthanasia
Emphasis on bodily autonomy and quality of life. This also allows the family to say their goodbyes, saves NHS resources and ends the pain
Describe Diana Pretty’s story
Diana Pretty was a woman from the UK with motor neurone disease, which gradually paralysed her. She wanted to have “a quick death without suffering, at home surrounded by family” before her lungs eventually became paralysed, and she suffocated. Pretty took her case to court using the Human Rights act of 1998 to argue that nobody helping her die should be prosecuted. British courts did not accept her argument even if it was to be her husband that killed her. Eventually she died of motor neurone disease
Describe Tony Bland’s story
Tony Bland was involved in the Hillsborough disaster at age 18. He was left in a permanent vegetive state. His mother and father remained by his side for 4 years, only going home for clean clothes. The doctors knew that there was no chance of recovery so appealed with the permission of the parents to withdraw treatment. The court allowed the hospital to withdraw treatment without being found guilty of murder
What do Christians believe about life after death?
Christians believe in a soul, which lives on after the death of the physical body
Describe Christian beliefs about hell
We have free will, and therefore we have the option to reject God and sin, and Hell is where sinners go. It is barely mentioned in the Bible, and was possibly used as a tool of fear by churches in order to control the masses, however it is said to consist of ‘fire and brimstone’.
