Matters of life and death Flashcards
What is the sanctity of life? Kunt
The belief that all life is sacred and that you should not kill. different religions have different interpretations on the sanctity of life for instance Christians believe in the sanctity of life because they believe that humans where made in God image and Hundus believe that every living thing has a part of Brahman inside of it (an atman)
What is the difference between absolute morality and relative morality
Absolute morality is the idea that if there is a rule, it must be kept for instance, it is never ok to kill someone but relative morality is the idea that is it ok to kill someone in certain circumstances
What is a pacifist?
Someone who believes that all war is wrong and violence is never ok
What is holy war?
A war believed to be fought on Gods behalf, for a religious reason, with a spiritual reward to those who take part
What is just war?
A war that is thought to be fair, morally justified or fought for a good cause
What was Arjuna’s dilemma?
Arjuna is faced with going to war with his cousins and teachers. He is appalled at the thought of the slaughter that will follow. However, Krishna gives him advice that is is sometimes necessary to fight a war to overcome evil forces that rise up in society. Krishna tell Arjuna to fight for justice and truth is to fulfil the law of God. He argues from three points. Firstly, as a price and a soldier he has to fight for the good of his people. Secondly, he can only cause the death of mens bodies, he cannot hurt their souls. Thirdly he is not fighting for personal gain but for the benefit of mankind, he must fight to the best of his ability without hatred or bitterness. This approach is an example of karma yoga
What does the muslim pillar Shahada mean?
There is no good but Allah, Muhamid is his messenger
What does the muslim pillar Salat mean?
Muslims pray 5 times every day
What does the Muslim pillar Sawm mean?
Not eating daylight only when it’s dark
What does the muslim pillar Hajj mean?
Muslims go on a pilgrimage to the Muslim holy land once in their life
What does the muslim pillar Zakat mean?
Looking after people and giving charity
What are the just war principles?
1) Make sure it is for a just cause
2) Make sure the war will eventually be won and won’t carry on forever
3) Jus in belo, make sure you protect innocents and use minimal force
4) Jus ad belo, reasons for fighting must be good
Was the Iraq war just?
No, the Americans didn’t want to save the innocent people, they wanted oil. They killed many civilians, this could have been prevented by not using air strikes. The war was also not backed by the UN who didn’t think it was right
What does Jihad mean?
Greater Jihad, your personal daily struggle against, evil
Lesser Jihad, the collective struggle against evil
What are the laws for holy war?
It must be declared by a religious leader, it must use minimal force and abide by the laws of the religion, protect civilians, animals and the environment, in islam they wants to promote good with the 5 pillars.
