Matters of life and death Flashcards
Christian reasons for believing in life after death
- Jesus rose from the dead, this is only possible because there is life after death
- St Paul teaches that people will be resurrected for life after death in the same way Jesus was
- The creeds of the church teach about life after death
- The bible teaches people are made up of a body and a soul. The soul is immortal and will live on after the death of the body
- life after death gives life meaning and purpose e.g living a holy life may lead to heaven
How belief in life after death affects Christians
- Catholics believe we will be judges whence die so we must live a good life so that you will get rewarded in heaven
- To live a good life you must follow Gods teachings so Christians get baptised, seek forgiveness for sins, worship God, pray frequently and treat people well
- Jesus taught love your neighbour as yourself, this means helping/being kind/showing respect to everyone including strangers maybe by doing charity work
- life after death gives life meaning and purpose, Christians may suffer less from depression than atheists
Non-Christian reasons for believing in life after death
- near death experiences-when a person is clinically dead then comes back to life
- evidence of the spirit world-mediums can contact the dead and pass messages to living relatives
- ghosts-some people claim to have seen the spirits of dead people
- past life experience-some people claim to remember past lives, this is evidence of reincarnation the idea that after you die you come back to life on Earth as something else
Why some people do not believe in life after death
- they see no evidence for God or the spiritual world so think nothing happens when you die
- the different religions contradict each other, if life after death were true they would all believe the same thing
- different religious believe different holy books, there is no way to decide which one is true
- all evidence of the paranormal goes against what science says is possible
- there is no physical place for people to go, space journeys have shown heaven is not above the clouds
Causes of world poverty
- wars-common in LEDCs and they destroy crops, hospitals, homes and schools leading to poverty
- unfair trade-people not paid enough in poorer countries so rich countries make all profits
- HIV/AIDS-common in LEDCs, people too ill to work so no money to live off
- Lack of education-in LEDCs fewer children are educated so less chance of getting out of poverty
How CAFOD is trying to remove world poverty
- long term plans-to help people become self-supporting e.g CAFOD has set up a scheme in Brazil to help homeless children get an education and skills to earn a living
- disaster and emergency aid included sending food, water, shelter and medicine
- raising awareness- 5% of CAFOD budget spent on educating people in churches and school etc about ending poverty
- speaking out for people too poor to fight for their rights
Why CAFOD is trying to remove world poverty
- the gospels teach us to share our wealth with the poor
- Jesus told us to treat everyone equally and love our neighbours and the golden rule
- the Catholic Church says it is our duty
The nature of abortion
two doctors must agree that either the mothers life is at risk, the mothers mental health is at risk or the child will be born sever.g disabled
Abortions cannot be carried out after 24 weeks of pregnancy unless the mothers life is in serious danger and it is an extreme circumstance
Catholic views on abortion
Catholics believe…
- all direct abortion is wrong
- life is holy and belongs to God, only he should end it
- life begins at conception so it is murder
- the 10 commandments states murder is wrong
- the church points to evidence that abortion can lead women to suffer mental health issues
- even in the case of rape… two sinful acts do not make a right so adoption is always the better solution as it brings joy to the adopting family
Why abortion is a controversial issue
- many people believe that life begins at conception therefore abortion is murder
- some argue a woman should have the right to do what she wants with her own body
- some believe that the time for an abortion should be reduced to 18 or 20 weeks when the fetus is less developed
- there are arguments about whether medical staff should have to carry out abortions
The nature of euthanasia
- euthanasia is the painless killing of someone dying from a painful disease
- voluntary euthanasia is ending the life of someone in great pain who asks for help
- non- voluntary euthanasia is ending the life of someone in great pain when they are unable to ask and you have good reason to believe they would want you to
- British law says that euthanasia is murder but withdrawal of nutrition and hydration or with holding treatment is not murder
Christian views on euthanasia for and against
Catholics believe assisted suicide, voluntary euthanasia and non-voluntary euthanasia are all wrong because…
- Life is sacred God created it only he can take it away
- ending someone’s life is murder, forbidden in the 10 commandments
- catechism teaches the doctrine of double effect-indirect euthanasia, if painkillers are taken that will shorten someone’s life, but they are taken only to end pain not life this is okay
- switching off life-support machines is not euthanasia if the doctor believes him/her to be brain-dead
- refusing treatment that will cause suffering and only delay death is not euthanasia
some Christians believe…
-any form of euthanasia including switching off life-support machines or refusing treatment is wrong. they believe both to be murder or suicide which are banned by God in the Bible and they take these teachings literally
A few Christians believe…
- living wills which say when someone wants to die should be respected as this is the kindest thing to do
- modern medicine medicine means we cannot know what are Gods wishes and what are
- Jesus said love your neighbour and ending pain is loving
Liberal Protestant attitudes on abortion
Doctrine of double affect=indirect abortion
if someone where to take treatments for an illness to save the life of the mother knowing it will abort the baby Catholics believe this is ok
Liberal Protestants believe…
abortion is wrong but must be permitted in certain circumstances e.g if the women is raped or foetus severely handicapped
-Jesus taught us to love your neighbour-abortion might be most loving thing to do
-Christianity is concerned with justice, if women were not given the choice this would not be just
