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RS - AQA - GCSE > Paper 1 - Section 1 > Flashcards

Paper 1 - Section 1 Flashcards

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1
Q

What are two non-religious theories about the origin of the Universe

A
  • Steady State theory (has now been rejected)

- The Big Bang Theory

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2
Q

What does the steady state theory state?

A
  • That the universe was infinite or eternal and essentially unchanging
  • New matter is continuously created as the universe expands, thus adhering to the perfect cosmological principle
  • (the principle that the observable universe is basically the same in any time as well as any place).
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3
Q

Give an example of an influential physicists who supported the steady state theory

A

Fred Hoyle

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4
Q

Why has the steady state theory been largely discarded?

A

Cosmic background radiation

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5
Q

What is the Big Bang theory?

A

The Big Bang theory is the most widely accepted theirs for the origin of the universe. It does not require a God and has supporting evidence

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6
Q

What does the Big Bang theory state?

A
  • The universe began 13. 7 billion years ago as a singularity (an infinitely dense point)
  • We don’t know where the singularity came from but at a quantum level things can just come into existence
  • This singularity rapidly expanded
  • As it expanded, subatomic particles were formed
  • As it cooled, these particles formed atoms, then elements and eventually galaxies and our solar system
  • There was no time before the Big Bang because time itself was created by the Big Bang
  • Space itself was also created by the Big Bang
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7
Q

State 3 pieces of evidence that support the Big Bang:

A
  • The Red shift
  • Cosmic Background radiation
  • Hydrogen : Helium Ratio
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8
Q

What is the red shift and how does it support the theory of the Big Bang?

A
  • The red shift is the light from far away galaxies, demonstrating that the universe is expanding
  • If it is expanding then something must have initiated that expansion
  • If all the galaxies are moving uniformly away from each other then this suggests that they all began at the same point
  • More recently, measurements of the redshifts of supernovae indicate that the expansion of the universe is accelerating, an observation attributed to dark energy
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9
Q

Who first proposed the redshift?

A

Edwin Hubble

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10
Q

What is cosmic background radiation and how does it support the theory of the Big Bang?

A

Two scientists picked up strange, constant interference and then they realise that it was the right frequency to be radiation left over from the Big Bang.

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11
Q

Who discovered cosmic background radiation?

A

Arno Persia’s and Robert Wilson

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12
Q

What year was cosmic background radiation first discovered?

A

1964

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13
Q

What is the hydrogen : Helium Ratio and how does it support the theory of the Big Bang?

A

It shows that the abundance of helium in the universe is too great to be accounted for just through a fusion process, so this fits in line with the Big Bang model of creation

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14
Q

What 3 things do all Christians believe?

A
  • God is the creator of both the universe and humans
  • The universe and human beings are created deliberately
  • The universe and human beings have a God-given purpose
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15
Q

What does the Genesis 1 story say about the origin of the universe?

A

That God created the world in six days before resting on the seventh, the order of creation is hierarchical and demonstrates God’s ultimate creating power. The world is created beginning with light and dark, then sea and sky, then land and plants, then sun, moon and starts, then sea life, then land animals including humans. Thus implication that the world is created in order to support the life that God has created

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16
Q

In which was is the Genesis 1 story told?

A

In a very formulaic way, and after each day of creation we are told that ‘God saw that is was good’, suggesting that creation has intrinsic value and is lived by God

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17
Q

What does the Genesis 2-3 story say about the origin of the universe?

A
  • It is different (and probably older creation story than Genesis 1)
  • The Genesis 2, the earth already exists but is formless because there are not yet human beings to work the land and because God has not yet sent rain
  • God creates man (Adam), then create the animals which Adam names
  • Finally God creates woman whom Adam name is Eve
  • This story of creation then leads into the story of the fall
  • Adam and Eve live in Eden, a paradise garden full of good things to eat that God has provided
  • Again the impression is given that God creates the world with the express purpose of providing human beings with a place to live
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18
Q

What do Fundamentalist Christians believe about the origin of the universe?

A
  • They believe that God created the world literally in seven days as it says in the Bible
  • They would reject all evidence to the contrary
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19
Q

What do Fundamentalist Christians believe about the bible?

A

They believe that the Bible is the direct word of God

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20
Q

What do fundamentalist Christians argue about the origin of the universe?

A
  • They argue that if the Bible and science contradict each, then the science must be wrong because God is perfect whereas humans are not, so humans must be mistaken
  • The Bible is God’s word so it must be inherent (without mistakes)
  • They argue that fossils of extinct animals might have been put there by God to test Christians’ faith
  • This links to the apparent age theory put forward by Philip Gosse which argues that God made the world to look deliberately old in order to teach us
  • They argue that dinosaurs coexisted with humans the word behemoth in the Genesis story means large creature/monster and correlates to the dinosaurs
  • The word for day in Hebrew is ‘Yom’ which does mean a literal 24 hour period
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21
Q

Why are the fundamentalist Christian arguments weak?

A
  • There is more evidence for scientific theories than their theory
  • It goes against his image of being an all loving creator
  • Humans have written, translated and rewritten the bible for thousands of years, high chance of exaggeration in parts, meanings lost and other mistakes made through translations and over time
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22
Q

What do Conservative Christians believe about the origin of the universe?

A
  • Conservative Christians believe that six day creation was not six days but six distinct periods of time
  • They argue that the six day creation story presents an order of creation that can be roughly aligned with the Scientific theories (light/dark, land, simpler life forms to more complex ones) or it could be just a list of what God created in no particular order
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23
Q

Why do conservative Christians believe in the list theory?

A

Because they believe in evolution, long periods of time allow for evolution to happen. It also allows Genesis 1 and Genesis 2-3 to exist siede by side, as they still contain similar messages

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24
Q

What do conservative Christians believe about the bible?

A
  • They don’t believe that everything in the bible is true

- They believe that some parts are metaphorical

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25
Q

What do Liberal Christians believe about the origin of the universe?

A

They believe that God the creator was behind the Big Bang

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26
Q

Why do Liberal Christians believe in the Big Bang?

A
  • They believe in God
  • They totally believe in science
  • The conditions for the Big Bang to occur were so precise, God must have been part of it
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27
Q

What do Liberal Christians believe about the bible?

A

They do not accept the bible as the literal word of God, but accept the metaphors and morals behind the stories

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28
Q

What is the most commonly held belief amoungst non-religious people about human beings in the universe?

A

The theory of Evolution

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29
Q

What is the theory of evolution?

A
  • Animals produce large numbers of offspring, many of which die
  • Those that survive do so because they are best suited to their environment
  • Animals which survive well, live longer and produce more offspring
  • These offspring often inherit traits from their parents. Therefore, beneficial genetic mutations or variations are passed on and preserved
  • Overtime, these small beneficial changes can cumulatively cause
    huge divergence between species
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30
Q

Who proposed the Theory of Evolution?

A

Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace

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31
Q

As a result of the belief of evolution, non-religious people have differing views about the place of people in the universe such as:

A
  • Many non-religious people see that humans are part of the evolutionary process and therefore are just more sophisticated animals
  • People like Peter Singer believe that people should not have an elevated position over animals but they are the same. To elevate them is to be speciesist
  • Many anthropologists have argued that due to our development and the sophisticated way in which we have organised ourselves into communities, the place of humans is to lead and guide where they live and to be in charge of both animals and the environment
  • Many non-religious people think that the place of humans is to look after each other and the world they are at the top of the evolutionary ladder and therefore these responsibilities lie with them
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32
Q

Christian views on the place of human beings in the universe:

A
  • In Gen 1:26, it says that God creates man in his own image (imago Dei, not physically but spiritually), showing that the place of man is above the animals as he is the only one who was created in this elevated position
  • In the first creation story, man is made in day 6 as the pinnacle of creation and in the second creation story he is made first. Both of these stories show the place of mankind in the world as above all other species
  • This is also shown in Gen 1:28 where God says that they are to rule over all creatures of the earth etc (Adam and Eve)
  • They are also called to increase in number and subdue the earth, suggesting that the place of man is above the animals and that they are more important than earth itself
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33
Q

What do Christians believe the purpose of the universe is?

A
  • Despite the different Christian views about how the universe began, they hold similar ideas as to why the universe is important and its purpose
  • The creation story shows that God is all powerful and omnipotent as he created everything. The purpose of the universe is to tell us about who God is through his creation
  • God created the world, which shows that it is important to him and that there is a purpose behind it. The universe was not an accident and we should spend time trying to find out what our purpose is as in this world
  • As God is the creator of life, all human life is sacred and should be respected as God created humans in his own image. Therefore the purpose of the universe is to treat all humans with respect
  • The understanding of many Christians is that God calls us to practice responsible stewardship. They believe that because God created the universe and everything in it ought to be treated with respect. Humans exist in order to show love and respect for everything that God has created, including the animals and trees
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34
Q

Give a non-religious view as to why people believe that human beings have a responsibility for the planet

A
  • Many people think that we do have a responsibility for our planet as they recognise that the earth is delicately balanced and if we interfere too much with this, and it will cause serious consequences for us now and for our future generations
  • Many people recognise that even if the damage that we are doing to our world does not affect us directly, it is affecting those in other countries and therefore we need to be altruistic and start to take responsibility for the planet
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35
Q

Give a religious view as to why people believe that human beings have a responsibility for the planet

A
  • Saint Francis of Assisi suggested that the natural world deserves care and respect, even reverence, because it is part of the gift that God has given to humans. Many still accept this today
  • Many Christians look to the Genesis story to show that the Earth is the Lord’s and we are called to be stewards of the Earth
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36
Q

Give a spiritual view as to why people believe that human beings have a responsibility for the planet

A
  • J.E lovelock has put forward the Gaia hypothesis, that the planet is a self-regulating thing and therefore we have to respect it because a living thing has rights of its own
  • Aborigines have a very close relationship with the land and they do not believe that it can be owned. They believe that the land exists for a self and humans ought to be grateful that they can share it. Thus, they have a responsibility to do it no harm and to take responsibility for it
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37
Q

Give a Egotistical (selfish) view as to why people believe that human beings have a responsibility for the planet

A
  • Looking after the planet is for our own sake
  • The more we are personally affected by the problems that arise from climate change etc, the more we realise that we need to take responsibility to look after it
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38
Q

How might humans how that they feel a sense of responsibility for the planet and its inhabitants?

A
  • Walk/cycle to school regularly
  • Don’t litter
  • Use renewable sources of energy
  • Reduce, reuse, recycle
  • Be Kind to others
  • Buy things such as paper which have been recycled
    Think about population control
  • Think about your own personal carbon footprint
  • Donate to charity
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39
Q

In what ways can people exercise this responsibility of looking after our planet? (Maximum of 3 points)

A
  • Practicing the principles of sustainability (I.e. we can provide what we need or want without destroying the source it came from)
  • Think about the consequences of our actions and the way in which they might hurt other people or things
  • We can support charities that are environmentally engaged, including the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), they campaign to support animals and protect plants so that animals do not go extinct
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40
Q

How are Christians exercising their responsibility of looking after the planet? (Maximum of 2 points)

A
  • Christians are doing a variety of things to help with environmental issues
  • Many support Christian Aid which is a charity that tries to act in a responsible way towards other people on this planet by campaigning for equal rights and justice
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41
Q

Are are churches exercising their responsibility of looking after the planet? (Maximum of 4 points)

A
  • Some have got rid of disposable coffee cups and replaced them with mugs that can be washed up after every service in order to avoid waste
  • Many Sunday schools have stopped using single use plastic cups and replaced them with beakers that can be used over and over again
  • Many churches have recycling bins do that waste paper can be recycled
  • A lot of denominations have put forward clear challenges to their parishes about the environment
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42
Q

Give 2 reasons why we should have a responsibility towards our planet:

A
  • We are responsible for all of the plastics etc so we should take responsibility for the damage we have done
  • Humans cannot survive without the environment
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43
Q

Give 2 reasons why we should have a responsibility towards our planet:

A
  • Some Christians might argue that God created the world so he will therefore look after it, therefore meaning it is out of our power
  • Some will argue that climate change is natural and we mustn’t interfere too much —> bad consequences
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44
Q

What is the definition of commonality?

A

The belief that all living create ids are part of the same process of development (evolution means that we are all ultimately very similar)

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45
Q

What was Lynn White’s attitude about the relationship of humans to other animals? (Christian Response)

A
  • He accuses Christianity thus: ‘Especially in its western form Christianity is the most anthropocentric (human centred) religion that the world has seen.’
  • He sees that Christianity has been used to promote the idea that man can and indeed should explore each nature for his own ends
  • Instead he calls for an alternative Christian view based on stewardship (looking out for the wild)
  • He sees the model in St Francis of Assisi and sees that there is a respect for all nature, both inanimate (e.g. rock) and animate (e.g. zebra), that Christianity should embrace
  • ‘Now they are brother Ant and Sister Fire, praising the creator in their own ways as Brother Man does in his’ (we must respect the environment and animals)
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46
Q

What was St Francis of Assisi’s attitude about the relationship of humans to other animals? (Christian Response)

A
  • He left his everyday life after hearing the voice of Christ and became a monk
  • During his life he developed a deep love of nature and animals and is known as the patron saint of the environment and animals
  • His life and words have had a lasting resonance with millions of followers across the globe
  • Each October, many animals all over the world are blessed on his feast day
  • He Preached to the birds and animals and he invited all things including non sentient beings to give praise to God the creator
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47
Q

Buddhist and Hindu views on the relationship of humans to other animals? (Christian Response)

A
  • Hindus believe that when a person dies (soul) is reincarnated into a new body on the basis of past karma
  • Good karma (gained from morally good, voluntary actions) leads to a positive rebirth whereas bad karma can lead to a negative reincarnation
  • According to traditional Hindu teachings, the best form of reincarnation would be to be born into a Brahman (Priestly) caste as that rebirth would make it most likely that you would go on to gain good karma in your next existence
  • to be reincarnated as an animal is unfortunate as it makes it much more difficult to gain good karma
  • Buddhists have a very similar idea, although they they do not believe in a personal fixed atman
  • For both Buddhist and Hindus, animals are connected as part of the same cycle of samsara (the cycle of life/death/rebirth), in other words, they have commonality
  • To take an animal life might therefore be taking the life of a living being who one day had been or could be a fellow human being
  • Buddhists have the principle of ahimsa (non-harm) which is
    supposed to apply to all living beings
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48
Q

Non religious beliefs/teachings agreeing with commonality: (Maximum of 3 points)

A
  • Peter Singer believes that humans and animals are equal in value and that to treat animals as inferior is SPECIESIST. Therefore his views are reflective of the belief in commonality
  • Many non religious people support animal rights by supporting charities such as the WWF and the RSPCA because the animal does not have a voice and so we therefore have a responsibility to look after these animals
  • Some non-religious prep, are either vegetarian or vegan as they think that it is wrong to kill any sort of life, this may be due to evolution
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49
Q

Non religious beliefs/teachings disagreeing with commonality: (Maximum of 2 points)

A
  • Kant believe that humans are rational, which is what sets us apart from animals. Therefore, he did not accept the idea of commonality due to the completely different nature of man as a rational being
  • Some non-religious people argue that we do not share the same common features as animals as we have evolved to be far superior, shown in our ability to advance technology, formulate laws etc. Therefore, they reject the idea of commonality and move more towards the idea of dominance
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50
Q

Christian views on dominance: (fundamentalist views)

A

Christianity teaches that humans are created in the likeness of God’s image (IMAGO DEI) and they are like God in 3 ways:

  • They are rational
  • They have moral awareness
  • They have a spiritual aspect

(Animals don’t have these)

Because humans have these unique characteristic, they are to rule over animals and nature

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51
Q

What does Genesis 1:26-28 say? (Dominance)

A

God made man in his own image and man is called to ‘rule over or ‘have dominance over’ all of the animals, birds, fish etc

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52
Q

What does Genesis 9: 2-3 say? (Dominance)

A

After the flood, God decreed that all of creation should be under the fear and dread of human beings

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53
Q

Evangelical Christian (also fundamentalist) views on dominance:

A
  • Many evangelical Christians (they preach the gospel hoping to convert people) look to the fall of Adam and Eve and say that because of the Fall, the relationship changed between God and man
  • It is now the duty of Christians to work towards restoring that relationship rather than focusing ups on things such as the environment that are relatively of little relevance
  • Thus it is our duty to save should rather than the planet
  • In a similar vein, many argue that we do not need to worry about the environment as God will deal with these issues
  • After all, at the end of time, God will create a new heaven and new Earth according to the book of revelation
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54
Q

Who was Augustine?

A
  • Augustine was an early church father in the 300s AD

- He is very important to Roman Catholics

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55
Q

Augustine’s view on dominance:

A
  • He agrees with dominance
  • He refers to story’s sin the New Testament where Jesus curses the fig tree and sends a herd of pigs over a cliff by casting demons into them
  • He argues that Jesus didn’t care about animals or plants so neither should we
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56
Q

Where in the New Testament does Jesus curse a fig tree?

A

Mark 11: 12-25

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57
Q

Where in the New Testament does Jesus send a herd of pigs over a cliff?

A

Luke 8:33

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58
Q

Aquinas’ view on dominance:

A
  • He argues that we are separate form animals as we are rational and intellectual creatures, whereas they are not
  • He argues that it is impossible to sin against animals or the natural world
  • It is only possible to sin against God, our neighbours and ourselves
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59
Q

Non-religious views on Dominance: (Maximum of 3 points)

A
  • some believe that animals only have instrumental rights. This means that they only have rights in relation to the use of humanity. The animals must work for us and should only be protected if they are of use
  • For example pharmaceutical companies testing drugs on animals the benefit of humans
  • E.g. cosmetic companies testing on animals like L’Oreal and Johnson & Johnson
  • Immanuel Kant argued that animals are for humanity and that we have no duty to look after them, the duty is towards humanity
  • J.S Miller argued that animals do not have the same quality of feelings and happiness as humans do. This means that they cannot have the same rights and can be used to get a good end result for humans
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60
Q

What is animal experimentation?

A

For many years animals have been used in medical experimentation and many medical advances such as whooping cough, polio vaccines, AIDS research and genetherapy have all depended on the use of animals

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61
Q

Give two views on animal experimentation:

A
  • On one hand, thousands of lives have been saved three medicines and surgical techniques first tested on animals. Many people think that the benefits to humans outweigh the suffering inflicted on animals
  • On the other hand, there is a growing number of people who cannot accept this. Worldwide at least 50 million animals die of experimentation
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62
Q

Give two views on fox hunting:

A
  • Supporters argue that foxes are a menace as they kill livestock often not have food they argue that hunting dogs kill foxes for quicker than by other controlled means and so this is the least cruel method of controlling them. They also argue that it is a countryside sport that has existed for generations
  • Opponents argue that foxes are not such a menace and that there are less cruel methods to control the population. They also argue that being chased by a pack of hounds is simply barbaric
63
Q

When was the hunting act passed in England and Wales?

A

2004

64
Q

From which year was fox hunting made illegal?

A

2005

65
Q

Give some examples of genetic engineering on animals:

A
  • In 1997 Dolly the first cloned sheep was created
  • Since then scientists have created keep half goat and half sheep
  • They have also cloned monkeys
  • In October 2000, American scientists impregnated cow with a cell cloned from an Asian gaur - a wild rare ox leading to a guar calf
66
Q

Give two views on Genetic engineering:

A
  • The use of animals in this way could be immensely beneficial to human beings. Cloned animals such as pigs could produce organs that would not be rejected by humans leading to many spare organs for donation. Some biological proteins are essential for treating diseases such as diabetes and animals could be genetically altered to produce these proteins in their milk
  • It is unfair to treat animals in this way. Peter Singer would argue that it speciesist using animals to help humans. There are huge concerns of the potential crossover of animal diseases to humans
67
Q

Christian responses to animal rights:

A
  • Even though the Bible makes it clear that humans can use animals for their own use it also stresses that they should be treated fairly and the use of animals should not be cool. Some Christians might make the distinction between using animals in a way which is necessary for humans (e.g. for food or for medical research) and using them for unnecessary things (e.g. testing cosmetics or putting wild animals in circuses)
  • Some Christians use Genesis 9:3-1 to say that animals do not really have rights and that we can do what we like with them within reason
  • Individual Christians might make her own choices about how they will try to treat animals fairly for example they might buy only free range products that meet with the RSPCA freedom food label or avoid food products that have been tested on animals
  • Some Christians choose to be vegetarian or limit the amount of meat they eat. Traditionally Christians avoid meat on Fridays and during lent
  • The Bible verse in Proverbs 12:10 is followed by some Christians who do believe that they should support animal rights as God has commanded that we take care of the animals
68
Q

What does Genesis 9: 1-3 say?

A

‘God blessed Noah and his sons and said, “have many children so that your descendants will live all over the Earth. All the animals birds and fish will live in fear of you. They are all placed under your power. Now you can eat them as well as green plants; I give them all to you for food.’

69
Q

What does proverbs 12:10 say?

A

‘Good People take care of their Animals, but wicked people are cruel to theirs’

70
Q

Augustine’s view of animal rights:

A

Jesus cast demons into some pigs so they then ran off a cliff and died, Jesus didn’t care so why should we?

71
Q

Aquinas’ view on animal rights:

A

Aquinas says that we cannot sin against animals, only against other humans and God

72
Q

St Francis of Assisi’s view in animal rights:

A

He loved animals and believed that we should treat them with respect

73
Q

Lynn White’s view on animal rights:

A

He believed that animals are praising God in their own way, we should therefore respect them

74
Q

Non-religious responses to animal rights - for: (Maximum of 4 points)

A
  • The ethicist Peter Singer is completely for animal rights and considers animal experimentation etc to be classic examples of speciesism.He says that it is simply not true that the suffering inflicted on the animals is compensated by the positive result for humans as so many millions of animals suffer and die each year
  • Many people believe that we were created through the same process that animals were (evolution), so we should therefore treat them with respect
  • there are many non-religious supporters of animal rights who actively support groups such as PETA (people for the ethical treatment of animals). They believe that animals should have the same rights as humans and that we do not have the right to abuse animals in any way at all
  • Many believe that just because animals cannot express themselves does not mean that we can abuse them. Therefore, they believe that animals have the same rights as humans, and that we should do everything possible to look after them
75
Q

Non-religious responses to animal rights - against: (Maximum of 4 points)

A
  • Many non-religious people argue along with can’t that animals are not rational and therefore not the same as humans. In response to this they should not be seen as having rights
  • Many non-religious people see the benefits that come from an animal experimentation, genetic engineering etc and therefore argue that animal rights should never interfere as humans are more important
  • Some argue that historically we have always lived on Waze and all sorts of ways – for sample, entertainment sports etc and therefore there is no reason why we should change this. After all, animals are less intelligent and lower than humans, so should be used for our enjoyment, rather than be given rights
  • Some argue that if we respect that the rights of animals and do not eat them then surely we will soon be overun with animals. This sort of animal rights ideology is just not plausible
76
Q

What do most Christians believe about the nature of human beings?

A
  • The Imagine of God: For Christians, human nature is closely associated with the idea that we are made in God’s image IMAGO DEI, which means that we have certain God-like qualities. We can be rational, moral and spiritually aware. We have (or believe we have) free will. These things make us different to other animals and are part of what it is to be human
  • Fallen: However, equally important for the traditional Christian view of human nature is the idea that we are ‘fallen’ (Eve ate the apple and disobeyed God). This means that humans are inclined to sin
77
Q

What was Augustine’s view of the nature of humans? (Religious)

A
  • Humans have a body and a soul, the body is like the horse and the soul is like the rider, the horse is like the body carrying impulses and the soul controls the impulses
  • Since the fall when Adam and Eve ate the fruit, the body has become rebellious and often refuses to obey the rational soul
  • Concupiscence is when people sin against their own judgement
78
Q

What was Thomas Aquinas’ view of the nature of human beings? (Religious)

A
  • Deep down all humans are good but since the fall we often make mistakes
  • He believes that the fall damaged our good judgement and reason
79
Q

What was Jean Paul Satre’s view on the nature of human beings? (Non-Religious)

A
  • We are all blank canvases and we are completely in control of who we turn out to be
  • There is no ultimate good or bad human nature, as we are made up of our choices
80
Q

What was Dawin’s view on the nature of human beings? (Non-Religious)

A

Because we are evolved, everything goes down to the survival of the fittest, so we therefore have a tendency to put people down

81
Q

What was Freud’s view on the nature of human beings? (Psychologist)

A
  • He argued that humans are primarily driven by sexual and aggressive drives and forces which are often outside of our conscious realms
  • Psychological investigation shows that the deepest essence of human nature which are similar in all men are which aim at the satisfaction of certain needs: self preservation, aggression, need for love and the impulse to attain pleasure and avoid pain
  • He believed that human nature is aggressive and is the product of an urge to find happiness and love in the confines of our communities
82
Q

What was Plato’s views on the soul?

A
  • Plato made a distinction between the soul and the body with the soul being able to know the truth, was the body, in physical can only learn through physical sense experience. He believed that the soul is immortal and I’m changing – it pre-existed before birth and will continue to exist after death
  • Plato uses an argument and knowledge to support his belief in the immortality of the soul. In the dialogue MENO, a slave boy with no education is given a geometry puzzle to solve.
  • Through questioning he is able to solve the problem which for Plato, illustrates that the boy must have been using knowledge he already had from before birth. This is evidence of a pre-existed soul
83
Q

What was Aristotle’s views on the soul?

A
  • Aristotle believed that the soul is a substance that remains the same throughout a persons life, whilst the body changes
  • For him, the soul is not some separate entity, but was completely dependent on the body.
  • This view did not allow for the soul to survive after death, although his views did change a bit over time
84
Q

What is Richard Dawkin’s views on the soul?

A
  • He argued that they is no part of the person that is non-physical and that consciousness cannot be separated from the brain
  • Thus, for him there is no soul and after death, consciousness must end
85
Q

What is the view of the soul in Hinduism?

A
  • In Hinduism there is not a soul but rather the atman or ‘self’
  • This is eternal and seeks unity with God
86
Q

What is the view of the soul in Christianity?

A
  • Christians believe that God gave people their soul as a kind of ‘divine spark’ so that they are made in the image of God
  • The soul is unique to human beings as in Gen 2:7 it says that God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being.’
  • The soul is immortal in Christian thinking and is believed that after death, the soul either goes to heaven (or hell in fundamentalist Christian thinking).
87
Q

Fundamentalist Christian views on Immortality:

A
  • They believe that after death, there will be judgement today when the souls of the dead will rise and will be given a resurrection body
  • To have believed in Jesus will go to heaven and those who have not will go to hell
  • This is based upon John 14:6 ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one gets to the Father except through me’
88
Q

Conservative Christian views on Immortality:

A
  • They believe that the soul continues after death and it will go to heaven to join God after death
  • Hell is seen as when someone deliberately rejects God at the end time
89
Q

Liberal Christian views on Immortality:

A
  • They believe that there is no hell and that the soul is with God after death for eternity
  • there is a sort of grading whereby those who have lived good lives are closer to God and those who have not are further away
  • This is based upon John 14:2 ‘In my father’s house are many rooms’ and the parable of the sheep and goats in Matthew 25
90
Q

Hindu views on Immortality:

A
  • Hindus believe that your soul can eventually escape the cycle of reincarnation and lose itself in Brahman
  • it is a spiritual state of existence in which neither good nor bad things happen
  • it has been described as ‘pure being, existence and bliss’
91
Q

Buddhist views on Immortality:

A
  • Buddhists do not believe in a soul and when they have attained Enlightenment they attain Nirvana
  • Nirvana means ‘blow out’ and is seen as a state of perfect peace and freedom from the cycle of reincarnation
92
Q

Non-Religious views on Immortality: (Maximum of 3 points)

A
  • Some non-religious people believe that there is no such thing as a soul and therefore there is no immortality. When you die you die!
  • Some believe in ghosts and see that this could be a form of immortality of the soul
  • Some non-religious people look towards the activity of mediums and see that there is some sort of spirit world mediums are contacting. This suggests that we become come spirits when we die
93
Q

Why do some people believe in a soul? (Maximum of 8 points)

A
  • Near Death experiences
  • Remembering past lives
  • Matthew 10:28 ‘and do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell’
  • Some people find it implausible that the physical stuff of the brain could give rise to consciousness therefore there must be something else that does this which is the soul
  • Physical Determinism: if we are purely physical beings with everything being dictated by our brain and we have no free will however if we have a soul that is not linked to a brain it suggests that we can be free
  • It could explain why we have a moral conscience , if we are purely physical beings driven by purely bodily desires then what reason do we have for being moral?
  • The desire to find meaning or life or be artistic suggest that we are not purely physical
  • If you don’t have a soul there is nothing to remain ‘you’ throughout your life. Your body changes, your cells are replaced, likes and dislikes come and go, memories are forgotten, false memories are remembered, there is nothing physical that stays the same
94
Q

Why do people not believe in a soul?

A
  • If people do not believe in a God. there is nothing non-material. There cannot be a soul that goes on after death
  • The different religions have very different ideas about whether or not there is a soul and what form this soul takes. Surely if there is a soul that should be some agreement as to the form that this takes
  • There is no scientific evidence to prove the existence of a soul. Near death experiences mediums and ghosts can all be explained away using scientific or psychological arguments
  • The soul is linked to the mind or brain, surely when your brain dies then all activity dies with it, therefore there cannot be an immortal soul which goes on after death
  • Many argue that the Christian belief of a disembodied soul continuing after death makes no sense at all as how would we be able to recognise each other
95
Q

What do physicalists believe?

A

They believe that only physical things exist, rejecting any belief in the spiritual elects in the world

96
Q

What do physicalists believe?

A
  • They would say that they sis no hard evidence for a soul, no hint of a soul has ever been found in operations or dissections
  • Evidence for the soul is weak because it is subjective and hard to repeat in controlled circumstances
  • There is usually a clear possible rational explanation for things that are supposed to be evidence for the soul (like moral conscience, religious experiences and near death experiences)
  • Belief in the soul is likely to just be wishful thinking.
97
Q

How would physicalists explain away religious experiences?

A
  • It can be explained in terms of brain activity
  • There have been suggestions that certain types of temporal lobe epilepsy can produce religious experience like sensations
98
Q

What happened to Rudi Affolter and Gwen Tighe she both have temporal love epilepsy? (Physicalism and the soul)

A
  • Rudi is an atheist and thought that he had died

- Gwen is a Christian and she thought that she had given birth to Jesus

99
Q

What did Richard Dawkins and other biologists say about altruistic behaviour and the soul? (Physicalism and the soul)

A
  • They explained that it is possible for altruistic behaviour to evolve as it benefits the species as a whole
  • Altruism is the basis for morality, so morality does not need the soul to explain it either
100
Q

What does Ockham’s Razor argue? (Physicalism and the soul)

A
  • It is a Gebirge which states that the simplest explanation is the right explanation
  • In this case the simplest explanation = there is no soul
101
Q

Who argued that religious belief in general was just wishful thinking?

A

Feuderbach

102
Q

Human Selfishness: Christian Teachings:

A
  • selfish people put themselves first and may do so at the expense of others
  • christianity teaches that selfishness is wrong because people should have an active concern for others. The so-called golden rule is ‘do for others what you want them to do for you. Jesus also taught love your neighbour as yourself and these make this point very clearly – Christians should show concern for others
  • The famous parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10 can be used to illustrate the Christian attitude towards selfishness. Jesus told the parable in response to a man asking him what he should do to get to heaven. Jesus began by telling the man to love his neighbour and then goes on to explain what this means in practice
  • there are many other teachings which could be used to suggest that selfishness is contrary to the Christian message. The parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25) can also be used
103
Q

What happened in the parable of the sheep and the goats?

A
  • Set at judgement day
  • Jesus returns and separates the sheep (good people) from the goats (bad people)
  • The sheep have fed the hungry clothed the naked and visited people in prison etc
  • The goats did none of this
104
Q

Human Selfishness: Non religious teachings:

A
  • many non-Christians will also oppose selfishness especially when self interest directly leads to the suffering of others
  • however, one could argue that selfishness is natural and we have no reason to be anything other than selfish
  • The political philosopher Thomas Hobbes said that the most basic law of nature is to try to ensure our own survival and we are entitled to use others to chief that means
  • (Hobbes thought that ultimately we would realise that it is in our self interest to enter a contract with others and limit the extremes of our behaviour so that others would limit theirs, so we would not actually do whatever we like to others!)
  • The theory of evolution is based on the idea of survival of the fittest. Those that compete most effectively for the available resources will be more successful and pass on their genes. We might argue that people are naturally predisposed towards selfish behaviour
105
Q

3 examples of selfishness:

A
  • Refusing to wear a mask/socially distance during COVID 19
  • Panic buying products from supermarkets when everyone else uses them just before lockdown
  • Taking the last piece of Pizza when someone else wanted it and hadn’t had a slice yet
106
Q

Christian Teachings - Matt 25:

A
  • The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats
  • Emphasises that it is necessary to overcome human selfishness if you want to enter heaven
  • The goats are condemned because they do not help the poor, hungry, homeless etc
  • Selfishness is at the root of our wrongdoing
107
Q

Christian Teachings - Luke 16:

A
  • The rich man Lazarus
  • The rich man is condemned to hell as he ignored the poverty of Lazarus, whilst he feasted on sumptuous food and lived a life of luxury
  • He was focused on himself and his own needs rather than those of Lazarus
  • Don’t be selfish, help those in need
108
Q

Christian Teachings - Matt 16:24:

A
  • teaches that ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me’
  • This makes it clear that in order to be a true disciple of Jesus one has to let go of all selfish desires, suggesting that selfishness can stop a person from being a true Christian or living how God intends us to live
  • Selfishness is therefore the root of wrongdoing for a Christian
109
Q

Christian Teachings - What does Augustine argue?

A
  • He argues that Original sin is the root cause of everything (Adam and Eve eating the apple),but that sin causes us to be selfish which then leads us to a whole host of wrongdoing
  • He argues that we are all born with original sin due to the fall where Adam and Eve ate the apple
110
Q

Selfishness as the root cause of human wrongdoing - Non religious teachings/beliefs:

A
  • Non religious views uphold that selfishness is equally the root of human wrongdoing as shown throughout history E.g. Apartheid
  • However, Dawkins sees selfishness as a positive as it enables us to survive in evolutionary terms, it is what drives people to look after themselves linking to the idea of the survival of the fittest
111
Q

Details in report into Child cotton workers: (selfishness)

A
  • Women and children (age 10 - 11) working in cotton factories for only $2 a day
  • No safe safety precautions
  • They are overworked, examples of children falling asleep for exhaustion a nod suffocating under raw cotton
  • Dangerous work - can cause lung cancer
  • There are many other examples of the effect that western consumerism for goods and raw materials has on less economically developed countries
112
Q

Christian teachings about greed:

A
  • Christians must not be greedy, wealth can get in the way of their relationship of God
  • Greed is related to selfishness, but is specially concerned with the use of resources. For RC, greed is listed amount the SEVEN DEADLY SINS because greed involves worshipping money and possessions rather than God
  • The Bible warns against making money your master (Mathew 6:24)
  • 1 Timothy 6:10 is probably on elf the most frequent I misquoted verses in the bible, saying that money is not itself bad, but loving money is
  • Jesus showed an active concern for the poor and was critical of the rich.
113
Q

What does Matthew 6:24 say?

A

No one can serve two masters. Fro you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money

114
Q

What does 1 Timothy 6:10 say?

A

‘The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil’

115
Q

What happens in the story in Matthew 19:16-26?

A
  • On one occasion a rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked what he had to do to inherit eternal life
  • Jesus told him hat he should keep the law, the man replied that he already did. Jesus then told him to ‘Sell all you have and give it to the poor’
  • The young man was unable to do that and went away sad
  • Jesus then said ‘it is hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle (could be referring to a gate in Jerusalem which is very low) than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God’ although he goes on to say that with God anything is possible
116
Q

Non religious views at on greed: for

A
  • However, there is also a positive aspect to greed. We could say that without greed there would be no incentive to work hard and try to do better
  • If people did not want more then technology would not progress to emit that desire
  • Society (particular lyrics capitalist society) depends on greed
  • New drugs are discovered by pharmaceutical companies keen to make a profit
  • Many economists argue that sometimes charity can be counterproductive as hand outs act as a disincentive for people to work hard and it can make people dependent in aid
  • Free Trade (and greed that makes people try and succeed in a free market economy) is ultimately the best way to improve everyone’s standard of living
117
Q

Non religious views on greed: against

A

Many non-Christians would oppose greed. They would see that a lot of the world’s problems happen due to the greed of governments etc

118
Q

What does greed link to?

A
  • It links to our evolutionary background

- Survival of the fittest means that we will always be greedy for money, power and status etc

119
Q

Greed as the root cause of human wrongdoing - Christian views:

A
  • 1 Tim 6 - love of money is the root of all evil. The bible clearly teaches this as cause of human wrongdoing doing
  • For RCC it is one of the seven root causes of human wrongdoing doing i.e. one of the seven deadly sins
  • Adam and Eve were greedy for knowledge according to fundamentalist Christian interpretation. Therefore, suggesting that greed is the root cause of human wrongdoing
  • Matt 19 - Rich young ruler - it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Therefore suggesting that greed prevents you from entering heaven and is a root cause of human wrongdoing
120
Q

Greed as the root cause of human wrongdoing - Non religious views:

A
  • Historically most conflicts have been started due to human greed for example the desire for land (Falklands war), power, money, status etc
  • Greed Case study: consumerism
  • most people in the west have far more clothes and they need and there are many shops that sell cut price cheap clothing
  • however for clothes to be available to the consumer at a cheap price they need to be produced as cheaply as possible
  • The best way to keep prices down is to pay the workers who make the clothes as little as possible
  • it was reported in 2012 but up to the third of cotton workers in India are children. They are not paid a fair wage, they do not work in safe conditions and they do not get an education
  • Some might argue that greed is not the root cause of human wrongdoing as it can improve societies and lead to productivity in order to make money
121
Q

Christian Responses to moral ignorance:

A
  • according to Christianity, everyone has the capacity to tell right from wrong and generally speaking, ignorance is not a valid excuse – although on the cross Jesus did say ‘father forgive them for they know not what they do’ (Luke 23:34)
  • Aquinas argues that human beings are rational and we want to do good. However, sometimes we can use our rationality wrongly to think that something is right when it’s actually wrong (an apparent good)
  • For example, a person might support euthanasia because it seems good as it relieves suffering. However, according to Aquinas one of the primary precepts is to preserve life, so it is not an actual good at all (natural law).
  • Similarly one might think that it is good to buy cheap things because that way you can get more for your family and it makes them happy. However if those goods are made by exploiting others, then perhaps it is not a real good at all and it is instead an apparent good
  • Therefore ignorance for Aquinas is when you use your reason wrongly, sometimes because you are not in full possession of the facts
122
Q

3 examples of moral ignorance:

A
  • You buy an item of clothing without realising that the company uses slave labour
  • Supporting nail bars without reading hat the people working there had been trafficked
  • You buy chicken which has not been ethically farmed, without reading the label
123
Q

Non-Christian views on moral ignorance:

A
  • Christian and Christians would say that it is important that people learn right from wrong and society generally expect parents and schools would play a part of this (not much excuse for being morally ignorant)
  • Hard determinism argues that we do not have any free will at all and that everything we do and the so called ‘choices’ we make are actually caused by a whole variety of factors. According to this, we do have any freedom to choose what we do and therefore we do not have any moral responsibility
124
Q

What happened in the famous case of Leopold and Loeb?

A
  • Richard Lobe and Nathan Leopold who were 18 and 19 years old and who had recently graduated from university wanted to commit the ‘perfect crime’ and so kidnapped a 14 year old boy called Bobbie Franks
  • They accidentally killed him by hitting him over the head with a chisel and buried his body before making ransom demands to his family
  • They managed to get their sentence reduced from the death penalty by using hard determinism
  • He said that ‘To believe that any boy is responsible for himself or his early training is an absurdity
  • He argued that both boys were morally ignorant and so therefore not morally responsible for their actions
125
Q

What did Michael Zimmerman write a lot about?

A
  • He wrote a lot about moral ignorance and blame
  • He argues that in actions done through moral ignorance, a person is culpable for that action of he is culpable for the ignorance that led him to act in such a way
  • A good example of this would be the
    Ellington Brothers
126
Q

What happened in the Edlington attacks?

A
  • The Edlington attacks of 2009 involved the robbery and torture of two young boys by two young brothers in Edlington, South Yorkshire, England
  • Due to the bad way which they had been brought up, their sentence was quite light, as it was thought that to some extent they were morally ignorant
127
Q

Ignorance as the root cause of human wrongdoing - Christian Views:

A
  • Jesus’ teachings (‘Father forgive them for they know not what they do’) Luke 23. This guests that human moral ignores de was the cause of Jesus’ death and therefore, for Christians this would be the root of much human wrongdoing
  • 1 Peter 1:14 - ‘As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance’. For a Fundamentalist Christian this would mean that if you are not Christian, therefore ignorant, you are more likely to be swayed into doing evil and this ignorance is the root cause of human wrongdoing
  • Aquinas’ argument makes it clear that the reason we do wrong is because of our misunderstanding of our rationality to work out what is morally right and wrong, , leading to apparent goods (wrongdoing)m not real goods (moral actions deriving from Natural Law)
128
Q

Ignorance as the root cause of human wrongdoing - Non-religious views:

A
  • There are many crimes that happen due to moral ignorance of the people who commit the crime (see the Edlington brothers). As a result of this, many people see that moral ignorance clearly can be seen as the root of many crimes that hit the news headlines
  • Society is becoming more and more fragmented and, as a result, children are not always being taught what is morally right or wrong, leading to a greater surge in actions that hurt others
  • There are more physiological conditions that make people unaware of what is morally right and wrong. This again Leads people to do bad things due to their incapacity to understand what is the morally right thing to do
  • However, some would argue that there is no excuse and that many people claim moral ignorance as a cover up for their own bad actions
129
Q

What is a sin?

A

A sin is any action which goes against the law of God. There are many different things in the bible which are said to be against God’s laws and therefore count as sins

130
Q

Fundamentalist Christian views and teachings about sin:

A
  • They believe that the bible is inerrant and so would say that everything that the bible says is a sin is and should be avoided
  • For example, they are generally opposed to homosexuality because in Leviticus it is described as an ‘abomination’
131
Q

Liberal Christian views and teachings about sin:

A
  • They regard some of the so called sins mentioned in the bible (particularly those in the Old Testament) as reflections of the values of another age
  • In other words, they do not come from God but from the human writers of the bible
  • Some sins mentioned in the bible, they would consider outdated e.g. homosexual acts being sinful
132
Q

Augustine’s views and teachings about sin:

A
  • Augustine put forward the idea of original sin
  • He believed that all people who are born with original sin, which began when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden by eating of the fruit of tree of knowledge of good and evil
  • As a result of that, sin was passed through the generations by the act of sex, meaning that all people today are born with original sin
  • This means that they naturally want to do bad rather than good
133
Q

Who holds Augustine’s views on original sin?

A
  • Although some fundamentalist and Evangelical Christians today hold this view, it is not held that prominently by most modern Christians
  • Many see sin as the badness in the world that drags us away from the standards expected of us by God
134
Q

What does 1 Peter 1:14 say in the bible?

A

‘As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance’

135
Q

What does Luke 23 say in the bible?

A

‘Father forgive them for they know not what they do’

136
Q

What does the Greek word ‘hamartia’ mean?

A
  • It is the Greek word for sin

- It means ‘to miss the mark’

137
Q

The vast majority of Christians regard what things to genuinely reflect God’s will?

A
  • The 10 commandments

- Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the mount’

138
Q

Christians believe that God is what and how does it affect their view on sinning? (3 points)

A
  • Omniscient (all knowing)
  • Omnibenevolent (all loving)
  • Omnipotent (all powerful)
  • They therefore believe that God can be trusted to have everyone’s best interest at heart and know what is good for us
  • Therefore Christians believe that the world would be a better place if everyone obeyed God’s commandments and avoided sinning
139
Q

Non religious views on sin:

A
  • Some of the 10 Commandments make up the basis for British laws (stealing and murder) and sin has become law in that way, meaning that to commit sin is to break the law
  • This leads onto be punished for ‘sin’ throughout the legal system and in prisons, there are programs for reconciliation and rehabilitation to then ‘stone for sins’ and be re-introduced into society
  • Religious terms and concepts have been applied to the non-religious context
140
Q

Modern thinkers don’t think that the doctrine of original sin is literally true they do think that it contains real truths about the human condition:

A
  • The world is not as good as we want it to be
  • We are not as good as we want to be
  • Individual behaviour is greatly influenced by things outside the individuals control
  • Many of these are historical things:
  • events in the individuals past
  • events in the past of the individuals family
  • customers that their culture has built up through history
  • These things affect humanity as a group as well as individuals
141
Q

Sin as root cause of human wrongdoing - Christian views:

A
  • Adam and Eve’s sins set in motion the continuation of evil doing within humanity according to Augustine, as sex leads to the production of children who will be born with Original sin. People struggle to do anything about it, meaning that it becomes a root cause of so much wrong in the word as we are always drams toward doing sinful things
  • Christians believe that Jesus came to save us from our sins, this clearly shows that sin is the most important factor that leads to human wrongdoing as it separates us from God
  • Jesus is regarded as a testament, showing that he is the root of all good and therefore, by the deduction, sin is the cause of all evil and wrong doing
142
Q

Sin as root cause of human wrongdoing - Non-religious views:

A
  • Looking back on earlier views of sin, if 10 Commandments make the basis of British law then ‘sin’ which goes against the law is at the root of human wrongdoing
  • Structural sin - sin can be seen within society legal unfair trade which leaves people poor and in debt
  • These things start with individuals doing something wrong and then escalates, this then impacts so many people that it becomes the root cause of human wrongdoing
  • It is a knock-on effect and can spiral to create more wrongdoing in the world. E.g. poverty can lead to prostitution, theft, crime etc
  • Many non-religious people would argue that sin is a religious word and therefore they do not subscribe to the concept of sin being the root cause of human wrongdoing and they would certainly oppose any view that it is passed down through generations as this is biologically incorrect! - They reject it
143
Q

Are Humans responsible for hatred? Yes:

A
  • It might come from being brought up badly (see Edlington Brothers)
  • Dislikes being passed from generation to generation. E.g. racist attitudes can be passed from parents to children often societal cultural views linked back to apartheid this was accepted for so long because it was passed on through generations as ‘the norm’ and how people should be viewed
  • Augustinas argument of the fall ties in with the idea that humans are responsible For hatred as they are naturally inclined to hate because of original sin. It is up to humans to turn away from this through God’s Grace
  • Jesus also infers that hatred is natural within humanity, therefore we are responsibility and we must try to turn away from it as we must ‘turn the other cheek’ (Matt 5: 43-48)
  • Free will - we are all responsible for hatred as we were given free will to determine own actions and this is what leads us to hatred and acts of hatred e.g. the Holocaust - hatred of the Jews
144
Q

Is hatred inevitable? - Yes:

A
  • It is natural human emotion that can be both in response to a bad event and a cause of a bad event
  • Augustine would argue that hatred is inevitable because humans have fallen from God’s grace (original sin) and therefore, they will always be drawn towards the wrong thing, including hatred
  • History shows that they do seem to have existed throughout history. We can pick any century and find examples of hatred
  • Wherever there are differences there is bound to be hatred along with that because people are intolerant and scared of what they do not understand and know. E.g. historically the attitude towards homosexuality, other races, other faiths (bring in modern Islamophobia) etc
145
Q

Is hatred inevitable? - No:

A
  • Society recognises that natural inclination towards hatred and rakes measures to stop it happening e,g. Race Relations Acts 1976 (law will help to stop these things)
  • Mass media means that hatred tends to get noticed and people are less likely to get away with hate
  • Tolerance is perceived to be more important and society becomes more civilised, moving away from a society with hatred
    Perhaps by looking back at history we can learn from our mistakes and see tagt hatred is not acceptable and has brought about horrible consequences
  • Christians would argue that Jesus taught them that they should love their enemies as themselves and therefore, by following this hatred should not be inevitable but should be overcome by Christians
  • Christians believe that through the Fruit of the Spirit Gal 5:22, love can overcome hatred and other bad qualities
  • Follow the example of Jesus showing love and forgiveness to all including on the cross when he asked God to forgive humanity for what they have done
146
Q

Violence and War - Are humans responsible? - Yes:

A
  • Violence and war are forms of moral evil, which are inherently caused by humans. It is because of our free will that we have chosen to take this course of action
  • Violence can be because of many different factors such as greed, jealousy etc it is because of these human emotions and responses that violence happens, meaning that it is the responsibility of humans
  • War is human responsibility because it is often caused by human ideologies or interpretations
  • According to Aquinas, war and violence are the responsibility of humans because of how people have failed to use their reason correctly and ended up doing apparent goods, not real goods. They think that what they are doing is good and right but it is not
  • Jesus‘s attitude of nonviolence shows that any war or violence is the fault of humans and that they should work to turn away from this. E.g. Jesus tells Peter to put down his sword in the garden of Gethsemane
147
Q

Violence and War - Are humans responsible? - No:

A
  • Followers of predestination (God has planned everything) would argue that God has a plan and moral evil (war and violence) are included in that plan and therefore, humanity is not responsible
  • In evolutionary terms, violence is a natural part of human nature and a necessary one. Survival of the fittest means that violence is sometimes necessary as well as the idea of fighting to pass on genes. It is not humans who are responsible, but evolution and nature
  • Some would argue that war and violence are accidental and not human responsibility as for example, the mass murderer Ian Brady has said that he murdered to gain an ‘existential experience’. However, Brady is a paranoid schizophrenic and therefore we might regard him as ‘ignorant’ in that he is incapable of understanding the difference between right and wrong. Therefore, he is not responsible because he was ignorant
148
Q

Are violence and war inevitable? - Yes:

A
  • Humans have characteristics e.g. greed which are the root of nearly all wars, making war an inevitability because of the human condition
  • Corruption in governments around the world is inevitable and therefore, so is war and violence because people rise up against their governments e.g. Arab Spring 2011 (civil war)
  • Humans are naturally sinful beings (see Augustine), this means that they are prone to responding through violence and war
  • Many acts of violence are spontaneous responses which reflects the seven deadly sins which are at work within human nature. There is often no time to use reason to overcome these
  • Evolution talks of a fight or flight response, which suggests that violence is an inevitable part of the evolutionary process
  • The very existence of the just war theory shows that even Christians recognise that in some circumstances, war is inevitable and can be seen as the lesser of two evils
149
Q

Are violence and war inevitable? - No:

A
  • Jesus’s attitude of non-violence shows that any war or violence is the fault of humans and that they should work to turn away from this. E.g. Jesus tells Peter to put down his sword in the garden of Gethsemane. Therefore, we need to follow his teachings and reject violence and war
  • There are many famous pacifists e.g. Gandhi who argued against the use of violence and war, having successfully demonstrated that change can happen through peaceful means (Martin Luther King Jnr.)
  • Quakers have the Peace Testimony and show that it is not inevitable to be violent or have war, they are active in spreading this message and trying to prevent wars and violence across the world
  • more and more people are wearing the white poppy as a sign of remembering those who died in the war and making a statement that war is not necessary and can be avoided. There is always an alternative
150
Q

Are humans responsible for injustice? - Yes:

A
  • Augustine would argue that humans are responsible for injustice due to the Fall. The Fall leads us to act in a selfish manner and this leads to injustice
  • Plato argues that people commit acts of injustice when they calculate that it is in their best interests to do so. Therefore this does suggest that injustice is completely down to humans
  • There are many examples of huge social injustices which demonstrate that interests really is down to human responsibility. Apartheid was due to human arrogance and prejudice, wars which are raged due to the terrible treatment of individuals is again down to human greed. Humans are largely responsible for nearly all of the injustices that stand out in history
151
Q

Are humans responsible for injustice? - No:

A
  • Some of the injustices that we see in the world are due to natural disasters. Examples include the Haiti earthquake disaster
  • Hard determinists might argue that humans are not responsible for injustice, but instead injustice is just a product of extraneous factors
  • Some would argue that there is always going to be injustice due to evolution. It is an evolutionary reality that people will compete with each other for ultimate survival and therefore we cannot say that it is directly the fault of humans
152
Q

Is injustice inevitable? - Yes:

A
  • If we look at world history, it is littered with examples of severe injustice. This would make most people argue that it will continue in this way
  • Human selfishness that we often turn a blind eye to when injustices occur, especially when we are not directly affected by them and therefore it is inevitable that injustice will continue
  • As the world is becoming more over-populated, resources are becoming scarcer and therefore there is going to be more injustice in the world
  • Augustine’s understanding of original sin means that injustice will always occur as it is a product of human sin
153
Q

Is injustice inevitable? - No:

A
  • Mass media means that injustices are reported on for more than they ever used to be and therefore we act on them quicker. This may mean that injustice dies way
  • In our Pluralist societies, we are becoming more tolerant and this means that we are more unlikely to support injustices
  • The infrastructure today and great transport links means that we are able to take aid to people who are in need, meaning that we can respond to injustice more readily and therefore it is no longer inevitable
  • Christianity speaks frequently about the importance of Justice such as in Amos 5:24

RS - AQA - GCSE (1 decks)

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