Religieues (buenoylomalo) Flashcards
Describe what is meant by a Just war?
- it provides a guide to the right way for states to think at the threat of a near war event, it requires that;
- it must only be a last resort when all diplomatic relations have been tried
- no civilians must be involved
- only a sufficient force must be used
- to stop a greater evil with a lesser one
Explain the teaching of the Catholic Church about how criminals should be treated?
- Reformation means turning criminals into law abiding citizens, the aim of this punishment is to help criminals repent and reconcile into changing their lives.
- Protection, this aims to keep normal members of society away from people who have done wrong
- Deterrence means putting off criminals offending by having fair but harsh sentences on crimes
- Some christians argue the “eye for an eye” argument and that certain criminals should face the death penalty
Give 2 reasons why some Christians might agree with capital punishment
- Some people believe that if someone has done a terrible crime, then they deserve a terrible punishment, with reference back to religious text, in the old testament, it is taught that “an eye for an eye”.
- If the punishment is extreme then it will stop people from re offending, capital punishment can be used as a deterrent.
Describe the teaching of Jesus on the use of violence
- Jesus teaches to “turn the other cheek”, his belief was to not promote violence and that violence should never be used on people.
- Jesus further teached “go the extra mile” in reference to a Roman punishment, this indicated that the violence was in control of the person being punished and not the punisher
- Jesus said “love your enemies” and “do good to those who persecute you”
“punishment does very little to change a criminal” do you agree?
- someone might argue that Reformation gives criminals an opportunity for criminals to reconcile into changing their lives for the better.
- Someone else might argue that because people keep re offending this proves the theory that punishment does not work
“Capital punishment is always wrong” Do you agree?
- Someone would argue that it disrespects human life, and that it should only be God’s choice to take away human life
- mistakes can be made in the justice system and the wrong person could be punished
- In the Bible “Thou shall not kill”
- Capital punishment stops people from re offending
- “an eye for an eye” if a person does a terrible crime then they should deserve a terrible punishment
“It can never be right for a Christian to fight in a war” do you agree?
- Based on Just war theory; it is better to cause a smaller evil than a large one, eg it is better to stop a holocaust of innocents than to let it continue
- Mennonites believe to “love your enemies” and do not believe in violence at all, and thus will not participate in any military action etc
- Jesus was a pacifist and taught us to not partake in violence, instead we should “turn the other cheek”
- A RC Priest, Camilo Torres believed that in order to secure justice for the people that Christians had a duty to use violent action.
- Violence can be useful in restoring peace and justice, as seen in many examples of past revolutions.
- Someone might argue that to take part in a war and kill people is disrespecting God’s gift of life.
- As argued by Slavoj Zizek, he says sometimes the most violent thing to do is nothing, he offers an alternative to the argument
Explain what is meant by pacifism?
- pacifism says that the aim of Christianity is to promote a world in which peace and justice flourish
- war leads to innocents dying
- 2 pacifist groups in Christianity: Quakers and Mennonites:
Quakers are totally commuted to non violence and oppose it
Mennonites are a church that grew out of the Protestant reformation, this group believes in love your enemies
Describe what Catholicism teaches about the nature of life/meaning of being human.
- we have a dual nature, dualism is the notion that human life has two natures, part is material and part isn’t
- we are unique, we are all different and have the right to be treated with respect
- we are created in the image and likeness of God, each person is created in the image and likeness of God and reflects God in a unique way.
- We have a special relationship with God, the word for this is called covenant
Describe the role of the religious in the Catholic Church.
- The religious are monks and nuns. they take certain vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
- they’re either apostolic or contemplative. apostolic means they lead a life of prayer but they live in society, and can be teachers etc
- contemplative is the same as apostolic however they live in society, however can do charity work.
Describe the Role of the Laity in the Church.
- a lay person anyone who has been baptised into the church but has not been ordained.
- The Lay people’s responsibilities are to follow Christ and to spread his message
Lay people can do this by: - missionary work
- working with the homeless
- running a youth club
- teaching
- praying
- etc
Describe the role of the clergy (priest) in the Church.
- The priest/clergy is a vocation, they must be unmarried men with the desire to be priests
- they must preach the word of God
- consecrate the bread and wine offered at mass
- be seen as a man of faith and prayer
- serve the people by visiting the sick and guiding the laity
Explain how Catholics can show self respect?
- Catholics should “live life to the full” without it becoming “depravity or debauchery”
- do not indulge in gluttony or vanity as this is disrespecting the sanctity of life
- temperance
- take a lawful occupation
Explain Catholic attitudes towards the use of alcohol and drugs?
- Catholics are taught to show respect for the sanctity of life
- we are told of temperance, to not abuse substances etc.
- temperance is self control and knowing when to stop
Explain Catholics attitudes towards wealth and choice of occupation
- Catholics are taught to not take up unlawful occupations such as prostitution etc
- you should not be greedy or snobby
- no gambling
- material wealth should be shared with others
- material wealth is not the most important thing in life
Explain the Catholic teaching on vocation.
- vocation is a calling to do something
- everyone has a vocation to do with the mission of the Church
- The mission of the Church is to love god and serve others, to proclaim the news to people,
- everyone has a duty to live out the gospel and be like Jesus
“being a monk or nun is the best way to serve God” opopopopop
- (ag) A monk and nuns vocation is prayer and vows to God as monk/nun you will lead a life of prayer, your life will solely be about your relationship with God.
- (dis) Lay people in the Church, its still a good way to serve God, you still have the responsibility to spread the word of God just within the confines of normal life
- I think lay people is the best way to serve God, we still need people to breed and lead society, a lay person still has the responsibility of spreading the gospel
Why do Catholics think pilgrimage is important?
- It is a journey that helps us get closer to God
- It is easier to get closer to God when we are away from the distractions of everyday life.
- It is easier to get closer to God when we are in a place that is Holy
- People go to say thank you to God
- Catholics believe that we can be healed spiritually and emotionally especially if it is a journey to a place where miracles have occurred
Explain the nature and purpose of marriage in Catholicism.
Catholic marriage, starts with a man and a woman who are in love, the purpose of marriage is to show devotion as a sacrament it is irrevocable and indisolvable, therefore as a partnership they can become closer to God, they should follow the Bible and “be fruitful and multiply”
Explain the biblical teaching on the nature and purpose of Christian marriage.
The biblical teaching on Christian marriage is that you have a marriage to show love. It is also to show your closer to God as you are fulfilling a sacrament.
In the Bible it says “be fruitful and multiply”, this means to have children and populate the Earth. Jesus said “to be one flesh” which expresses that after the sacrament of marriage, you are one which implies to not divorce.
What is the ‘moment’ of the sacrament in marriage?
The vows are the promise to God and your partner.
Who administers the sacrament of marriage?
A priest, or even the Pope could administer the sacrament of marriage.
What is a covenant?
A covenant is an unbreakable bond or gift from God. Other Christians will have different views on this. e.g divorce.
Explain the Catholic teaching on pre marital sex.
The Catholic Church teaches that all contraception is sinful as it is refusing the gift of life. For certain circumstances there are exceptions, these are if you already have a large family, if you are a prostitute, or if you live in a place where it is culturally/socially accepted to have several wives.
- You would have to consult your conscience to see if its okay to use contraception, this can be done via consulting the Church or searching in the Bible for your answer.
- Pope Benedict’s (XVI) teaching on contraception is “can be a responsible act… Where the intention is to reduce the risk of infection, it can nevertheless be a first step on the way to another, more humane, sexuality” and “There may be justified individual cases, for example when a male prostitute uses a condom”
Why might a Catholic seek an annulment?
A Catholic might seek an annulment if there is lack of consent, or a lack of judgement, or an inability to carry out the duties of marriage. a lack of intention is also another reason as to why someone might seek an annulment in marriage.
What is an annulment?
An annulment is a declaration that the marriage was never a real marriage.
What does the Bible teach on homosexuality?
Within the Old testament, it says “You will not have intercourse with a man as you would a woman. This is a Hateful thing [to God].” Leviticus 18:22
Within the new testament, Jesus never directly said anything about homosexuals, St Paul however, condemned sexual relationships between men.
What does the Catholic Church teach on homosexuality?
The Catholic Church teaches that “tradition has always declared that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered… They close the sexual act to the gift of life… Under no circumstances can they be be approved”
“Catholic beliefs about homosexuality are inappropriate in the Modern World” Do you agree?
Catholic teachings upon homosexuality state that it is intrinsically disordered, stating it’s fine to be homosexual, however a sexual relationship is wrong and disordered.
In a society like today, we have a very open mind about how and what people can do.
Catholic teaching on homosexuality is definitely not appropriate to the modern world, every religion and culture has the right to believe what they want, condemning people not of your religion is morally wrong in my opinion, i wouldn’t hate someone for having a tattoo, etc.
A catholic might disagree as in the old testament, there are direct references to homosexuality, stating “intercourse with a man as you would a woman. This is a hateful thing [to God]”
The teaching of Catholicism have altered countries beliefs, much of our history/world history is based off catholic beliefs.
I believe that Catholic beliefs aren’t inappropriate in our modern world, as much of history’s beliefs about homosexuality was based upon the Bible.
Describe Christian beliefs on Jesus Christ?
- Jesus was the incarnation, he was a human being, born of the virgin Mary and was conceived by the holy spirit
- Jesus was the messiah, he lived as a human, he’s called Christ the son of God and is saviour of all
- Jesus was crucified, then resurrected, and gave the promise of eternal life
- ascension, Jesus ascended into heaven to be with God
- Judgement, Jesus will come to judge everyone and his kingdom will have no end.
Explain why the birth of Jesus is so important to Catholics?
- Jesus was the incarnation of God, Jesus couldn’t just be a man, otherwise his sacrifice wouldn’t be enough for us all to be atoned with God.
Describe the events of the birth of Jesus.
- Mary was a virgin and had conceived through the power of the holy spirit
- Jesus was born in bethlehem - he is God made (incarnation) BOTH fully God and fully man
- In Lukes account Angels call the shepherds to be the first to visit the infant Jesus
- In Matthews account Wise Maen are led by a star to the infant Jesus and bring him gifts
(gold, frankincense and myrrh)
