Religion and life

Question 1

What are Christian’s views on the origin of life?

Answer 1

Christians believe the universe was designed and made by God out of nothing

The creation story in Genesis 1 says that God made the universe and all in it in six days

Some Fundamentalist Christians believe the creation story describes exactly how the universe was created. Others believe the six days describe six longer periods of time

Liberal Christians do not believe the Genesis creation story is a literal account of what actually happened. They believe the creation story is symbolic, with the main message being that God created the universe

They may look at science to understand how God did this

Question 2

What are Buddhist’s views on the origin of the universe?

Answer 2

Buddhists do not generally believe in a creator of the universe

Buddhism has a cynical vision of the universe-each universe is followed by another one. There is no beginning or end to the whole process

Buddhists can accept the Big Bang Theory, as it does not necessarily state there was nothing before the Big Bang happened

Buddhists consider it more important to find a way out of suffering than to understand the origins of the universe

e.g in the Buddha’s parable of the man hit by a poisoned arrow, it is more important the man receives treatment (relief from suffering), not that he finds out where the arrow came from

Question 3

What are the scientific views of the origins of the universe?

Answer 3

The Big Bang Theory says that the Universe began 20 billion years ago

There was nothing and then a huge explosion made clouds of dust and gas and over time the universe formed

The earth was hot, covered in primordial soup-mix of liquids, chemicals, minerals, proteins and amino acids

These fused together to give the first life forms and from these all life developed

Question 4

What are Christians’ views on the use and abuse of the environment?

Answer 4

Christians believe they have a duty to look after the world (stewardship) and treat it with respect as life is sacred otherwise they are destroying what belongs to God

Humans have power over nature by permission of God

‘God made the worlds and have the duty of stewardship to humans’

Question 5

What are Buddhist’s views on the use and abuse of the environment?

Answer 5

Buddhists teach that the world is valuable and belongs to nobody as we as humans have a responsibility to take care of it

If people misuse the environment, they will cause suffering for themselves and others. This contradicts the Buddhist aspiration to reduce suffering

The Buddha taught there are other worlds in which its possible to be reborn as a human and that we are fortunate to be able to make ethical choices that are not available to other species

Question 6

What is the value of the world for Christians?

Answer 6

Christians view the earth as a priceless gift from God, loaned to humans as a result of his love

The beauty of the world can give a sense of awe and wonder and devout respect for God’s power of creation

Question 7

What is the value of the world for Buddhists?

Answer 7

Buddhists value the world because it provides and sustains life.

It also provides the conditions needed to achieve enlightenment. Buddhism teaches that although the world belongs to nobody, it is everyone’s responsibility to looks after it

Question 8

‘The Big Bang Theory explains how God created the universe’

FOR

Answer 8

Liberal Christians believe the Genesis creation stories are symbolic, with the main message being that God created the universe

The Big Bang Theory explains how God did this

Question 9

‘The Big Bang Theory explains how God created the universe’

AGAINST

Answer 9

Atheists might say that God is not responsible for the Big Bang and this is something that just happened by chance

Question 10

What are Christians’ views about pollution?

Answer 10

Christians want to reduce pollution. They might base their views on the following beliefs and teachings

• The world is on loan to humans, who have been given responsibility by God to look after it
• The parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) warns that God will be the final judge about how responsible humans have been in looking after the earth
• Pollution is not loving towards others - Jesus teaches Christians to ‘love your neighbour’ (Luke 10:27)

Question 11

What are Buddhists’ views about pollution?

Answer 11

They are keen to reduce pollution

One reason for this is that pollution directly or indirectly causes harm to all living creatures which means it contradicts the first moral precept

Question 12

What is the Holy Isle project?

Answer 12

It is an example of a Buddhist project that aims to protect the local environment and reduce waste

Tibetan Buddhists who live on Holy Isle take care of the island’s environment

E.g.: They have planted 35,000 trees, reduced the amount of sewage entering the sea and created a nature sanctuary for wildlife

Question 13

What is an example of action that has been taken by Christians to help tackle pollution?

Answer 13

Some Christian groups work in their local communities to clean up the environment, for example by litter picking

Religious believers might also join secular environmental organisations such as Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, which aim to tackle pollution on a wider scale

Question 14

What are Christians attitude towards animals?

Answer 14

Christians believe animals were created by God for humans to use and care for

Many believe humans are more important than animals as they were created in the image of God but animals should be treated kindly

Question 15

What are Buddhists attitude towards animals?

Answer 15

Most Buddhists believe animals should be treated with kindness and compassion

The principle of kamma teaches that causing harm to animals is unskilful and will lead to suffering

The Eightfold Path teaches that Buddhists should not make a living from activities that cause harm to others, including animals

Question 16

What are Christians views on animal experimentation?

Answer 16

Most Christians believe that if testing is proved to be necessary and the welfare of the animals is considered, it is justified to ensure human safety

Many believe that animals can be used to help save human lives

Question 17

What are Buddhist views on animal experimentation?

Answer 17

Some Buddhists are against animal experimentation because they believe animals should not be harmed

Other believe it is acceptable if it is the only way to save many human lives

Question 18

What are Christians views on the use of animals for food?

Answer 18

Christianity has no rules about eating meat

Romans 14:3 says Christians should be sensitive to the beliefs of others about what they wish to eat

‘Everything that lives and moves will be food for you’ Genesis 9:3

Some vegetarians and vegans point out that if crops were grown on land currently used to raise animals for meat, there would be much more food to go round and this would please God

Question 19

What are Buddhist views on the use of animals for food?

Answer 19

Most Buddhists are vegetarian or vegan because they believe this reduces the harm caused to animals

Some Mahayana Buddhists state the Buddha insisted his followers should not eat meat or fish

This is because it does not show compassion and creates an atmosphere of fear among all living beings
‘All tremble at violence; all fear death. Comparing [others] with oneself, one should not kill or cause to kill’

Question 20

What is the theory of evolution?

Answer 20

Life started with single-celled creatures in the sea

Over a long period of time they evolved into creatures capable of living on land

Humans started evolving around 2.5 million years ago

The developed into humans with the same anatomy as us about 200,000 years ago

Question 21

What are some Christian beliefs about the origins of life?

Answer 21

Genesis 1 says that God created all life, with human life being created last

Genesis 2 tells how God created the first man, Adam, from the soil and breathed life into him

Some time later, while Adam was asleep, God took one of his ribs and used it to create a woman, Eve

Question 22

What are some Buddhists beliefs about the origins of life?

Answer 22

The Buddha said that anything (including life) can come into existence when the necessary conditions are there. This process does not rely on a creator

Buddhism teaches it is not possible to identify a beginning or end to the earth. Instead the earth is in a continuous process of change

Buddhist ideas do not conflict with the theory of evolution

Question 23

What are Christians attitudes towards abortion?

Answer 23

Christians believe in the sanctity of life. This means human life is scared as it is made in the image of God

Many Christians who believe life starts at the moment of conception think abortion is wrong as it is taking away life that is given by God

However, some Christians think that abortion is sometimes acceptable eg if the pregnancy is a result of rape or the child would have a very poor quality of life

Question 24

What are Buddhist attitudes towards abortion?

Answer 24

In general, abortion is seen as a form of killing which goes against the first moral precept and so is unskilful

However Buddhists may sometimes favour abortion such as when the baby is likely to be born with a severe disability of have poor quality of life

Some Buddhists believe that deciding to have an abortion is a personal choice

Buddhist views on abortion differ from country to country depending on social norms and traditions

Question 25

What are some further arguments FOR abortion?

Answer 25

Pro-choice groups believe the mother’s life is more important

The mother has to carry the baby, give birth to it and bring it up, so she should have the right to choose whether to continue with the pregnancy

Life doesn’t start until birth (or from the pint when the foetus can survive outside the womb) so abortion does not involve killing

It is cruel to knowingly allow a severely disabled child to be born

Question 26

What are some further arguments AGAINST abortion?

Answer 26

Pro-life groups argue that as life beings at conception, abortion is a form of murder

It is possible for disabled children to enjoy a good quality of life, so they should be allowed to live (poor life is better than no life)

Unwanted children can be adopted into families that will care for them

Those who choose abortion can suffer from depression and guilt afterwards

Question 27

What are Christians attitudes towards euthanasia?

Answer 27

Many Christians believe euthanasia is a form of murder and interferes with God’s plan for a person’s life

They believe that euthanasia is against the sanctity of life, and only God has the right to take away life

They might argue that if euthanasia were legal, the very old could feel pressure to end their lives in order to not burden their family

They might argue that suffering brings people closer to God and helps them understand Jesus’ suffering

The Salvation army has said that euthanasia and assisted suicide ‘undermine human dignity and are morally wrong’

Some Christians support euthanasia when it seems to be the most loving thing to do

They may argue that as God gave people free will, they should be able to choose when to end their lives

Question 28

What are Buddhist attitudes towards euthanasia?

Answer 28

Many Buddhists oppose euthanasia because it goes against the first moral precept

At the same time, many Buddhists would respect the right of the individual to do what they wish with their own life

Some Buddhists would argue that it could be compassionate to help someone end their life if they are suffering a lot

The state of mind of the person at death is important as it influence their rebirth. If a person is helped to die quickly and peacefully, this could benefit their future consciousness

At other times, a natural death might be better for a person’s kamma

The Dalai Lama has commented that euthanasia should be avoided in exceptional circumstances

Question 29

What are some Christian beliefs about death and the afterlife?

Answer 29

Christians believe Jesus’ resurrection is evidence for an afterlife. Many Christians believe that after death, they are judged by God and will either be eternally with God (heaven) or eternally without God (hell).

The desire to be close to God motivated them to have faith in Jesus and follow his teachings

Some believe that God, who is the source of all good, would not condemn people to hell and that eventually, all go to heaven

‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Don, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life’

Question 30

What are some Buddhist beliefs about death and the afterlife?

Answer 30

Many Buddhists believe death is a process rather than a single moment. The conscious ness passes on from the physical body over a period of hours or days

Most Buddhist traditions teach that people are reborn after the die. This means that at some point after death, the person’s consciousness enters another life at the point of its conception

The quality of the rebirth is dependant upon the ethical quality of the person’s actions in their previous life (kamma)

Someone who becomes enlightened is freed of future rebirths