religion and life Flashcards
Explain two similar religious beliefs about the use of animals for food.
Buddhism
Most Buddhists are vegetarian/animals are part of the cycle of birth,
death and rebirth/animals that are killed may harm an ancestor/animals
should not be treated with violence/monks eat meat but only if it is
given to them and they have not been involved in rearing or
slaughtering the animal, etc.
Explain two similar religious beliefs about the use of animals for food.
Christianity
There is no requirement for Christians to be vegetarians/God provided animals for humans to eat as many other animals do (lions, tigers,
etc.)/eating meat is part of some traditional Christian celebrations and observances/Jesus ate fish and probably meat as well/St Paul taught that all food can be eaten but not anything that causes someone else to
sin – some interpret this to mean that killing animals is sinful so vegetarianism is best, etc.
Explain two religious beliefs about the afterlife.
Buddhism
Believe in rebirth after death dependent on kamma/samsara is the cycle of life, death and rebirth/the impermanent life force is reborn at
death/final goal of Buddhism is nibbana which is a transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, and the person is released from kamma and the cycle of death and rebirth, etc.
Explain two religious beliefs about the afterlife.
Christianity
Upon death God decides whether a person spends eternity with him in heaven or without him in hell/this decision is entirely dependent on how
a person lived their life/following the Christian faith correctly results in heaven/unclear whether resurrection is physical or spiritual or whether it occurs at the moment of death or a future day of judgement/purgatory
is an ‘in between’ stage of preparation for heaven in Catholic belief/some believe that ultimately all will go to heaven, etc.
‘Evolution proves that religious beliefs about the origins of life are wrong.’
Buddhism
Buddhists have no specific creation story/the Buddha thought that ideas about creation were speculation and not helpful because they would not satisfy everybody which casts doubt on religious beliefs/evolution reflects the cycle of decay, death and rebirth which is
a core Buddhist belief, etc.
‘Evolution proves that religious beliefs about the origins of life are wrong.’
Christianity
Some Christians believe the Genesis creation story, not all literally, but others accept the scientific theory/God created the planet from nothing but used the process of evolution to create and develop life, possibly as the scientific theories describe/theory of evolution does not provide ‘why’ answers/creation stories have strong focus on how life on earth should be treated, which is more important than how things were
created, etc.
