Religion & Life Flashcards
Origins of human life and the universe
Adam and Eve Big Bang God made world in 6/7 days Evolution Stone Age Natural Selection
Creation Stories (Christianity)
Origin - Bible (creation story)
Time - 6 days + 1 rest day
Humans - God’s creation (Adam and Eve)
Universe - God’s decision (“Let there be…”)
Creation Stories (science)
Origin - Big Bang
Time - Billions of years
Humans - Evolution
Universe - Expansion over hundreds of years
Creation stories (Hinduism)
Origin - Chandogya Upanishad (Brahman)
Time - 3 seasons of summer (3 years)
Humans - Created through different parts of the body from a cosmic man
Universe - Brahman through heaven, earth, atmosphere, rain,harvest
What are fundamentalist Christians?
Bible should be read and understood literally
Bible is the direct word of god so is factual truth
Creation in 6x24 hours (no Big Bang or evolution)
What are conservative Christians?
Bible should be read and understood in context
It is written by humans but inspired by God so may be errors or personal views
Accept Big Bang and evolution
Creation in 6 x periods of time
What are liberal Christians?
Bible should be understood as a story with important messages
Not factually true but contains moral and spiritual views
Accept Big Bang and evolution
Argument - Religion and science are non-overlapping magisteria (NOMA)
Counter argument - religion and science deal with same issues
Argument - Religion and science can work together on the issue of creation (complimentary disciplines)
Counter argument - both answer ‘how’ and ‘why’ but are not compatible claims
Argument - Bible can be understood in different ways
Counter argument - Bible is clearly contrary to scientific theory
What is intrinsic value?
Has value ‘in & of itself’ Valuable because it is Not valued for an external reason Eg. Family and friends If it has intrinsic value it is worth protecting for its own sake
What is instrumental value?
Value lies in its use Valuable because of what it does Not valuable if it stops working Eg. Pens, phones If it has instrumental value it is worth protecting because it benefits us to do so
What is dominion? (Over the environment)
Power
Ability to do what we want
Eden created for humans
What is stewardship? (Over the environment)
Duty of care
Protection of God’s creation
Humans to look after the earth
Two examples of issues facing the environment today
Deforestation
Global warming
We have stewardship to animals…
We have a duty to care for them
Animals have intrinsic value (important for their own sake)
Vegans, vegetarians, protection of wildlife, RSPCA
We have domain over animals…
We have power to do what we want
Animals have instrumental value (valuable because of use to us)
Hunting, meat eating, testing on animals
Can testing on animals be justified (YES)
Human life is more important
If we can save humans by testing on animals then it’s a good thing
Testing can help both species - may save animals too
Humans have more awareness and consciousness
Less problematic
Can testing on animals be justified (NO)
We have a duty of care for animals
Animals can’t give consent so is unfair
Animals have intrinsic value and should be respected
Unnatural to test on animals
What makes human life more valuable than animal life?
Humans have a soul
Humans are able to create purpose and meaning
Humans are top of evolutionary chain
Are some human lives more important than others (YES)
We have judgements based on potential, age etc. so should value a child over an old person
We give more attention to the lives/deaths of those with status in society eg. Queen
People’s actions matter - those that make a difference are more important
Are some human lives more important than others (NO)
Regardless of status in society, we are all humans and therefore all equal
Status is not about being more important it’s just their job
It’s our relationships with people that make them important to us but that doesn’t mean they are more important generally
Abortion is always wrong
PRO-LIFE Everyone has right to life Against god’s will Murder Must accept consequences of our actions
Arguments in favour of abortion
PRO-CHOICE
We need to focus on what’s right for the mother
Woman’s choice - it’s her body
Foetus doesn’t have personhood so it’s not murder
Importance of health of mother
Quality and Sanctity of Life…?
Quality=consideration of what makes life worth living
Sanctity=belief that human life is sacred and has intrinsic value
Everyone has the right to die
Criticism - some people are mentally unstable to make their own decision
Could be given wrong diagnosis
People should not be made to suffer when it can be stopped painlessly
No one knows it’s painless
Suffering may only be temporary
By allowing people to decide to die, life has no value
Criticism - if someone’s in so much pain that they want to die, they should have the right to be euthanised
Legalising euthanasia could lead us down a slippery slope to relax conditions and make it easier to be euthanised/killed
Criticism - we could have clear laws in place to stop unnecessary euthanasia
Christian views on euthanasia
Sanctity of life = every life is precious so euthanising is wrong - only god has the right to take a life so euthanasia is against god’s will
Quality of life = in some cases euthanasia may be best option - it could relieve both family and person of a lifetime of suffering and pain
Buddhist views on euthanasia
Sanctity of life = destruction of life is wrong as all life is a gift - being euthanised creates bad karma as a soul is deprived from its life
Quality of life = life is a personal choice therefore to end it with euthanasia should be allowed if it’s for the best and their choice
Reasons to believe in the afterlife
Provides hope that there’s another chance
Accounts in holy texts
Just be opportunity for judgement (bad people get punished)
Recollection of past lives (déja vu)
Best hypothesis
What do Christians believe about heaven?
“Round the throne was a rainbow” “A throne stood in heaven” “Had the appearance of an emerald” “Written in the book of life” Reunited with God
What do Christians believe about hell?
“Lake of fire” “Fire came down from heaven” “Bottomless pit” “There will be weeping” “Crying out for god” “Murderers go to hell” “The gnashing of teeth” Without god
What is the purpose purgatory?
Purification to achieve the holiness necessary to enter heaven
It is a second chance to get into heaven
What is predestination?
Belief that god has already chosen who will and won’t go to heaven
Problems with argument of predestination?
Christians believe in free choice so god can’t choose
Your life choices effect the outcome so therefore god makes decisions on this
