RS- Year 10 Exams Flashcards
Conservative Christians believe that the …… is the only way to find out about God
Bible
Consulting the Bible is the best way of making ……… …………
moral decisions.
The Bible should be taken seriously as a guide to life because it comes directly from God. Although people should be careful when interpreting the Bible, God helps each person to understand the Bible for themselves. We cannot rely on our ………….. because they let us make mistakes. Only be reading the Bible can we discover what a truly good person would do.
consciences
The ………. is a phrase used by conservative Christians to describe the Bible. For them, the Bible is the highest authority and no human being can alter what has been written there.
‘Word of God’
‘Evangelical’ (meaning derived from the Gospel) is a word often used to describe ……… …… …..
Conservative Protestant Christians.
Evangelicals are not a single Church but a group of people who think in a similar way in several different Churches. They believe that the only way to heaven is to believe that you have already been saved by Jesus.
Their moral views are usually strict.There are evangelicals in:
The Church of England (Anglicans)
The Baptist churches
The United Reformed Church
‘free’ churches e.g. Presbyterians, Congregationalists
…….. ………… respect the Bible as an important document giving guidance to modern Christians but they believe that it should be interpreted in the light of modern life. The Bible was written hundreds or thousands of years ago and sometimes it is no longer relevant to people.
Liberal Christians
When making moral decisions, people should rely on …………. as well as the Bible. God has given every person the ability to make decisions for themselves. If those decisions come into conflict with what is written in the Bible, then maybe God is saying something new.
conscience
Quakers-
The Quakers were founded by George Fox in the 18th Century. They believe that God is every person. Therefore the conscience of each person is the best guide fora cation. Quakers are not told what they oughts to believe, and although they respect the Bible the highest authority is the light of God in each person.
Conscience:
The ‘voice of God’ in the human soul- a guiding instinct that lets us know what is right and wrong.
Methodists-
Founded by John Wesley, the Methodists broke away from the Church of England in the 18th Century. They did not like the fact that the Church of England was controlled by the government. The Methodist Church has no Bishops, and is led by Ministers who are elected to run the church for four years at a time. Many Methodists (but not all) adopt liberal views.
Liberals in the Church of England-
The Church of England also has liberals in it, who believe that the church’s stance is too strict on many issues. For instance, they argue that gay couples should be allowed to marry in church, and that women should be allowed to become bishops.
The Roman Catholic Church is headed by the ….., who is called the Successor of St. Peter.
Pope
Peter was Jesus’ chief disciple who later went to Rome and became its first Bishop. Every Bishop of Rome since has been called a Pope. The Pope claims to be especially important because he is the successor of Peter. The Church is run by the Pope through Bishops in every country, who pass on instructions to ………… ………
individual priests.
The Bible is very important to Roman Catholics because its the word of God. However, the Bible is not an easy document to understand. The Pope, because he is the successor of Peter, can give the best interpretation of the Bible. When the Pope speaks about important aspects of the Christian faith, Catholics believe that he cannot be wrong (he is infallible). All of the official teachings of all the Popes who have ever lived is called the ……………… When they make difficult moral decisions Catholics should read the Bible ad the Magisterium, as well as listening to their own conscience.
Magisterium
The Roman Catholic Church-
The Roman Catholic Church has the strictest moral teaching of any Christian church. It is important that the church should never teach anything different from what it has in the past, although the Pope may respond to new challenges affecting the Church or society by writing long letters called Encyclicals. Some Catholics disagree with all of the Pope’s official teachings.
Anglo-Catholics in the Church of England
Anglo-Catholics are members of the Church of England who adopt the Catholic view of tradition and authority. They reject the ordination of women as priests and bishops and they often pay more attention to what the Pope says than the official views of the Church of England. Recently, many Anglo-Catholics have joined the Roman Catholic Church because Pope Benedict XVI made it easier for them to join.
The Orthodox Churches-
The Orthodox Churches are a group of churches in Greece, Russia and other countries in Eastern Europe. Although they are not Roman Catholic because they do not recognise the authority of the Pope, their beliefs are similar because they believe that only their Bishops can interpret the Bible. Their moral beliefs are also strict, and they believe that the church should not change anything.
Explain why some people think that the media is not always fair to Christian beliefs about contraception. (Refer to every sperm is sacred)
Catholics dot believe you have to have a baby as a result of sex.
Catholics don’t believe sperm is sacred.
Can’t be catholic before birth
Protestants don’t believe contraception is central
Protestants don’t believe as much about freedom as the Bible doesn’t mention it
Potential Problems with Abortion Act-
Viability changes
Risk for life of mother less important than foetal disability
No mention of rape
‘Psychological harm’ is very vague
The act can easily be avoided- ‘abortion on demand’
‘foetal disability’ is not defined
What makes a person?
Capacity of consciousness
Self awareness
Awareness of environment
Rationality- problem solving
Christian Views on Abortion-
Church of England-
There are too many abortions
Life is created by God in his own image and should be supported and protected. The law has been interpreted too liberally
Could be allowed if:
foetus disabled
Mothers life at risk
lesser of evils is to allow foetus to die.
If mother dies chances are so will the baby so its better to save one- mothers life has more value
Roman Catholic-
.
Abortion is never acceptable
life begins at conception
Unless you use the Doctrine of Double Effect
Ancient tradition
Methodist Church-
.
Foetal disability
all human life created by god
Risk to life of mother
sometimes lesser of evils
risk to mental or physical health to mother
or
if result of rape
.
Why do people want to believe in life after death?
reunited with dead relations
reassurance that death isn’t scary (secure)
life doesn’t end
watch over their children
to be with God
(hell) punishment for bad things - justice
motivation for a good life
if you’ve had a rubbish life
reward
immortality of the soul
divine providence- God wouldn’t allow annihilation
The Hippocratic Oath-
an oath stating the obligations and proper conduct of doctors, formerly taken by those beginning medical practice. Parts of the oath are still used in some medical schools.
And God created man in his own imagine, in the image of God he created him.
-Genesis
Christians therefore argue for the sanctity of life that Humans are created to be like God.
‘Human life should be protected from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death.’
Pope John Paul II
Reincarnation:
after you die you might be re-born in another body
NDE:
Near death experience- white light, view yourself from outside your body (dream)
ghost stories problematic evidence because only one person experiences it at a time
mediums can be suspicious if their questions and answers are very vague.
medium:
somebody who claims to be able to contact the spiritual world
paranormal:
contact with the spiritual world
Place of purification where Catholics believe most people go after death-
Purgatory
Abortion became legal in the UK in…
1967
The time limit for the termination of the foetus is……
24 weeks, unless the foetus is disabled, in which case abortion can take place at any time before birth.
A woman can only have an abortion if she receives the consent of…
2 doctors.
Abortion must take place for a legally valid reason:
the birth of the child must be a risk to the mental/physical health of existing children, a risk to the life of the mother or a risk to the physical/ mental health of the mother.
The current time limit for an abortion was decided upon because, in 1967, it was the limit of …
viability.
Today, some doctors argue that the limit should be reduced to … …… because medical technology has improved.
21 weeks
Euthanasia means…
‘good death’
If someone helps someone to die without actually killing them, this is called…
assisted suicide.
Euthanasia is voluntary when someone asks for it; this is legal in…
Holland
Euthanasia is ……….. when someone is killed against their wishes.
involuntary
When someone cannot let heir wishes be known because ether are in a coma but are killed anyway, euthanasia is ………..
non-voluntary. This is illegal in the UK.
Euthanasia can be brought about by an intervention to kill someone; this is …
active euthanasia. An example is killing someone by lethal injection.
Euthanasia is ……… if it involves taking something away that is essential to survival, for example food and fluids.
passive
Turning off a life support machine is not considered euthanasia because …..
the person would be dead without it.
Some people including many humanists, argue that euthanasia is an opportunity to die with dignity rather than suffer terribly. Many Christians argue that ………….. …… in hospices specialising in the end of life is preferable to legalising voluntary euthanasia.
palliative care
The Roman Catholic church teaches that life belongs to God and only he can end lives. The Church of England argues that euthanasia send the message that…..
the weakest people in society are rejected, which is against the Christian message.
The methodist church sympathises with people who want to end their pain but argues…
it would be unacceptable to force doctors and nurses to end people’s lives.
All Christians believe in the immortality of the soul. However, Christians differ on what happens when you die. Roman Catholics believed that when you die….
your soul is judged and you are sent to heaven if you have led a sinless life or completely repented your sins. If you are unrepentant you are sent to hell and if your repentance is incomplete you are sent to purgatory to be cleansed before you enter heaven.
Sex outside marriage:
RC: disagree
COE: right to decide
Meth.: acceptable
Divorce:
RC: Never
COE: accepts that some marriages fail
Meth.: following laws
Homosexuality:
RC: can’t be helped
Conservative protestant: not allowed
Lib protestant: yes
Contraception:
RC: Against
COE: Yes
Meth.: Yes
Abortion:
RC: no
COE: sort of
Meth.: yes
Euthanasia:
RC: Against
COE: Against
Meth.: Against
abortion
the removal of a foetus from the womb before it can survive
assisted suicide
providing a seriously ill person with the means to commit suicide
euthanasia
the painless killing of someone dying from a painful disease
immortality of the soul
the idea that the soul lives on after the death of the body
near-death experience
when someone about to die has an out of body experience
non-voluntary euthanasia
ending someone’s life painlessly when they are unable to ask, but you have good reason for thinking they would want to do so
paranormal
unexplained things which are thought to have spiritual causes e.g. ghosts, mediums
quality of life
the idea that life must have some benefits for it to be worth living
reincarnation
the belief that, after death, souls are reborn in a new body
resurrection
the belief that, after death, the body stays in the grave until the end of the world when it is raised
sanctity of life
the belief that life is holy and belongs to God
voluntary euthanasia
ending life painlessly when someone in great pain ska for death
adultery
a sexual act between a married person and someone other than their marriage partner
civil partnership
a legal ceremony giving a homosexual couple the same legal rights as a husband and wife
cohabitation
living together without being married
contraception
intentionally preventing pregnancy from occurring
faithfulness
staying with your marriage partner and having sex only with them
homosexuality
sexual attraction to the same sex
nuclear family
mother, father and children living as a unit
pre-marital sex
sex before marriage
procreation
making a new life
promiscuity
having sex with a number of partners without commitment
re-constituted family
where two sets of children (stepbrothers and stepsisters) become one family when their divorced parents marry each other
re-marriage
marrying again after being divorced from a previous marriage
Reasons Racism is hard to define:
subjective- depends on individual
is it fair to judge groups on statistics?
How is ‘race’ defined? Is race nationality? Is race skin colour? is race religion?
When is a joke unacceptable?
Individual governments choose different definitions
For Resurrection
eyewitness
empty tomb- massive rock
presence of guards
no physical proof- ascension
Against Resurrection
logically impossible what if he didn't die? unreliable ancient sources/corruption angels don't exist someone may have been hallucinating only mentioned in Christian sources Matthew mentions an alternative story How does he know this?
How can abortion not be deliberate?
The ‘Doctrine of Double Effect’ claims to allow an abortion to be unintended (i.e. not deliberate). Imagine that in order to save a woman’s life, her baby had to die. The doctor would be intending to save the woman, not kill her baby.
Is Suicide Murder?
Before 1962 suicide was against the law in Britain. In age spast, the bodies of people who committed suicide were ‘punished’ by being excluded from burial in consecrated ground. Attempted suicide was also a crime so you could be arrested if you tried to take your own life.
The reasoning behind making suicide a crime was that it fits the definition of murder: ‘The deliberate killing of an innocent person’. The fact that the person being killed was the same person as the killer was not thought to matter.
Today suicide is not against the law, although the police have a duty to persuade people, if they can, not to take their own lives.
Kinds of Euthanasia:
Assisted Suicide: where the patient is given the means to kill themselves
Passive: where the patient is killed by removing something necessary to their continued survival
Active: where the patient is killed by an active intervention
Voluntary: where the patient is killed on their own wishes, asking for their life to be ended
Involuntary: where a patient is killed against their wishes, or when they have not given their consent
Non-voluntary: where the patient cannot be consulted on their views, but is nevertheless killed.
A Hospice:
A hospice is a place where people who have a terminal (fatal) illness are treated until they die. The hospice movement specialises in pain control (palliative care) and the aim of the hospice movement is to give people with painful and terminal diseases the best possible quality of life.
Free will
is the idea that human beings always have the choice whether or not to do evil. Some Christians argue that, although God is all-loving he is also just.
Marriage and Cohabitation
Money-
If you are cohabiting with separate bank accounts neither of you have access to money held in the others account.
One person dies in a cohabiting relationship and there is no will, the money goes to the next of kin.
If one person dies in a cohabiting relationship the bank may allow the othe partner to withdraw the obey providing it is a small amount.
Children-
An unmarried mother has sole responsibility for a child unless a formal legal agreement has given the father permission
Married parents have equal parental responsibility
The Law-
Cohabiting relationships have no legal recognition
In all legal proceedings, whether civil or criminal cohabiting partners are treated as if they had no relationship and so can act against each other.
If you are in a cohabiting relationship and your partner owns the home in which you both live, he or she can ask you to leave at any time and you have no legal right to remain.
If you are married then you have the right to remain in your husband or wife’s home, no matter who owns it.
Divorce is permitted only in the following situations:
Cruelty Desertion Irretrievable breakdown Unreasonable behaviour Adultery
Annulment in the Law of the Roman Catholic Church:
One or both partners was never baptised
One or both partners did not wholeheartedly want to get married
One or both partners entered the marriage on false pretences
A marriage is also made invalid if one partner has been married before and not received an annulment; if the partners are too closely related
What is Natural Law?
The government makes the law, but those laws can be divided into two categories.
Laws like ‘Don’t park on double yellow lines’ could be different in another country.
Laws like ‘Don’t murder’ are unlikely to change throughout the world.
This is because some people would claim they are ‘natural laws’.
How do we know what a Natural Law is?
We can find out what something is for (its function) by observing it- e.g. I can work out that a toaster is for toasting bread.
Human beings also have functions- and a believer in natural law will claim that human beings are going against natural law when they go against their functions.
