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