Section 2.2 Matters of Life and Death Flashcards
What do Christians think about abortion?
FOR (4)
P: Jesus’ teaching
E: Agape and situation ethics
E: In some cases, e.g when the pregnancy is due to rape, it might be the kindest thing to do
P: Sanctity of life is sometimes also broken
E: In wars
E: Therefore sometimes abortion may also be justifiable
P: C of E sometimes allow abortion
E: If the child is going to be born with a severe medical illness
E: Therefore the Church, in rare occasions supports it, so it’s justifiable
P: Quakers use conscience as a source of moral guidance
E: Quaker statement: ‘It would be logical for us to oppose abortion… but Quakers, like many others, have no easy single answer.’
E: It’s your personal decision to make
What do Christians think about abortion?
AGAINST (4)
P: RCC believes life begins at conception
E: Bible: ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you’
E: Bible says life begins at conception so abortion is murder
P: Sanctity of Life
E: Romans: ‘whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord’
E: Therefore life is sacred and belongs to God, so only he can take it away
P: There are better alternatives
E: Adoption
E: This can make another family happy, whilst avoiding committing an act against God
P: Roman Catholics think it’s a sin
E: The Decalogue: ‘thou shall not kill’
E: Abortion is killing and therefore a sin and they will be punished
Explain Christian attitudes to Abortion
4
P: RCC thinks the foetus has a right to life
E: Catechism: ‘the inviolable right of every innocent being to life’
E: Opposes as it goes against this right
P: Quakers have no definite opinion
E: Use conscience
E: Do what you think is right
P: Anglicans agree on life of mother over child
E: ‘Compassion for the mother’
E: Mostly wrong but subjective
P: The general Synod strongly opposes abortion but recognises there are exceptions
E: When pregnancy threatens the life of the mother
E: CofE opposes but allows exceptions
B) Do you think abortion can ever be morally justifiable?
2
P: Yes, because it’s the decision of the mother
E: A mother is alive, the foetus is a potential life as it cannot survive without the mother
E: Therefore the life of the mother supersedes the foetus
P: A child should have a guaranteed quality of life
E: If a mother is unable to raise a child
E: She should be able to have an abortion
Explain Christian attitudes to euthanasia
4
P: RCC says it’s murder
E: Catechism: ‘An act which causes death in order to eliminate suffering is constituted as a murder’
E: The catechism holds the words of God
P: Methodists strongly oppose euthanasia
E: Bible: ‘God created them in his own image’
E: Therefore human life is sacred and only God can take it away
P: Doctrine of double effect
E: Sometimes people are given large doses of painkillers to relieve pain even though it will shorten a person’s life
E: This is allowed by the RCC as it the intention is to ease suffering, not to kill
P: Baptist Church generally against euthanasia
E: Jesus accepted his suffering and death without trying to escape
E: So we should cherish and preserve life
Euthanasia should never be allowed
FOR (4)
P: Impossible to ensure all acts of euthanasia are voluntary
E: Can put pressure on patient to relieve their family of their burden
E: Pressure influence their decision, it’s not fair on the patient
P: There are other alternatives
E: Terminally ill patients can go to hospices
E: Where they can live the rest of their lives in comfort and dignity
P: If allowed the system could be abused
E: In 2003 Mr and Mrs Stokes died from euthanasia without suffering from a terminal illness, one was suffering from depression, the other back pains
P: Doctors should try to save patients
E: Hippocratic Oath all doctors swear to:’ do everything to preserve and restore life, and not take it’
E: Doctors shouldn’t take lives using euthanasia
Euthanasia should never be allowed
AGAINST (4)
P: Terminally ill people should be able to decide what happens to them
E Terry Pratchett, an advocate for euthanasia said ‘My life, my choice’
E people should have this freedom
P: Ensures the quality of life
E people can decide when they want to die
E: Leads to a gentle, pain-free death so people don’t have to suffer excruciating pain or complete deterioration
P planned death
E allows person to say good bye to family and friends while they are in their right mind and are able to
E: Allows patients to die with dignity, meaning that it’s better than dying in a hospice
P people could travel to other countries
E may go to Switzerland or Belgium
E costly + complicated process, so kinder to legalise in the UK
‘Natural disasters are responsible for world poverty’
AGAINST (3)
P: HIV + AIDS disease affecting LEDCs due methods of safe sex and drugs used in MEDCs being far too expensive
E estimated 7 million people with HIV living in South Africa in 2015
E Parents die, loosing workers and making children orphans
P: Many Charities provide emergency funds
E: e.g. The Red Cross, Oxfam
E: Less developed countries don’t have to divert funds to recover from natural disasters
P: War, especially civil war
E: Syria, causes many deaths, infrastructure destroyed
E: Much greater contributor
‘Natural disasters are responsible for world poverty’
FOR (3)
P: Destroys essential infrastructure
E: e.g. roads, railways
E: Which are necessary for continued trade and industry
P: Aids the spread of diseases
E: e.g. typhoid in stagnant drinking water after flooding
E: Leads to deaths
P: Requires emergency funds to be diverted from other parts of a nation’s budget
E: e.g. money that might have been used to improve education
E: Important developments are neglected
Why do Christians believe in life after death?
4
P Jesus rose from the dead
E ‘Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father
E if Jesus rose from the dead, there is life after death
P Catechism teaches that there is life after death
E ‘It is Jesus himself who on the Last Day will raise up those who have believed in him
E Catechism holds the word of God
P Christian creeds teach there is life after death
E Apostle’s creed : ‘I believe in … the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting
E Christians should believe the creed
P St Paul’s teachings
E taught people that they will have a resurrection like Jesus in 1 Corinthians
E St Pauls has divine authority
What do Christians believe about life after death?
4
P RCC believe in the resurrection of the body and the immortality of the soul
E resurrection of Jesus and the book of Revelation says a ‘new heaven and new Earth’ will be created
E Jesus will come back on the Day of Judgement and raise the dead and reunite body and soul
P C of E believe that after death the body stays in the grave but the soul goes straight to God for judgement
E in Luke 23: Jesus told a thief on the cross that he would in Heaven that day
P Evangelical Christians believe in resurrection of the body and soul on the Last Day
E The Parable of the Goat and sheep says God will separate the good from the bad on Judgement Day
E believe the Bible is the literal word of God
Causes of World poverty
4
P Wars
P Natural disasters
P HIV/AIDS
P Debt of LEDCs borrowing from developed countries
E Early 70s Chile borrowed $3.9 billion but by 1982 paid $12.8 billion in interest
E extra $9 billion could have been used instead towards development
How do Christian beliefs about life after death affect Christians?
- P: Christians will try to live a good Christian life
E: To do this, follow Biblical and Church teachings -
E: If they do this, this means they will get into heaven - P: Christians will worship God nearly everyday
E: Go to mass every Sunday to worship him
E: This means they spend a large amount of their lives worshipping God - P: Christians try to follow Jesus’ teachings i.e. parable of the Sheep and the Goats and the Good Samaritan
E: Work for charities like Christian Aid
E: This means they will always try and get involved in helping those in need - P: Christians will try not to sin as they believe you go to hell they do
E: A sin such as adultery or murder
E: Christians will therefore try to avoid committing sin in their lives so they can go to heaven
Why might some non-religious people believe in life after death?
- P: Near-Death Experiences
E: In research, it was found that nearly 4 out of 63 patients who survived heart attacks had a near death experience
E: Clearly, if near death experiences are true then some people may see this as evidence as life after death - P: Evidence for a Spirit World
E: Mediums such as Craig and Jane Hamilton-Parker, who claim they met through Craig contacting the spirit of Jane’s dead grandmother
E: If mediums can contact the dead in a spirit world, then there must be a life after death - P: Evidence for Reincarnation
E: Cases like Taranjit Singh, who from the age of 2 claimed he had had a previous life. Astounding evidence (could write languages he had not been taught)
E: If this is true, then it would be evidence for reincarnation, and so life after death - P: It gives people a purpose in life
E: If you believe that life ends when you die, then you may feel like life is pointless
E: Makes you live a better life
Why do some people not believe in life after death?
- P: They do not believe in God
E: Atheists like Richard Dawkins believe this
E: As they do not believe, there is nothing non-material and so therefore no afterlife - P: Scientific evidence
E: show that when the body dies, everything decays
E: It cannot live again - P: There is nowhere for life after death to take place
E: Space exploration has shown there is no heaven in the sky and there is no non-material world on Earth
E: Therefore there is no place for life after death to exist, and so it cannot be real - P: The end of life means exactly that
E: It is illogical to speak of life after death as ‘death’ means the end of life
