Theme B

Question 1

What is Abortion?

Answer 1

Abortion – deliberate expulsion of foetus from womb with the intention to destroy it.

Question 2

What is Creation?

Answer 2

Creation – the idea that God created the universe from nothing

Question 3

What is Dominion?

Answer 3

Dominion – idea that humans have the right to control creation

Question 4

What is Euthanasia?

Answer 4

Euthanasia – mercy killing; ending a life for someone who is terminally ill, or has a degenerative disease

Question 5

What is Evolution?

Answer 5

Evolution – change in inherited traits in a species

Question 6

What is Factory farming?

Answer 6

Factory farming – animals are kept in confined spaces to maximize profit for the farmer

Question 7

What is Free range farming?

Answer 7

Free range farming – animals are given freedom to move around

Question 8

What is Fossil Fuels?

Answer 8

Fossil fuels – Earth’s natural and non-renewable resources(coal, gas, oil)

Question 9

What is a Hospice?

Answer 9

Hospice – a place that cares for the dying usually form an incurable disease

Question 10

What is Natural selection?

Answer 10

Natural selection – basic mechanism of evolution (survival of the fittest)

Question 11

What is Pesticide?

Answer 11

Pesticide - chemicals used to kill pests and insects on crops

Question 12

What is Quality of Life?

Answer 12

Quality of life – how good/comfortable life is

Question 13

What is Right to die?

Answer 13

Right to die – belief that a human being should be able to control their own death

Question 14

What is Sanctity of Life?

Answer 14

Sanctity of life- life is sacred because it is God-given

Question 15

What is Stewardship?

Answer 15

Stewardship – duty to look after the world on behalf of God

Question 16

What is the Beginning of the Bible?

Answer 16

Origins of the universe – Genesis Creation Story
Genesis 1 (the first book of the Bible) begins with:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light’ and there was light. Genesis 1:1-3

Question 17

Christian Beliefs of the Bible

Answer 17

There are different ways to read and understand the creation story of Genesis

Some Christians believe that the story should be taken literally. This means that the creation story is to be taken as fact, i.e. that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh.

Other Christians hold a different view. They believe that the Bible accounts and stories have to be understood within the time that they were written. The authors of the books in the Bible had limited knowledge of science and the world, so the Genesis account was their way of trying to explain what they believed.

Question 18

What is the Genesis story?

Answer 18

the first day - light was created
 the second day - the sky was created
 the third day - dry land, seas, plants and trees were created
 the fourth day - the Sun, Moon and stars were created
 the fifth day - creatures that live in the sea and creatures that fly were created
 the sixth day - animals that live on the land and finally humans, made in the image of God were created
 by day seven - God finished his work of creation and rested, making the seventh day a special holy day.

Question 19

What do Muslims believe about Creation?

Answer 19

Muslims also believe that God created the universe in 6 phases. God watches over creation. God does NOT rest according to the Qur’an.

Question 20

What is the Big Bang Theory?

Answer 20

About 14 Billion Years ago, the universe was an enormously dense nucleus. An incredibly powerful explosion occurred called a Big bang. Within a millionth of a second after the explosion, neutrons and electrons were created.

In the explosion, enormous heat was generated, but as the universe cooled down a little, elements like helium and hydrogen were created. From these elements, stars, galaxies, planets and Solar Systems were formed. As the universe continued to cool, on at least one planet(which we call Earth), about 3 Billion years ago, life began to develop.

Question 21

What is Evolution?

Answer 21

In 1859, Charles Darwin published his book, On the Origin of the Species, in which he argued that animals and plants had not always looked the way we see them today. He said that species had slowly changed over thousands and thousands of years. What had made these species of plants and animals change was that they had adapted so the world around them in order to survive . This process of adaptation is called evolution.

Darwin’s ideas seemed to rule out any claim that God was designing animals with special features. What was happening was a slow process. God could not have created animals on the fifth and sixth days of creation, complete and as they are now.

Question 22

What are Christian beliefs about Dominion?
What quote supports this?

Answer 22

Many Christians understand this quote as evidence that humans have dominion (control) over God’s creation. This could suggest that humans have the power to use the world and its resources as they like, but it does not mean that humanity should exploit the Earth’s resources.

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’” (Genesis 1:26)

Question 23

What are Christian beliefs about Stewardship?
What quote supports this?

Answer 23

This teaching suggests that humanity’s purpose is to look after the world that God has created. This is known as stewardship.

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. (Genesis 2:15)

Question 24

What are Muslim beliefs about Stewardship and Dominion?
What quote supports this?

Answer 24

Muslims see the creation of the world as the work of Allah. Humans are ‘khalifa’ (stewards) of the world. This means that while they are on earth they should take responsibility for this world and make it the sort of place Allah wants it to be. Looking after the world shows respect to Allah.

The whole creation reflects Allah, and Allah knows everything that happens in it. Allah knows who damages and who looks after it. It is a good idea to look after the world because those who do not follow their duty will be punished on Judgement Day by Allah.

“The Earth is green and beautiful, and Allah has appointed you his Khalifa’s(stewards) over it. The whole earth has been created a place of worship, pure and clean.” Hadith

Question 25

Religous and non-Religous beliefs about Animal Rights

Answer 25

Religious people believe that animals are part of God’s creation. All life, including that of animals, is sacred. However, religious people also believe that humans have been given dominion over animals so can make use of them for food, clothing and as working animals.

Many of the ways we use animals can be justified and seen as acceptable. However, problems arise with how some people treat animals. For example, farming is acceptable but factory farming can be seen as cruel because of the conditions animals are kept in. The animals have very little space and lead a completely unnatural life.

Question 26

What are Animal Experiments?

Answer 26

Animal experiments are widely used to develop new medicines and to test the safety of other products. Many of these experiments cause pain to the animals involved or reduce their quality of life in other ways.

The use of animals to test cosmetics products or their ingredients is banned in the UK but using animals to test medicine is still allowed.

Question 27

Arguments in favour of animal experiments:

Answer 27

Experimenting on animals is acceptable because:
 innovation
 Humans and animals physiology are similar enough to justify the use of animals to find cures for human diseases
 It saves human life

Question 28

Arguments against Animal Experiments:

Answer 28

Experimenting on animals is always unacceptable because:

 it causes suffering to animals

 the benefits to human beings are not proven

 animals and humans do not respond to medicines in the same way so it may be pointless to experiment on animals

Question 29

What are Christian Beliefs about the use of animals in food?
What quote supports this?

Answer 29

Christians and Muslims allow meat in their diets.

Some Christians fast at certain times of the year avoiding certain foods. Many Christians do not eat red meat on Friday out of respect for Jesus’ sacrifice on Good Friday (when he was placed on the cross).

Some Christians are vegetarian and follow the teachings of St Francis of Assisi, who preached to the birds and is the most popular pro-animal Christian figure

“Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you.”
(Genesis 9:3)

Question 30

What are Muslim beliefs about the use of animals in food?
What quote supports this?

Answer 30

Most Muslims believe that the rules around the ritual slaughter of animals are designed to minimise distress and pain for an animal. The rules include:
 animals must be healthy and well cared for
 the slaughterman must be an adult Muslim who says the name of God before making the cut
 the animal’s throat must be cut quickly by a single action, with a very sharp knife, to minimise pain
 the spinal cord must not be cut
 all of the blood must be drained from the animal after death
 no animal should be killed in front of other animals

Food that Muslims are allowed to eat is called halal and food they should not eat is called haram.

Halal meat has been farmed, prepared and slaughtered according to Shari’ah law.
Haram food includes all pork products, animals that eat meat and animals that have not been slaughtered according to Islamic law.

“We are Allah’s stewards and agents on Earth. We are not masters of this Earth; it does not belong to us to do what we wish. It belongs to Allah and He has entrusted us with its safekeeping.”
Muslim Declaration at Assisi 1986

Question 31

What are religious beliefs about vegetarianism?

Answer 31

Some Muslims and Christians choose to be vegetarian. They believe that vegetarianism:

 is healthy and safe

 helps to protect animals from factory farming and from ill treatment

 promotes the belief that God is compassionate and merciful and that humans should show the same compassion and mercy to animals.

Question 32

How does Society and religious groups try to protect the rights of animals?

Answer 32

There are many ways in which people, individually and in groups, may try to protect the rights of animals:

 Charity - Joining or working for groups that promote animal rights.

 Protest - boycott, write to mps

 Support - Supporting breeding programmes which help to ensure
that endangered species do not become extinct

 Conferences - Attending and supporting conferences locally, nationally or internationally, which increase awareness of animal rights issues

 Food - being a vegetarian or vegan

Question 33

What are Christian teachings about Animals?

Answer 33

“Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over…every living creature.” (Genesis 1:28)

“The righteous care for the needs of their animals.” Proverbs (12:10)

Question 34

What are Islamic teachings about Animals?

Answer 34

“There is no man who kills [even] a sparrow or anything smaller, without its deserving it, but God will question him about it on the judgement day” (Hadith)

**“It is He who appointed you khalifahs on earth.” (Qur’an 6:165)

“It is God who provided for you all manner of livestock, that you may ride on some of them and from some you may derive your food. And other uses in them for you to satisfy your heart’s desires. It is on them, as on ships, that you make your journeys.”
Qur’an 40:79-80**

Question 35

What is effect of pollution on the Earth?

Answer 35

Pollution basically means there is too much of something which is toxic and damaging to the environment.

Pollution can affect air (emissions from factories and traffic on the roads), water (from oil spills and fertiliser running off farmland into rivers) and land (from dropping litter and the use of land-fill sites). Pollution is the direct result of human action.

Question 36

What are Christian Teachings about the planet Earth?

Answer 36

Question 37

What are Muslim teachings about the Planet Earth?

Answer 37

Question 38

What are Christian and Muslim beliefs about the value of Human Life?

Answer 38

Both Islam and Christianity suggest that human life is the most important and special of all kinds of life. When God created the world humans were placed in charge and because religious people believe God created life it follows that all life is sacred and special and deserves to be protected.

Sanctity of Life – the belief that all life is special.

Quality of Life – a description of how good someone’s life is.

Question 39

How does Abortion in the UK take place?

Answer 39

The law defines abortion as the ‘forced expulsion of the foetus from the womb, with the intention of destroying it’.

The law in the UK states that abortion is ILLEGAL unless it is carried out under the following circumstance:
2 doctors must agree that at least one of the following is true:

 There is a danger to the mother’s physical or mental HEALTH

 There is a danger to the physical or mental health of EXISTING CHILDREN

 There is a danger to the mother’s LIFE

 There is a risk the foetus will be born with physical or mental DISABILITIES

The abortion has to be carried out at a registered clinic, by a registered doctor and it must take place before the 24th week of pregnancy.

Question 40

What are the stages of being born?

Answer 40

The question of when life begins is key.

Conception – when the sperm meets the egg

Implantation – when the fertilised egg ‘implants’ and attaches itself to the womb. Approx. 1week after conception.

Heartbeat – when the heartbeat can be detected with specialist equipment. Approx. 6 weeks

Viability – the point at which the foetus could survive outside the womb (with medical support). Approx. 24 weeks.

Birth – when the baby is born. Approx. 40 weeks.

Question 41

What are the Reasons for Abortion(PRO-CHOICE)?

Answer 41

A woman should have the right to decide what happens to her body.

• Stopping legal abortions would lead to ‘backstreet abortions’ and the loss of life.
• In the case of rape, it would be lacking in compassion to deny a woman the right to an abortion.
• The pregnant woman’s health and welfare are more important than that of the embryo or foetus.
• The quality of life of the unborn child or the woman’s existing children could be adversely affected by the birth.
• The woman might be too young to bring up a child, or she may have too many responsibilites which make bringing up a child difficult or impossible.

Question 42

What are the Reasons against Abortion(Pro-life)?

Answer 42

• God has created life so we should not interfere with God’s creation
• Every human being, including an embryo or foetus, has the right to live and to reach their potential.
• The unborn child is denied choice and is not able to speak up for itself.
• People born with disabilities can live full and happy lives.
• Alternatives e.g. adoption.
• Abortion destroys human life and makes life appear cheap and disposable. This affects the quality and value of life.

Question 43

What is Euthanasia?

Answer 43

Euthanasia means ‘gentle and easy death’. The term is used to describe the deliberate ending of a person’s life for compassionate reasons because they are suffering, eg from a painful or incurable disease.

Euthanasia is illegal in the UK. It can be seen as assisted suicide, so breaking the Suicide Act of 1961, which forbids anyone from helping someone else to die and carries a fourteen year jail sentence. It can also be seen as manslaughter or, at worst, murder, which carries a life sentence.

Doctors do switch off life support machines when patients have no sign of brain activity and they do administer drugs to ease pain which can also shorten life. Neither of these is seen as euthanasia in the UK

Question 44

What are the different types of euthanasia?

Answer 44

There are various types of euthanasia:
 Active euthanasia - something is done to a person to make them die more quickly, eg giving drugs with the intention of bringing about death.

 Passive euthanasia - any form of treatment that might extend a person’s life is withdrawn, eg a life support machine is turned off or a feeding tube is removed. This
is legally allowed in the UK, and so would not be called euthanasia.

 Voluntary euthanasia - a person asks
for their own life to be ended (illegal
in UK).

 Non-voluntary euthanasia - a person
cannot make a decision about
euthanasia or cannot make their
wishes known, and so someone else
(eg a doctor or a family member)
decides that it would be in the
person’s best interest if their life was
ended. For example, if the person is in
a coma.

 Assisted suicide - deliberately assisting or encouraging another person to end their own life.

Question 45

What are arguments for voluntary euthanasia?

Answer 45

Euthanasia can quickly and humanely end a patient’s suffering, allowing them to die with dignity.

 Euthanasia can help to shorten the grief and suffering of the patient’s loved ones.

 Everyone has the right to decide

 Most people would have their pets put down if they were suffering – this would be regarded as kindness. This same kindness should be given to humans.

Question 46

What are arguments against voluntary euthanasia?

Answer 46

• A dying patient may not be able to make a rational decision.
• A patient may have said they want euthanasia when they were nowhere near death; however, when faced with death they may change their mind but be incapable of telling anyone.
• Many people recover after being “written off” by doctors.
• Hippocratic Oath: doctors must try to preserve life. If euthanasia was legalised, the relationship of trust between doctors and patients can be destroyed.

Question 47

What is the Hospice Movement?

What is the aim of the hospice movement?

Answer 47

A hospice is a home for those who are terminally ill. Hospices help people to die with dignity.

Aims:
To relieve the physical symptoms illness and remove as much of the pain caused by the illness as possible. This is called palliative care.

 To care for the emotional and spiritual well-being of the patient by allowing them to talk about death in a free and open way and help them sort their finances and any unfinished business.

 To support the families of patients. In most hospitals, the needs relatives are largely ignored. Hospices seek to fulfil those needs.

 Educate others who are caring for the dying, and to work out new, better ways to care for the dying

Question 48

How did the Hospice movement begin?

Answer 48

Originally, hospices were places for travellers, the sick and the needy to stay. They were set up by Christians. Over time, some of them began to specialise in looking after those who were dying.
Hospices are not just for Christians, and not everyone who works there is a Christian.

They do not try to make anyone believe in God, but provide opportunities to talk to ministers / priests if the patient wants.

Hospices support relatives, even after the patient has died. Some Hospices are for children, with facilities for children and families, with play areas, gardens, and rooms for brothers and sisters to stay.

Question 49

What are Christian Teachings against Euthanasia and Abortion?

Answer 49

Question 50

What are Islamic Teachings against Abortion and Euthanasia?

Answer 50

Question 51

What are non-religious beliefs about the Afterlife?

Answer 51

Death is when our brain and body stop functioning permanently. No one recovers from death. Religious people believe that at death the soul/spirit/self leaves the physical body and continues on to some other kind of life.

Question 52

What are Christian beliefs about the Afterlife?

Answer 52

Christians believe in the physical resurrection of the body. At death the body waits until Judgement Day. Roman Catholics call this Purgatory. At judgement, each person faces God and Jesus to evaluate their deeds. If they were good in life they will go to heaven, which is paradise. If they were bad, they go to hell for eternal punishment.

Question 53

What are Muslim beliefs about the Afterlife?

Answer 53

Muslims believe in resurrection. At death, the body waits in the grave (barzakh) and sees the events of its life. This can be quick or very slow and painful. On Judgement Day, people are sorted according to their beliefs and actions. The wicked are cast straight into hell; the truly good go straight to paradise. All others cross As-Sirat bridge, carrying the book of deeds (sins make it heavier). The bridge is sharp and so they are purified from sin before going to paradise