Theme B - Religion and Life

Question 1

Views on Euthanasia

Answer 1

ISLAM
- For; ‘‘Allah wishes to lighten your burden’’ - because he is ‘‘Indeed to the people, Kind and Merciful’’ - Link to free will and Allah being kind and compassionate.
- Against; ‘‘Do not take life which God has made sacred’’ (link to predestination and the supremacy of Allah’s will - 6AOF)

CHRISTIAN
- For ‘‘Do the most loving thing’’
- Against ‘‘Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you’’

HUMANISTS
- Emphasise on human rights - a dying person has the right to choose if they want to die to end suffering. – Dying in dignity.

Question 2

Views on Abortion

Answer 2

ISLAM
FOR - ‘‘Allah wishes to lighten your burden’’ - free will etc, because he is ‘‘Kind and Merciful’’
AGAINST - ‘‘Do not take life which God has made sacred’’ (link to predestination and the supremacy of Allah’s will)

CHRISTIANITY
FOR - ‘‘Do the most loving thing’’
AGAINST - ‘‘Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you’’

ATHIESTS - emphasise on rights to do what we choose with our body etc.

Question 3

Views on Animal exploitation

• Food
• Animal exploitation

Answer 3

• Food
• Animal exploitation

MUSLIMS
- For loving animals; '’There is not a single thing that does not celebrate his praise’‘
- Don’t mind exploiting for medicine etc '’Allah wishes to lighten your burden’‘ - eg illness, so they were put on earth for that.

^^remember muslims can only eat halal food; food that has been killed according to the Shar’iah law (in love, w prayer etc).

CHRISTIANS
- For loving animals '’Blessed are the merciful’‘
- Don’t mind exploiting ’’ Take dominion’‘

this can be applied to
- animal use in medicine/food/experimentation/testing etc.

Question 4

Beliefs about the origin of the Universe + different interpretations.

Answer 4

Muslims
- God created the world bc he is omnipotent and omniscient - eg ‘‘There is no God but him, the Creator of all things’’

Christians, Catholics and fundamentalists - God created the world; - God created the world in 6 days, and rested on the seventh. ‘‘By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing’’ and ‘‘through Him all things were made’’.

^^Link to the Design argument and the intricacies of the Earth and how it function - so someone, God, must have designed it.
^^Link to Cosmological argument - There must have been a cause to result in motion. This cause is God.

• Liberals; God created the world in 6 phases. This is bc Bible was written by man - man, unlike God who is a ‘‘God of faithfulness, without iniquity’’, due to original sin, humans are flawed etc, so may question the Bible + also many believe the Bible is for interpretation - might look to science.
• Humanist and atheist arguments;
• The Big Bang theory, the universe was a dense ball of fire that exploded. They believe this because science is factual and has been reviewed and proven, unlike religious texts.
• The inconsistent triad; if the world was created by God, and he is omnibenevolent and omniscient, how come there is evil?

Question 5

• The value of the world and the duty of human beings to protect it, including religious teaching about stewardship, dominion, responsibility, awe and wonder.

Answer 5

Muslims believe in Stewardship - link to Ibrahim.

Christians believe in both dominion AND stewardship.

SCRIPTURES

'’Take dominion’’ - B
‘‘Blessed are the merciful’’ B
‘‘Allah wishes to lighten your burden’’ Q
‘‘There is not a single thing that does not celebrate His praise’’ Q
‘‘Eat but do not be extravagant’’
Q

• ALWAYS LINK TO NATURE, AWE AND WONDER!

Question 6

Teachings about the value of the world:

• Duty to protect it/responsibility
• Stewardship
• Dominion
• Awe and wander

Answer 6

'’We cannot exploit things on out Earth’’

MUSLIMS
F- Stewardship - created by Allah so must protect the Earth; duty to protect
‘‘Eat and drink but do not be extravagant’’
A- Use - for food, Allah ‘‘Kind and Merciful’’ - so gave the Earth to us for use.

CHRISTIANS
A- Dominion; given to use for use ‘‘Take dominion’’
F- Stewardship ‘‘Blessed are the merciful’’ —- Awe and perfection of Earth is God reflected in our environment as he created it. ‘‘He created the Heavens and the Earth’’

Question 7

Views on pollution, and use/abuse of natural resources:

Answer 7

MUSLIMS
F- Stewardship - created by Allah so must protect the Earth; duty to protect
‘‘Eat and drink but do not be extravagant’’
A- Use for food and transport etc, pollution is caused by this. Allah ‘‘Kind and Merciful’’ - so gave the Earth to us for use.

CHRISTIANS
A- Dominion; given to use for use ‘‘Take dominion’’
F- Stewardship ‘‘Blessed are the merciful’’ —- Awe and perfection of Earth is God reflected in our environment as he created it. ‘‘He created the Heavens and the Earth’’

Question 8

The origins of human life

• Christian (Fundamentalist v Liberal)
• Islam
• Darwinism

Answer 8

ISLAM
- Creator of All things

CHRISTIANS
- Fundamentalists ‘’ Through Him all things were made’’
- Liberals - question the Bible and whether God created humans, eg this is bc Bible was written by man - man, unlike God who is a ‘‘God of faithfulness, without iniquity’’, due to original sin, humans are flawed etc, so may question the Bible + also many believe the Bible is for interpretation - might look to science.

HUMANISTS
- Darwinism - humans evolved from apes.
- Inconsistent Triad, if God created humans, and he is omnibenevolent, and omnipotent, why is there still evil?

Question 9

Beliefs about death and afterlife and their impact on beliefs about the value of life.

Answer 9

MUSLIMS
- Jannah and Jahannam - ‘‘They will dwell among the scorching wind and scalding water’’
- Judgement day ‘‘Those who believe will have their reward with the Lord’’

^^Link - to predestination, freewill etc.

CHRISTIANS
- Resurrection ‘‘The dead will rise first’’
- Salvation - ‘‘Whoever believes in me shall not perish but have eternal life’’

Liberal Christians; may question the Bible and what it says about the afterlife because:
this is bc Bible was written by man - man, unlike God who is a ‘‘God of faithfulness, without iniquity’’, due to original sin, humans are flawed etc, so may question the Bible + also many believe the Bible is for interpretation - might look to science.

Humanists
- Way to comfort Christians and Muslims who have had lost ones.

Question 10

Voluntary euthanasia

Answer 10

Person asks a doctor to take their life.

Question 11

Non-voluntary euthanasia

Answer 11

Person is too ill to ask for physician-assisted suicide.

Question 12

Active vs Passive euthanasia

Answer 12

Passive = stopping treatment
Active = carrying out lethal procedures eg injection of a toxic drug.