Theme B: Religion and Life Flashcards
What are the hindu origins of life
- Atman is eternal and defines you
- Cycle of samsara
- Purusha surrendered his divine existence so that humans could begin and other life
- or that no one knows ‘hymn of creation’
What are the Christian origins of life
- god breathed the breath of life into clay to create humans
- made imago dei
- only have 1 life and have a soul
What are scientific ideas about the origins of the life
- All living things share a single common ancestor which we evolved from
- Natural selection selected desirable traits for their habitats so other species developed
- The creatures with the best adaptations survived (Survival of the fittest)
Define evolution
any inheritable traits in a population across generation
What are religious (mainly christian) responses to evolution
1) Young earth creationism
2) Atheistic evolution
3) Episodic creationism
4) Theistic evolution
What is young earth creationism
bible is inerrant and world was created 4000 years ago by calculating Bible family trees
What is atheistic evolution
as evolution happens without God there is no God
What is episodic creationism
belief evolution is valid up to a point but it becomes too complex so God came in.
(weak to God of the Gaps argument)
What is theistic evolution
evolution is the process by which God created
What do Hindus believe about evolution
- They can accept some parts of evolution as they match with the sequence of Avatars
- Hindus can then accept higher and lower forms of life for the atman where the end goal is spiritual evolution to be with Brahman
What does evolution say about humans purpose?
say humans purpose is to survive and procreate. Conflict with religious purposes
Define voluntary euthanasia (assisted suicide)
someone asks someone to end their own life (assisted suicide)
Define involuntary euthanasia
where other people decide to bring someone’s life to an end as they cannot make their decision independently
Define active euthanasia
when action is taken to bring someone’s life to an end
Define passive Euthanasia
when a decision is taken to stop treatment, resulting in death
What is illegal under English Law
both assisted suicide and euthanasia are illegal under English Law
What are the pros for assisted suicide
- prevent suffering for those of incurable disease
- do not want an undignified death
What are the cons for assisted suicide
- Weakens society respects for sanctity of life
- uncontrolled mass killing of vulnerable (slippery slope)
- Treatment may develop before they die
What are the Christian arguments against Euthanasia
quote from corinthians and pslam
- against sanctity of life and only God can choose to take a life
‘all day ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be’ - Psalm 139:16
‘you yourselves are God’s temple… God’s spirit lives inside you’ 1: Corinthians
What are Christian arguments for Euthanasia
- Some say it is the most loving thing to do and we have been given free will
- CofE and Catholic Church support that passive euthanasia may be necessary to prolong suffering
Hindu arguments for euthansia
-irrelevance of physical body
‘just as a person casts off worn-out clothes so also the atman casts off worn out bodies’
-Hindus choose to go into a vegetive state when older to reach spirituality by not eating
Hindu arguments against euthanasia
- Goes against Ahimsa
- disrupting time of samsara gives a person bad karmic consequence
- alternative is spiritual and physical care in hospice
What do scientists believe about eh origin of the Universe
14 billion years ago all matter and energy was at a singularity and expanded rapidly forming stars, galaxies and planets. This expansion was the beginning of time (Big Bang theory)
What evidence supports the Big Bang theory
Redshift of light from distant galaxies and existence of cosmic background radiation in all directions
What do scientists believe about the formation of the Earth
Earth was formed about 4.6 billion years ago from dust and gas left after sun forming; earth cooled gardually allowing life to form
What do Christians believe about the origins of the universe
God made evrything in 6 days
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
What do Hindus believe about the origins of the Universe
- universe as one of many bubbles in space; creation is a continuous process no single act
- most popular is Vishnu lies on a snake then lord brahma comes out of his navel on a white lotus flower and then he created everything
What are awe and wonder
the feeling when realising the complexity and perfect nature of the world
Define stewardship
to look after the world for God as God has created a world in which humans have a special role as living in harmony with nature and protect it
Define dominion
to rule over nature as God gave us the world, literal interpretation of the bible alludes to using all the world resources for your own benefit
What are Hindu views on dominion and stewardship
Hindus believe the supreme being exists in everything so anything damaged will have karmic consequences.
Stewardship
What are Christian views on dominion and stewardship
Mixed;
‘fill the earth and subdue it’ : Genesis 1:27-28
‘Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast’ : Proverbs 10:12
Why must we have sustainable development
As population increases we need renewable resources as non-renewables are running out
What are some environmental issues
Deforestation, acid rain and oil spillages
What were the Assisi declarations
an environmental conference where major religious leader talked on what to do about the environment
What were the Christian Assisi Declarations
- At Assisi declarations Christians said that they should honour the harmony of creation
- They must protect all things
- All types of exploitation of nature are rejected
What were the Hindu Assisi Declarations
- At Assisi they said to respect all life
- Not to damage nature as it brings bad karma and is against ahimsa
- Everything should be respected as it all contains atman
- Righteous action is needed for moksha
- Hindu scripture also says that the Highest guna (quality) is ‘goodness/moral life’ which includes sustainability and looking after the environment
Define therapeutic experimentation
the testing of drugs and medical treatment on animals, it is legal in the UK
Define non-therapeutic experimentation
testing of cosmetics and household products on animals. It is illegal in the UK
What are animal right activists main views on animal experimentation
- 95% of animals used in experiments are not protected by the Animal Welfare Act
- Tests are not very valid as they are very different from human beings
- Animal testing is cruel and inhumane as subjected to force feeding, forced inhalation and food depravation.
What are Medical and Cosmetics Companies views on animal experimentation
- Only alternatives are to end testing new drugs or using human beings for all safety tests
- Animals are appropriate research subjects because they are similar to human beings
What are Christian arguments for animal experimentation
- acceptable if they result in benefits for human beings
- animals are for humans to use; dominion
What are Christian arguments against animal experimentation
- animals to be treated humanely
-animals shouldnt be tested for cosmetics
‘every human act of irresponsibility toward creature is an abomination’ - Assisi
-Quakers believe zoos and circuses are wrong
What are Hindu arguments for animal experimentation
- People who are sick should be treated with compassion so you should find cures
- Patients might want benefits of animal tested research
What is a vegan diet
Abstaining from eating animal products; leads to b12,calcium and iron deficiency but has fibre and is morally satisfying
What is a vegetarian diet
not eating meat but having dairy and egg. Still not enough b12 but good compromise
less fats, good fibre and live longer
What is a pescatarian diet
vegetarian diet but with eating seafood
lack of iron but there is reduced risk of alzeihmers and heart disease and normal benefits of veg diet
What are Christian views on meat eating
All animals were created for humans to use and humans are more important
‘everything that lives and moves will be food for you’ Genesis 9:3. Choice to be anything
quote from Romans abt treating everyone who eats meat or not the same
‘ The one who eats everything (meat) must not treat with contempt the one who does not eat everything and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does for God has accepted them’ Romans 14:3
What are Hindu views on diet
They are all mostly vegetarians and vegans as they have ahimsa and believe all organisms are equal as they all have atman
What is samsara
the endless cycle of death and rebirth
How is it decided what body a soul will go into after death
It will either reincarnated as a human again if it has good karma but something below human if it has bad karma
What is a Hindu funeral like
- may put few drops of Ganges water to purify them
- relatives may carry the corpse on a stretcher to a funeral pyre near river
- recite scripture and mantra to grieve for person they knew not the atman
What is Sraddha
offering made to family, gods and goddesses to help atman move on to symbolise the end of mourning
What do Chrisitans believe about life after death
God decides if you go to hell or heaven
What do Catholics believe about the afterlife
soul goes through purgatory for purification in order to approach heaven
What is personal judgement
sent to heaven or hell as soon as they die
What is collective judgement
All souls will wait until the second coming of Jesus Christ where all souls will be judged by God on Judgement Day
What is heaven like
There is no suffering or pain in heaven as god will ‘wipe every tear from their eyes’ Revelation 21;4
What is abortion
removal of a foetus from the womb to end a pregnancy before the child is born
What are the conditions for abortion in the UK
Allowed up to 24th week if 2 doctors agree that one of these apply:
- woman’s life is in danger
- risk to woman’s physical and mental health
- baby will have severe mental/physical disabilities
- additional children may have adverse effects on current family
What is sanctity of life
human life is sacred and is a gift from God which is to be respected and protected.
What is a quote to support sanctity of life and all life has purpose
‘ Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart’ Jeremiah 1:5
How does Christianity argue against abortion
- Evangelicals and Catholics believe life begins at conception so abortion is killing
- ‘thou shalt not kill’
- CofE and Methodist Church believe if it is rape or child would be severely disabled it is ‘the lesser of the 2 evils’
What is prolife
support Abortion Rights
What is prochoice
argue that abortion is murder
What are some arguments for pro choice
- womans life comes first
- woman goes through childbirth so she should have choice
- life doesn’t begin at conception
- cruel to bring disabled children into world
What are some arguments for pro life
- life begins at conception as all the DNA is present
- abortion is a form of murder
- unwanted children can be adopted
- disabled children can enjoy a good quality of life
