THEME B- religion and life and THEME C- existence of God and revelation

Question 1

Give 2 different beliefs about creation (5)

Answer 1

• liberal= spiritually true- “God created the world in 6 days”- actually 6 epochs of time not 6x24 hours
• fundamentalist= literally true- “God created the world in 6 days”- actually 6x24 hours

Question 2

Give two beliefs from different religions about protecting the environment (5)

Answer 2

• Christianity- dominion- “rule over the fish of the sea”, “subdue it”
• Hinduism- ahimsa- karma- moksha- “he who so enjoys his gift, yet gives nothing, is a thief” (Bhagavad Gita)

Question 3

‘Animal Experimentation is good’ Evaluate (12)

Answer 3

FOR
-life saving medicines- “the use of animal testing to save human lives is a moral good” (James Panton)
-dominion- “rule over the birds in the sky” (Gen)
AGAINST
-some humans aren’t self conscious- test them- “if slaughter houses had glass walls everyone would be vegetarian” (Paul McCartney)
-stewardship- all made from “dust” (Gen)

Question 4

‘Abortion is never OK’ Evaluate (12)

Answer 4

FOR
-sanctity of life “in the image of God” (Gen 1:26)
-alive before conception- “before i formed to in the womb i knew you” (Jeremiah)
AGAINST
-“Atman… does not die when the body dies” (Kathy Upanishad)
-Thomas Aquinas’ doctrine of double effect- ectopic pregnancy
-Judith Jarvis Thompson- women have right to defend life and own body

Question 5

‘Euthanasia is OK’ Evaluate (12)

Answer 5

FOR
-more compassionate- “do to others as you would have them do to you” (Matthew)
-“atman does not die when the body dies” (Katha Upanishad)
AGAINST
-God has control- “the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away” (Job 1)
-Cecily Saunders- “seen people achieve so much at the end of their life”- hospice movement

Question 6

‘There is an afterlife’ Evaluate (12)

Answer 6

FOR
-Jesus’ resurrection and ascension “I am the resurrection and the afterlife, he who believes in me shall live, even though they die” (John)
-“the son of man comes in all his glory… to separate one from another as a shepherd does with the sheep and goats” (Matthew)- judge
AGAINST
-“the bodied soul takes on new forms when it discards the worm out ones that die” (Bhagavad Gita)
-no proof “it is wrong for a man to say that he is certain of any objective proof unless he can provide evidence to justify that certainty” (T.X.Huxley)

Question 7

‘God created the universe’ Evaluate (12)

Answer 7

FOR
-design argument- Paley- “like effects have like causes”- dominoes
-Cosmological Argument- Steven Hawking- “things seem to have been finely adjusted to make like possible”
AGAINST
-AJ Ayer- we have no experience of designed and not designed universes
-David Hume’s inconsistent triad
-Darwinian evolution= explanation for complexity

Question 8

‘Revelation is a way of seeing God’ Evaluate (12)

Answer 8

FOR
-conversion of St. paul (Acts) “I am Jesus, who you are persecuting” “he was baptised”
-Paley- through nature you see complexity so God made it
AGAINST
-Karl Barth- if you look in nature for God, you project your own human terms- not obvious
-dreams for William James’ criteria for special revelation (transcience, noetics, ineffability, passivity)
-mis diagnosis- scientifically explicable

Question 9

‘Science and Religion are never compatible’ Evaluate (12)

Answer 9

FOR
-the bible is just based on belief whereas evolution and the big bang theory are based on fact- “the universe has a radius of 13.1bn light years” “God said ‘let there be light’ and there was light” (Genesis)
-evolution says simple to complex “evolved from simple molecules”, Genesis- “God said ‘let there be light’ and there was light”
AGAINST
-“no one knows what caused the Big Bang” -God?
-science says how- “evolved from simple molecules” bible says why- “made the sky to separate the earth”