Dialogue between religious and non-religious attitudes Flashcards
(34 cards)
What are some of the ways Christian traditions are evident in British society?
- school terms are arranged around Christian festivals
- The Christian calendar influences other British traditions, like Valentine’s day, Pancake Day, Halloween
- week has 7 days; reflect biblical story of creation
- sunday: Christian day of rest, restrictions of how long shops are open
What are the trends of Religion in England?
- although the traditions and values of Britain derive from Christians beliefs and teachings
- 2011: 59% Christian 5% muslim 24% no religion
- 2021: 46% Christian 7% muslim 37% no religion
- Church of England is established Church, with strong links to the state (gvt institutions)
- “This is a Christian country”
Who is the Monarch? What is their role?
- Head of State of the UK, ‘defender of the faith’ ‘his majesty’ ‘head of the commonwealth’
- monarch promises to ‘maintain the Church of England’
- Current role as supreme governor: approve the appointment of senior clerics on the recommendation of the PM; open new sessions of the Synod, (governing body of Church) who has power to propose laws
- keep the vows made at his or her coronation to maintain the Church
What is the role of the Church in the different countries within the UK?
- Wales: felt the C of E was marginalising the Church of England, so disestablished
- Scotland: Church of Scotland, Presbyterian
- N Ireland: Church of Ireland is Anglican Church, disestablished, independence from monarchy and state
What is the role of religion in public life (law making, parliament) ?
- Bishops in the House of Lords: holding gvt accountable for actions, spendings, making laws. none of lords are elected
- there are arguments about this: where secularists call for more religious representation or none in the House of Lords
What is the role of the Church, in regards to Christian key events, rites of passage?
- Rites of passage: ceremonies to mark events of milestones
- Baptism, celebrate birth of baby
- Marriage,
- Funerals, remember death of loves ones
- not confined to Christians
What are the British public holidays based on Christian celebrations?
- public holidays are when most businesses close
- Good Friday, remembers the death of Jesus
- Easter Monday; emphasises belief in Jesus
- Christmas Day; birth of Jesus
What are Church Schools?
- C of E was responsible for eduaction historically
- 1/3 of state funded schools are faith schools, which have ‘religious character’
- 1 in 6 schools selects some or all of their pupils by religion
- regardless by law, all pupils must be taught religious education, and provde daily act of worship (more than half to be Christian)
What are different views on Church schools?
- if Churches want faith schools, they should fund them themselves
- unfair to not allow children to attend local school because of relgious views
- Faith schools select pupils from wealthiest families
- religious groups contribute 10% of costs of faith schools, so they are paying for public education
- if some religious families more wealthy, more taxes
- parents should be able to choose schools for children to share their own values
What is secularisation and the evidence for it today?
- idea that religious beliefs, practices, organisations are becoming less important in society.
- religious teachings no longer respected
- people rely on matieral comforts for hapiness, less need to believe in supernatural ideas
- religions is a more private matter
- people are less committed to religious values and practices
- religion has become a leisure pursuit than than deep commitment
- fewer people attend Church, less get married, baptised, losing significance of festivals
What is the place of religion in a secular society? What are the effects of secularisation on religion? (rationalisation, differentiation)
- majority of population still agrees ‘Church of England should keep its offical status as the official established Church in England’
- decline of religiion occcurs as a soceity develops and modernises
- rationalisation: people use science to explain the universe, rejecting religion which cant be proved
- differentiation: public servcies now run by nonreligious organisations
- decline of community
Do all people agree secularisation is taking place?
- people still do hold religious beliefs
- religion is important in lives of many social groups
- new religious movements, more conversions
What is humanism and its principles?
Humanism is a way of seeing and reacting to the world using science, logical and reason, rejecting religious beliefs and ideas.
- scientific view of uinverse, rejecting supernatural beliefs
- concern for welfare of other human beings based on reason
- need for each perso to create meaning of their own life without belief in life after death
- British Humanist associaton, campaigning to disestablish CofE
What are the clashes in the education sector between religious and secular values? What are the aims of religious education?
aim of religious education:
- reflect on the truth claims of Christian belief
- see how truth of Christianity is relevent today
- understand how religious faith sustains pupils in difficult circumstances
in catholic schools, the aim:
- enabling pupils to relate faith to daily life
- making ppuils aware of demands of religious committment
National secular society its against the idea of the Stae promiting religion - humanist world views taught alongside religions, no religion having more importance
‘opportuniy for pupils to worship God’
‘right of children to freedom of belief’
What are the clashes of belief towards marriage? (civil marriage, same sex, divorce)
- for Christians, marriage is a special relationship between woman man and God
- civil mariage is the legally recognised union rather than with a minister, C of E don’t recognise this, that way marriage isnt sacramential
- same sex marriage is opposed by the Church of England, but recognises validity, Roman Catholic completely against, but legal in Britain, Marriage act 2013
- marriage can be legally dissolved through a divorce , but Catholic Church maintains permanancy of marriage, divorcees not allowed to remarry in Catholic Chruch
What are the clashes of belief towards anulment?
- procedure that cancels a marriage, 3 strict conditions
- marriage not conducted by a Catholic priest
- impediment was there (shouldn’t have been allowed to have been married)
- defect in the couple’s consent to marry
What are the responses to forced, arranged and child marriages? (+ anglican quote)
- arranged marriage are practiced by Christian societies to establish peaceful relations.
- Roman Catholic Chruch law requires consent to get married, same as Anglican “consensual marriage… right”
- forced marriage act 2007
- laws about marriage aren’t consistent, especially mimimum age, RC allows males to marry at16, women at14, but it is different in indivudal countries
What are the Christian attititudes to equality and clashes?
Christiniaty teaches all people are equal
- God created human race
- God plays a part in creation of each individual
- God loves each person and accepts them as they are
- God created human beings in his image “one in the messiah Jesus”
- Role of women in Church, now CofE allows women to be ordained as priests and bishops, but RC doesnt’, equaility act of 2010 doesn’t apply to Churches
- “women should remain silent in Church”
What are the types of euthanasia?
deliberate act of ending someone’s life to relieve them of suffering
- voluntary (requests), or involuntary (person unable to request, so someone else does)
- passive (withholding treatment to keep them alive) or active (deliberate)
What are clashes and attitudes towards euthanasia?
- assisted suicide is illegal under suicide act (active)
- public opinion is strongly in favour of euthanasia
- life is precious and sacred, sacntity of life in Christianty
- it is deliberate killing (thou shalt not murder)
- Christians have duty to care for those suffering
- Catholic Church, always wrong, only God has right to take a life, its a gift
- C of E, recognises importance of personal autonomu, but better to protect life over autonomy
- non r views; doctors duty to preservce life, regrets
- disagreements over right to die
- Quakers are split, but try to offer comfort
What are the attitudes towards abortion
- disagreements over when a life starts: conception or birth?
- Catholic believes it is never acceptable, but it is accepted to save the life of the mother, foetus a human at the moment of conception
- C of E are opposed, but some say in certain situations okay, e.g. womans death, baby disabled
What is the issues of genetic manipulation?
- it is making changes to organism’s genome
- theraputic cloning is making copes of a cell to cure someone of a medical condtition
- RC strongly against, delibarte destruction of embryos after stem cell removal is wrong
- C of E more cautious, embryo is human being, could be
issues of creating life?
two infertility treatments
- aritificial insemination, Cof E accepts it, but RC believes concepts should only happen through sexual union
- IVF, RC strongly opposes is, no act of love, concerns over spare embryos, C of E accepts it, but worries
What is exclusivism and the different types? (2 quotes)
- view only one religion is true, and others are false e.g. believe salvation only possible through faith of Jesus, non believers to go to hell
- “whoever believes…saved”
- intra faith exclusivism; RC- their exact denomination is the most correct “one Church”, Catholic and Protestant persecution of each other
- intra faith exclusivism, only their religion is correct
