Religious attitudes towards Death and the Elderly Flashcards
(31 cards)
What is Sanctity of Life?
Christian and Muslim belief that all life is a sacred gift from God.
What is Quality of Life?
The measurement of fulfillment.
What is Death?
The end of life, which can be determined in several ways but normally when the brain stops functioning.
What is Heaven?
A state of being with God after death (Christian and Muslim).
What is Hell?
A state of being without God (or with the Devil) after death (Christian and Muslim).
What is Purgatory?
A time of spiritual cleansing and preparation for Heaven (Catholic).
What is Reincarnation?
Being born again in another form. (Sikh and Hindu).
What is Rebirth?
Continuing life in another form (Buddhist).
What is Ageism?
Prejudice and discrimination against the elderly.
What is Euthanasia?
Inducing a painless death, by agreement and with compassion, to ease suffering. Not legal in the UK but legal in Holland.
What is Voluntary Euthanasia?
A person gives consent to die.
What is Non- Voluntary Euthanasia?
A person is not able to give consent to die (Coma, Child, Paralysed).
What is Passive Euthanasia?
When the patient dies because the medical professionals either don’t do something necessary to keep the patient alive, or when they stop doing something to keep a person alive (switch off life-support machines, disconnect a feeding tube, don’t carry out a life-extending operation, don’t give life extending drugs).
What is Active Euthanasia?
When the medical professionals, or another person, do something that causes a person to die (lethal injection, administer a deadly amount of drugs).
What is Assisted Suicide?
A person gives another person the means (e.g. lethal drug) to end their own life. Illegal in UK but legal in Holland and Switzerland.
What is a Hospice?
A place where terminally ill people, and their families , go for support and to end their lives. E.g. Acorns, St Richard’s Hospice.
What is Palliative Care?
Care that does not cure but will make an ill person more comfortable.
What is Ordinary Means?
Someone is kept alive using drugs, care and food for example.
What is Extra- Ordinary Means?
A person is kept alive of life support machines, very expensive operations for example.
What quotes from Joseph Fletcher can be applied to death and the elderly?
“Do the most loving thing”
“Quality of life is more important than mere length of life … Something no life is better”
What quotes from The Bible can be applied to death and the elderly?
"Honour your Mother and Father" "God gives life and God takes life away" "If anyone who does not care for his relatives ... is worse than an unbeliever" "Love thy neighbour" "You shall not murder"
What quotes from The Qur’an can be applied to death and the elderly?
“Heaven and Earth belong to Allah, he creates what he pleases”
“Take not life - which Allah has made sacred - except for just cause”
“Cherish the elderly as they cherished you in childhood”
What are the problems faced by the elderly?
- Often elderly people rely on state pensions which can lead to great financial difficulty.
- Many elderly people feel undervalued and would prefer to continue to work to keep their mind and body active.
- They my face loneliness, especially if their husband or wife dies. More than 2 million elderly people live alone in the UK.
- With old age come problems with ill health.
- Elderly people may be less mobile and rely on other people to get around.
- They may feel worthless as they are no longer able to work.
What do Muslims believe about caring for the elderly?
Muslims believe that serving one’s parents is a duty second only to prayer and so the strain of caring for one’s parents in this most difficult time of their lives is considered an honour and blessing.
The Qur’an says you should “cherish the elderly as they cherished you in childhood”.
