Theme B: Religion and Life

Question 1

Christian creation account

Answer 1

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” - Bible
“The Earth is the Lord’s and everything in it” - Bible (can be used for stewardship as it shows the world is sacred)

Question 2

Messages of the Genesis Creation Account

Answer 2

God is the sole and omnipotent Creator and God sustains it
The trinity was active prior to Earth’s creation and so created the world
God created an ordered and peaceful world
Every aspect of God’s creation was good and fulfilled his purposes for it
Humans have stewardship over Earth and so should protect it

Question 3

Interpretations of the Genesis Creation Account

Answer 3

Fundamentalist view: The world was created in 6 exact 24 periods and so the Big Bang theory is wrong
Non-literal view: God created the universe and the time frame in which he did was adapted so humans could understand it (6 periods of time rather than 6 days)
Mythic view: The idea that God created the world, but the Genesis account is a story to give a moral to Christians to follow

Question 4

Muslim creation account

Answer 4

“God created the heavens and the earth in six days” - Qur’an
There is no mention of a rest day unlike the Bible, and no specification of what happened on each day unlike the Bible
Muslims believe that God’s work and creation never ends as it continues with every new birth and every new seed that grows: “Vegetation comes out of good land in abundance, by the will of its Lord” - Qur’an

Question 5

Scientific creation theory

Answer 5

The Big Bang theory

Question 6

Religious relationship with Big Bang

Answer 6

“The Big Bang does not contradict the divine act of creation, rather it requires it” - Pope Francis

Question 7

The value of the world

Answer 7

The creation accounts make clear that the world is of great value, created and owned by God
Both also state that humans have a responsibility to look after it

Question 8

Awe and wonder

Answer 8

Often from natural beauty, such as waterfalls or sunsets
“For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature” - Bible
Christians and Muslims see this as evidence that the world was created by God
“The Earth is the Lord’s and everything in it” - Bible
“The spirit of God hovered over the waters” - Bible
“The skies proclaim the work of His hand” - Bible

Question 9

Stewardship (Khalifah in Islam)

Answer 9

We do not own the world as it is a sacred gift from God, but we have been given the power to rule over it and the responsibility to look after it well
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” - Bible
“It is He who has made you successors on the earth” - Qur’an
“The Earth is the Lord’s and everything in it” - Bible (can be used for stewardship as it shows the world is sacred)

Question 10

Dominion

Answer 10

“Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground” - Bible
A minority of Christians have interpreted this as meaning that people can do what they like with the world and everything in it because they are in charge

Question 11

The world belongs to God

Answer 11

“The Earth is the Lord’s and everything in it” - Bible

Question 12

Protecting the environment from abuse

Answer 12

“Do not seek from it more than what you need” - Hadith
“Allah does not love those who overstep the limits” - Qur’an
“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed” - Mahatma Gandhi
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” - Bible

Question 13

Types of pollution

Answer 13

Air pollution: caused mainly by fumes from factories and vehicles. Long term exposure can lead to lung diseases
Land pollution: caused by the ineffective disposal of waste. When chemicals enter the earth, this can poison wildlife, making farming less efficient and causing contaminated food
Water pollution: caused by dumping waste in the sea. It causes damage to the ecosystems of the ocean, for example the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 released 750 million litres of oil into the sea killing thousands of animals

Question 14

Reasons supporting animal experimentation

Answer 14

Sikhs believe in sewa (service), which means it is acceptable to test medicine on animals, so it benefits the quality of life for many people
“Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground” - Bible
The Roman Catholic Church accepts experiments on animals “with reasonable limits” and only if it is “caring for or saving human lives”

Question 15

Reasons against animal experimentation

Answer 15

“Every human act of irresponsibility towards creatures is an abomination” - Christian Assisi declaration on nature
Animal Aid is against animal experimentation: “Animal Aid opposes animal experiments on both moral and scientific grounds. Animals are not laboratory tools”
“The righteous care for the needs of their animals” - Bible
God gave humans stewardship over the world so humans should care for animals (any quotes on stewardship)

Question 16

Reasons supporting animals for food

Answer 16

“Everything that lives and moves will be food for you” - Bible
“The one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them” - Bible (Christians have the choice to be meat-eaters, vegetarians or vegans, and their choice should be respected)
Muslims are only allowed to eat meat (except pork) that has been killed according to the Shari’ah law
“Eat [meat] over which Allah’s name has been mentioned” - Qur’an (Halal meat only)
“It is God who provides livestock for you, some for riding and some for your food” - Qur’an (eating meat is permitted)

Question 17

Reasons against animals for food

Answer 17

“The one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them” - Bible (Christians have the choice to be meat-eaters, vegetarians or vegans, and their choice should be respected)
Hindus and Buddhists believe in Ahimsa (non-violence), so some will be vegetarian/vegan
The duty of stewasdship (any quotes on stewardship and non-violence)
“The righteous care for the needs of their animals” - bible

Question 18

Christian views on the origin of human life

Answer 18

Fundamentalist view: every word about the origin of human life in the Genesis account is true. This view shows that the Theory of Evolution and the Genesis account are not compatible
Liberal view: Genesis is not an exact account but a parable or symbolic story, designed to show humans that they are very special to God. This view shows that the Theory of Evolution and Genesis account may be compatible

Question 19

Quotes for the origin of human life

Answer 19

“The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” - Bible
“He first created man from clay” - Qur’an

Question 20

Humans created in the image of God

Answer 20

“God created humans in his image, in the image of God he created them” - Bible

Question 21

Religious relationship with evolution

Answer 21

“Evolution is not inconsistent with belief in God” - Pope Francis

Question 22

Sanctity of life

Answer 22

“Do not take life, which God has made sacred” - Qur’an
Life is sacred as it is holy and given by God

Question 23

God deciding life and death

Answer 23

“I bring death and I give life” - Bible
“No soul may die except with God’s permission at a predestined time” - Qur’an
“I, your God, give life and only I take it away” - Bible

Question 24

The legal position on abortion

Answer 24

Before 1967, abortion was legal in the UK
Under the 1990 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, abortion is currently allowed up to the 24th week of pregnancy if two doctors agree that one of the following conditions apply:
The woman’s life is in danger if the pregnancy continues
There is a risk to the woman’s physical and mental health
There is a significant risk that the baby will be born with severe physical or mental disabilities
An additional child may affect the physical or mental health of the existing children in the family
The woman has been raped

Question 25

Christian views on abortion

Answer 25

Because of the sanctity of life, abortion could never be allowed (except to save the mother’s life) Where the quality of the child’s life would be very poor, abortion may be the lesser of two evils Life begins at conception - so abortion destroys something sacred and should never be allowed "I, your God, give life and only I take it away" - Bible If the mother was raped, then abortion may be the lesser of two evils (Liberal view) Abortion goes against "Be fruitful and multiply" - Bible “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart” - Bible

Question 26

Muslim views on abortion

Answer 26

For many Muslims, abortion is generally haram but if both lives are at risk the mother’s life takes priority The Qur’an forbids abortion if the parents cannot afford another child “If anyone kills a person, it is as if he kills all of mankind” - Qur'an “Do not kill your children for fear of poverty, killing them is a great sin” - Qur'an "No soul may die except with God's permission at a predestined time" - Qur'an

Question 27

Types of euthanasia

Answer 27

Voluntary euthanasia: when a person asks a doctor by choice to end their life as they do not wish to live anymore Non-voluntary euthanasia: when a person is too ill to request to die, but a doctor ends their life as it is thought to be in the best interest of the person Involuntary euthanasia: when a person's life is ended against their will (even if they do't want to, meaninfg this can be seen as murder) Active euthanasia: ending a life by deliberate action, e.g. lethal injection Passive euthanasia: allowing a terminally ill or incurably ill person to die by withdrawing or withholding medical treatment

Question 28

The legal position on euthanasia

Answer 28

Euthanasia is illegal in the UK

Question 29

Christian beliefs about euthanasia

Answer 29

Many Christians believe that taking a life is interfering with God’s plan. They think euthanasia is comparable to murder, and it is against the sanctity of life as only God has the right to end a person’s life "I, your God, give life, and only I take it away" - Bible Some Christians do support euthanasia as they believe that God has given everyone free will so one should be able to choose when they want to die "Clothe yourselves with compassion" - Bible (if someone is suffering, you should end it through euthanasia as that shows compassion)

Question 30

Muslim beliefs about euthanasia

Answer 30

Muslims believe that euthanasia is strictly prohibited, and only God is allowed to cause death “Do not take life, which God has made sacred” - Qur'an "It is Allah who gives life and causes death" - Qur'an "No soul may die except with God's permission at a predestined time" - Qur'an

Question 31

Death and the afterlife

Answer 31

Christians and Muslims believe that death is not the end and that God judges whether a person should go to hell or not (Catholics also believe in purgatory, a waiting state between death and judgement) Some believe in immediate judgment; others believe that we have to wait until the Day of Judgment (Islam) and the return of Jesus (Christianity) Hindus and Buddhists believe that the soul (atman) is reincarnated in a new body after death depending on your actions (more sin = worse body e.g. an animal body), and their goal is to become close enough to God to leave the cycle of life-death-rebirth (samsara) and achieve enlightenment (moksha in Hinduism), which is the state of being one with God and knowing the full truth about everything

Question 32

Heaven (Jannah in Islam)

Answer 32

Christians believe that heaven is indescribably wonderful and is where God resides "He [Jesus] was taken up to heaven to be with God" - Bible “Wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” - Bible (describes heaven) Muslims believe that whoever receives their book of deeds in their right hand on the Day of Judgement will enter heaven They believe that it is an eternal beautiful garden of physical and spiritual pleasure and delights "They will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and pearl, and their garments therein with silk" - Qur'an

Question 33

Hell (Jahannam in Islam)

Answer 33

The Bible says that hell was originally designed for Satan and his demons. “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” - Bible It is described as a place of punishment for the unrighteous and a place of torment The Qur’an describes hell using vivid imagery of a blazing fire and terrible punishment "They will dwell amid scorching winds and scalding waters in the shadow of black smoke, neither cool nor refreshing" - Qur'an People that do not follow Islam will suffer both physical and spiritual torture Muslims believe that Muslims who have not done enough good will stay until they are allowed into paradise, non-believers (not Islam) are believed to stay in hell forever

Question 34

Another quote supporting euthanasia

Answer 34

"Love's decisions are made situationally" - Joseph Fletcher, Situational Ethics

Question 35

Hindu views on abortion

Answer 35

"Those who carry out abortions are amongst the worst of sinners" - Arthava Veda Some believe is allowed if the mother's life is at risk as the mother's life takes priority