Religion and Life

Main features of Christian upbringing

• babies baptised and promise to bring up children to believe in God and be good Christians
• teach children to believe in God
• teach children to pry to God
• teach children to worship God at church
• send children to a Church school

Leading to a belief in God

• parents told them, they believe their parents
• pray to God, why waste time praying to nothing
• so many worshipping in church leads to belief
• taught God exists at Sunday school, believe their teachers

Numinous

• feeling of presence of God or awareness of a greater presence
• in a religious building or whilst looking up at the stars on a clear night

Conversion

• experience so great that people change lives and commit themselves to God
• God is calling them to do something

Miracle

• breaks laws of science and only explainable by God
• when only explanation is that it is a miracle

Prayer

• make contact with God and feels God listening
• answered prayers such as sick person recovering lead to belief

• anything that has been designed needs a designer
• evidence of world being designed such as DNA, gravity and magnetism
• if world has been designed, there must be a designer
• only possible of universe would be God
• appearence of design proves that God exists

• cause and effect are a basic feature of the world, any cause has an effect and any effect has a cause proved scientifically
• means universe, world and humans must have had a cause
• God is the only logical cause of the universe
• God must exist

• matter is eternal
• 15 million years ago the universe exploded, red shift in light shows universe expanding
• matter flying away fromed stars and our solar system
• gases on surface produced primative life
• genetic structure of primative lifeforms lead to evolution of humans about 2.5 million years ago

Leading to agnosticism or atheism

• science explains universe without God
• turn to agnosticism as no longer need God to explain why we are here
• atheism as if God existed, he made the world, but there is an explanation without God

Response one

• only God could make Big Bang at exactly right microsecond to form universe
• only God could make laws of gravity which matter needed to form solar system
• only God could make the gases rect in a way to form life

Response two

• when Adam was made it would have looked billions of years old
• science is wrong and the Bible is right as word of God (creationism)

Response three

• both science and Bible are correct
• main points fit with science and one God day could be millions of years

• when they do not feel God's presence they don't feel that anyone is listening to prayers
• unaswered prayers lead to disbelief even more so
• if praying for a child to be cured of cancer and no answer they will stop believing
• God could not exist if he let this happen

• selfish prayers are answered in different ways such as not helping to pass a test
• God has different plans, such as wanting someone to enter heaven
• God loves people so will answer in the best possible way, not always directly
• answered in the best way for the person praying, not always as expected

• if God is omnipotent he must be able to remove evil and suffering
• if God is omni-benevolent he must want to remove evil and suffering
• if God exists there should be no evil and suffering
• there is evil and suffering, God either doesn't exist or isn't omnipotent / omni-benevolent
• if omniscient he must have known evils and sufferings that would have been created
• evil and suffering challenges belief in God
• evil and suffering becomes a problem if experienced such as their child dying in earthquake

Response one

• God must have a reson so should follow Jesus and fight against evil and suffering
• praying for those who suffer or become doctors / social workers

Response two

• evil and suffering are due to people misusing their free will

Response three

• life is preparation for paradise
• part of a test by God to improve souls and become good people

Response four

• people cannot understand God because he is divine

Why Christians believe in life after death

• Jesus rose from the dead in Gospels and New Testament
• St Paul teaches that people will have a resurrection
• major creeds teach that Jesus rose from dead and they must believe creeds
• Christian Churches teach life after death
• gives life meaning and purpose because they will be judged and rewarded

How it affects their lives

• try to live good Christian lives and follow Bible and the Church
• love God and praying / worshipping God every day
• loving neighbour is helping anyone in need so join charities such as CAFOD
• sin prevents heaven, so will not commit any sins

Why they beilieve in life after death

• teaching of Tenakh which is inspired by God
• teaching of Talmud, which is teaching of rabbis
• one of Thirteen Principles of Faith, which is part of Jewish creed
• gives life a meaning, they will be judged and rewarded

How it affects their lives

• God decides what happens based on how they live so try good Jewish lives
• observe Torah, halakhah, pray three times a day, fast on Yom Kippur, and other festivals
• follow mitzvot such as kosher and dress laws
• Orthodox Jews confess sins before death and keep shiva so aware of death
• gives life a meaning and purpose so less chance of depression

Near-death experiences

• clinically dead and comes back to life
• feelings of peace, floating and bright light

Evidence for a spirit world

• mediums claim to communicate with spirit world from our material world
• gives information from relatives that would be impossible without contact

Evidence of reincarnation

• Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists believe in reincarnation and have evidence
• people remembering previous lives

• if no God, there is no spirit world for this to happen in
• religions all contradict each other, if real they would say the same thing
• holy books contradict each other and you cannot decide which are true or false
• paranormal has been challenged by scientists
• mind and soul live on without body, mind cannot live without brain so it must die too
• no place for heaven as shown in space expeditions
• people brought up by atheists will not believe

Why abortion is a controversial issue

• life begins at moment of conception, so it is murder
• life begins when foetus can live outside of mothers, so it is not murder
• women has a right to do what she wants with her body, no different from unwanted tumour
• unborn's right to life outweighs the mothers rights
• time limit should be reduced to 18 or 20 weeks due to medical advances
• should medical staff have to carry out abortions

Catholic Church and Evangelical Protestant Churches

• life belongs to God so only he can end pregnancy
• life begins at conception so is murder and banned in Ten Commandments
• follow teaching of Catholic Catechism that it is murder
• Counselling, help and adoption can help sufferers of **** to make good of evil

Liberal Protestants

• life does not begin at conception
• Jesus' command to love thy neighbour means they should remove suffering
• sanctity of life broken in wars so why not abortion
• medical test show medical problems in babies so abortions should be allowed

Some Jews

• life begins at conception so is murder
• sanctity of life, only God can take a life

Many Jews

• sanctity of life so abortion is wrong
• Torah allows killing in self-defence, so allowed if mothers life is at risk

Some Jews

• Torah says life begins when foetus can survive on its own
• Torah says Jews must prevent suffering
• self-defence argument

Remain illegal

• doubt over if it is what a person really wants
• disease could not end life if a cure is found
• doctors save lives not end them, makes them untrustworthy
• people could change their mind too late
• have to check if they really wanted and needed it

Be made legal

• discoveries mean people are being made to live in agony and have the right to die
• doctors switch off life support machine and let people in comas die already
• have right to commit suicide so should ask doctors if too weak to do it themselves
• judges have said that doctors can stop treatment

Catholics and Liberal Protestants

• sanctity of life means only God can take a life
• euthanasia is murder and banned by Ten Commandments
• brain-dead means thay have already died so switching off is what God decided
• painkillers that kill the person is not murder as you intended to remove their pain

Some Christians

• take Bible literally and Bible forbids suicide
• includes switching off life-support, refusal or extraordinary treatment and painkillers
• all forms are murder and banned in Decalogue
• sanctity of life

A few Christians

• medical advances mean we are unsure of God's wishes are
• Jesus taught to love you neighbour and is most loving thing to do
• basic human right to have control of your body

Many Jews

• Torah bans suicide
• voluntary euthanasia is same as assisted suicide
• euthanasia is murder and banned by Ten Commandments
• Tenakh says sanctity of life

Some Jews

• some rabbis say switching of life-support for brain dead is not euthanasia
• if brain-dead, God has already taken their life
• keeping someone alive stops God from taking their soul

Media should not be free to criticise religions

• stirring up religious hatred and banned by Racial and Religious Hatred Act of 2007
• freedom should be limited due to offence caused (riots in 2006)
• close to crime of blasphemy
• based on what God says and beyond human criticism

Media should be free to criticise religions

• freedom of expression is basic human right and people need to know what is happening
• religious leaders use media to make statements so should prepare for criticism
• multi-faith society means media has right to criticise religious beliefs
• life and death issues are important but everyone needs to know the full story before deciding

How attitudes have changed

• people have sex before marriage
• couples cohabit rather than marry
• average marriage age has increased
• most marriages do not take place in a church
• more divorce so more single-parents and re-constituted families
• more extended families with mothers in paid employment
• children being brought up by cohabiting families
• society treats homosexual and heterosexual sex the same
• two people of the same sex can now form a civil partnership

Cohabitation and marriage

• contraception makes sex safer before marriage
• fewer people went to church so not discouraged from sex
• media and celebrities make cohabitation look respectable
• media showed sex out of marriage look normal

Divorce

• new laws made divorce cheaper and easier
• increased equality for women means they divorce husbands if treated badly
• women no longer depend on husbands wages but are financially independent
• change in how long people are going to be married

Family life

• more families with unmarried parents
• increase in divorce means more re-constituted families
• mothers in paid employment with retired grandparents to look after children
• increase in divorce means more single-parent families

Homosexuality

• easier to be openly homosexual due to awareness
• medical research shows it is natural leading to acceptance
• media coverage of gay celebrities means greater acceptance
• gay rights organisations means greater acceptance of equal rights

• God gave us sex for procreation of children to be brought up Christian
• Bible says sex out of marriage is sinful
• Catechism says pre-marital sex is wrong
• against adultery as it breaks wedding vows
• adultery banned in Ten Commandments
• adultery condemned by Jesus

• forbidden by Torah
• Talmud says sex should only take place in marriage
• sex is for procreation
• adultery banned by Ten Commandments
• adultery breaks marriage contract that both adults signed up to
• adultery harms family as children should learn about Judaism

Catholic Church

• allow civil divorce but cannot re-marry as still married in the eyes of the Church
• Jesus taught divorce is wrong
• couple has made covenant with God which cannot be broken
• Catechism teaches a marriage cannot be dissolved
• no re-marriage as there can be no religious divorce so it would be bigamy
• allowed annulment when they can prove there was no real Christian marriage

Non-Catholic Church

• allow divorced people to remarry
• Jesus allowed divorce in Matthew 19:9 for adultery
• in broken marriages effects of not divorcing would be a greater evil
• can be forgiven and given another chance if they repent and confess sins
• better to divorce than live in hatred and quarrel

Some Jews

• Talmud teaches divorce is an offence to God
• children need to be brought up as good followers or Judaism for faith to survive
• rabbis have taught that divorce is wrong because of harm it causes family

Orthodox Jews

• Torah has various statements that permit divorce
• marriage in Judaism is a contract that can be broken in circumstances
• halakhah says only men can apply to Bet Din for a get

Reform Jews

• Torah and halakhah need interpreting to fit modern life
• men and women should have equal rights in religion and divorce
• divorce is lesser evil than living in hatred and bitterness

• purpose of marriage is to bring up children in Christian environment to become good
• teaches that family was created by God as the basis of society
• teaching on divorce shows that family is too important to be broken
• without it, children wouldn't learn right from wrong
• important as it brings children into the faith

• mitzvot for Jewish people to marry and have children
• only children of married Jewish parents are automaticallyJewish so no continuation
• children will not learn the difference between right and wrong
• where Shabbat is observed and festivals celebrated
• importance is commanded in the Ten Commandments

Catholic

• Bible condemns homosexual sexual activity
• tradition of Church that sex is for procreation
• teaching of Magisterium and discrimination is like racism and sinful
• Church teaches you cannot control orientation but control sexual activity

Evangelical Protestant

• Bible says it is a sin
• salvation of Christ removes all sins including homosexuality
• all Churches have taught that homosexuality is wrong

Liberal Protestant

• Bible condemning it shows beliefs of thime rather than wishes of God
• major belief in love and acceptance means they must be accepted
• if they feel Holy Spirit they must be accepted
• Christians should be open and honest, you should have to pretend if you are gay

Orthodox Jew

• Torah condemns homosexual activity
• Torah and Talmud declare that only lawful sex is with man and woman
• sexual activity should be done for procreation
• mitzvot to marry and raise a family

Liberal or Reform Jew

• Torah should be re-interpreted in the light of modern society
• scientifically proven to be natural so given by God
• treat others as they would like to be treated themselves
• labelling as wrong can lead to evils of racism

Catholic Church

• Pope Pius XI condemned all artificial contraception
• Pope Pius XII said natural methods were allowed
• Pope Paul VI and Catechism said only form are natural methods
• Church says sex should be unitive and creative
• some contraceptives bring about early abortions
• leads to promiscuity, broken families and STDs

Non-Catholic Christians

• Christianity is love and justice and contraceptives improve female health and living standards
• God created sex for enjoyment and to strengthen the marriage
• Bible doesn't forbid contraception
• Church of England said it can be used to limit family size
• condoms are the best way to combat HIV/AIDS

Ultra Orthodox Jews

• God's command to be fruitful meant large families
• Torah says sperm is sacred and not to be killed
• rabbis teach sex created to create children

Orthodox Jews

• Torah, Talmud and rabbis teach that health of the mother comes first
• femal contraceptives don't kill sperm
• mitzvot to have family and having two children obeys that

Liberal or Reform Jews

• God expects people to use technology to prevent unwanted things happening
• Torah needs updating and contraception should be available to men and women
• better than having unwanted children

• women can now keep property seperate from their husbands
• women can vote and become MPs
• women can recieve the same pay as men for the same work
• 1975 - Sex Discrimination Act
• women still do most of the housework

Why attitudes have changed

• suffragette movement showed they were no longer second class citizens
• world wars saw women taking on and outdoing the men at male jobs
• development of equal rights in others countries
• social and industrial developments in 50s and 60s meant more workers
• feminist movement
• Labour governments of 1964-70 and 1974-9

Traditional Protestants

• in Bible, St Paul says women should not speak or teach in church
• St Paul says men have more rights because Adam was created first
• Jesus had women followers but only men as twelve apostles
• tradition of Church than only men are leaders

Modern Protestants

• male and female created at the same time in God's image so of equal status
• Paul teaches men and women are equal in Christ
• women disciples stayed ant cross and first to see Jesus, also some female priests

Catholic Church

• male and female created at the same time in God's image so of equal status
• teaching of Catechism that they are equal
• male priests as apostles were men and priests successors of apostles
• male priests as Jesus was a man and they represent Jesus in Mass

Orthodox Jews

• women keep kosher home and sit seperately from men in synagogue
• teaching of Torah, Talmud and rabbis
• mitzvot only applies to men so cannot have equal rights
• women cannot form a minyan so cannot have equal rights
• women cannot be witnesses in a Bet Din court so cannot be equal in Jewish laws

Liberal or Reform Jews

• male and female created at the same time in God's image so of equal status
• Torah needs to be interpreted for todays world
• denying equal rights is saying God prefers men to women
• Judaism should relate to attitudes of the modern world

The benefits of a multi-ethnic society

• different ethnic groups get to know each other and intermarry
• more progress made with new people and ideas of doing things
• life is more interesting with a greater variety of food and culture
• aids people working in multi-national companies and economic interdependence

• prejudiced employers won't give jobs to certain ethnic groups or religious groups
• prejudiced landlords refuse accomodation
• prejudiced teachers mean students don't achieve the results they should
• prejudiced police officers stop and search people for no reason

Effects

• people are treated unfaurly and begin to work against the society
• politicians think young black people turn to crime as they can't get well-paid jobs later
• young Muslims turn to extremist groups as no chance of success in British society
• BNP stirring up hatred and violence

• making community cohesion part of National Curriculum
• appointing cabinet ministers from ethnic minorities
• Race Relations Act nakes discrimination unlawful
• Crime and Disorder Act means racial hatred crimes are severely punished
• Racial and Rligious Hatred Act banned threatening words
• Equality andHuman Rights Commission which rids discrimination for good relations

Why it's important

• different groups have different ideas leading to violence and rioting (Oldham 2001)
• 7 July 2007 bombers had lost allegience to Britain
• without it, violence becomes a way of life
• impossible to co-operate the way modern civilised living needs

What

• avoiding bad effects of prejudice and discrimination and encourage groups to work together
• ensure respect and loyal citizens in same society

• Parable of Good Samaritan, Jesus showed that races should love each other as neighbours
• Jesus treated people of different races the same
• St Paul had vision saying not to discriminate as he favours no races
• St Paul taught all races are equal in Christ since God created all races in his image
• Christian Church has members from all races (70% are non-white)
• Christian Churches made statements condemning racism

• Torah teaches racial harmony as all humand traced back to Adam and Eve
• rabbis teach God is one and humanity is one as created by one God
• Tenakh teaches God cares for the oppressed and wants justice in the world
• special responsibility to show God's laws and responsibility

Benefits of living in a multi-faith society

• can learn about other religions and what they have in common
• some may practise their own religion more seriously after seeing other religions
• people understand why people have different beliefs and take their own seriously
• people become more understanding and respectful
• religious freedom will help stop religious conflicts
• people think more as they come across new ideas

Conversion

• believe their religion is the only true religion
• believe the only way for followers of others religions to get to heaven is by converting them
• holy book teaches them they should convert non-believers
• conversion is discriminating against other religions
• cannot say another religion is wrong without researching it
• trying to convert can lead to arguments and violence

Bringing up children

• religions encourage parents to bring up their children as that religion
• religions teach only people who follow their religion have a good life after death
• social and peer pressure means parents force children to stay in the faith
• children in state schools are tempted towards a non-religious life

Interfaith marriages

• both couples have to be members of same religion to have religious ceremony
• which religion the children will be brought up as
• what will happen to the couple after death
• parents and relatives often feel betrayed

• working to discover what is the same about religions
• helping with interfaith marriage
• making sure that all children learn about different faiths
• joining local and national groups to promote community cohesion