Religion and Life

Do Christians believe that God made the Earth

• Fundamentalist Christians think that the universe was made by God 

• Proven in Genesis that God made the earth in six days and rested on the 7th

Do Liberal Christians think that God made the Earth

• Liberals think that the Bible is not fully true but the messages are important

• They think that God brought everything into the universe but may look to science to understand how

What is the Big Bang Theory

• Leading scientic explanation for how the universe began

• Proven by theories and models 

• Big Bang could have been God’s way of forming the Earth

What do Christians view the world as

A priceless gift from God, loaned to humans as a result of his love

what is stewardship

The belief that God has given humans the privilege of living on Earth, but with the responsibility of looking after it and preventing it from being ruined

What do humans get in return for being good stewards and looking after God’s world

We are able to use what is provided for our survival

What is dominion

Rule and authority over the world

Quote to support dominion

“Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky” - Genesis 1, Bible

disadvantages of dominion

A few Christians have interpreted dominion as doing what they want with the Earth which has resulted in the abuse of the environment

what is the widely held belief regarding dominion

• While a few Christians use dominion to abuse the Earth, most think differently

• The majority believe being in charge does not give people the right to spoil what God has made, as humans are only tenants of God's world

What have religous leaders done to help protect the environment

• Assisi Meeting in 1986 

• Initiated by Prince Philip

• Got together world leaders of five major religions 

• Discussed commitments towards protecting the natural world

Quote to support looking after the environment

“God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” - Genesis 2

What are some stats about the abuse of the environment

7.3 million hectares of forest are lost per year

What are some ways that we have attempted to help the environment

• Using renewable energy sources like wind, solar and wave

• However they don’t work 100% of the time

How can Christians help protect the environment

• Walking, cycling, using public transport

• Turning off lights and taps

• Reusing clothes and bags

• Recycling

How do Jews protect the environment

• Tikkun Olam = world repair

• Encourages eco friendly practices

Quote to support not polluting

• “Love thy neighbour” 

• Pollution harms other people and this is not loving thy neighbour

Quote to support stewardship

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

How are animals used by Christians? (Quote)

“Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you” - Genesis 9

Quote to support caring for animals

“The righteous care for the needs of their animals” - Proverbs

Should Christians eat meat? + Quote

Christians can be vegetarian or meat-eaters But they should not judge others’ decisions “The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not” - Romans

How were humans made according to Genesis 2

• Adam was formed by soil and God breathed life not him

• He was given the task of looking after the Garden of Eden

• God created animals and birds + helper for Adam

• Using one of Adam’s ribs, he made Eve

Do all Christians agree with Genesis 2 theory

• Some Christians believe that this story is literally true and that the whole human race is descended from A + E

• Others say the story is to show that humans are created in God’s own image

What do Christians believe about evolution

Fundamentalists think that God created each species separately  They accept adaptation but not evolution Some Chrstians think that God is the creator but still accept evolution.  They think that God designed the beginnings of life and set everything in motion to develop over the course of history

What is abortion

The removal of a foetus from the womb to end a pregnancy before the child is born

How many abortions took place in 2014 in the UK

180,000

What is the law concerning abortion in the UK

• Abortion is allowed up to the 24th week if two doctors agree that either

• the woman’s life is in danger,

• there is a risk to the woman’s physical and mental health,

• there is a risk that the baby will be born with severe physical or mental disabilities

Chrsitian view to oppose abortion - sanctity of life

• Life is sacred and only God can give or take it away

• “I bring death and I give life” - Deuteronomy

Christian view to oppose abortion - individuality

God gives each person a purpose in life before they are born He knows all of us “Before you were born I set you apart” - Jeremiah

Christian view to support abortion + which denominations

• CofE and Methodist think that abortion is often the lesser of two evils

• So they will allow it in cases of rape or if the quality of life of the baby will be very poor

What do Catholics think

• Abortion is a grave sin

• Life starts at conception so abortion is murder

• Only allow abortion if mother’s life is at risk

What is the Hindu view on abortion (non violence)

• They believe in non-violence 

• So usually they don’t do abortion because they want to choose the action that does the least harm to all involved

What is the Hindu view on abortion (souls)

• They think that a foetus is a reborn soul

• So you could be killing your reborn parent or priest

Jewish view on abortion - why is it done/not done + Quote

• Jews only allow abortion for very serious reasons

• They believe in the sanctity of life - “whoever destroys one life it is as if he destroyed a whole world” - Tenakh so therefore often oppose abortion

• Abortion is only done if the mother’s life is in danger, giving birth would cause her to commit suicide, or it was as a result of incest or rape and giving birth would cause distress to the mother

What are the types of euthanasia

• Voluntary - when person asks to end their life

• Non voluntary - when a person is too ill to request e.g. in a coma, but doctor ends their life

• Involuntary - when a person does not consent to ending their life but it is ended anyway

Active v passive euthanasia

• Active - steps are taken to end someone’s life e.g. giving them a lethal injection

• Passive - stop providing treatment to speed up the natural process of death 

  • Wiholding treatment (passive) is illegal in UK

Law change in UK

A law is being proposed in the UK to allow euthanasia if a person has less than 6 months to live

Christian pointS against euthanasia

• Only God has the power to take away life - “I put to death and I bring to life” - Deuteronomy 

• Suffering is unavoidable, and it brings you closer to Jesus

• Active euthanasia is seen as murder, this goes against Ten Commandments

• Jesus healed the sick. We should do this too rather then ending their lives prematurely

christian pointS for euthanasia

• Drugs used to end a person’s life are God given. So we can use free will to end someones life 

• If we allow people to do euthanaisa it will reduce suicide, 1 in 10 terminally ill people commit suicide 

• It is expensive to keep someone alive, so if they want to die they should be allowed to