theme religion and life - 12 markers

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%%contradictory%%

“you cannot be a christian and believe in the evolution of human life”

agree

• fundamentalist christians
  • evolution undermines the uniqueness of life and the sanctity of human life
  • genesis - “so god created man in his own image”
  • evolution would mean that we are just animals
• atheists
  • evolution is a natural, accidental process and doesn’t need god
• evolution and survival of the fittest
  • this involves suffering
  • the inconsistent triad
  • therefore no God

disagree

• evolution itself doesn’t disprove Gods existence
• liberal christians
  • Alister McGraph
  • science answers ‘how?’ and religion answers ‘why?’
  • theistic evolution, God guides evolution
• god is the creator, he gave nature freedom
  • genesis says ‘be fruitful and multiply’
  • multiply → diversity → different species
• genesis may be symbolic or metaphorical

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“abortion should be allowed”

for

• abortion may be ‘the lesser of two evils’ if the child will have a poor quality of life
• the case of Savita halappanavari n the republic of Ireland
  • she was pregnant with a child but was having a miscarriage, asked to doctors for an abortion but they denied it because it still had a heart beat
  • she died of sepsis
• Joseph Fletcher
  • situation ethics
  • the only ‘good’ action is to do the most loving action in the situation

against

• the belief in the sanctity of life
  • “all people are made in the image of god” - genesis
• ‘before i formed you in the womb i knew you, before you were born i set you apart’ - Jeremiah
• ‘it does not matter wether you take away a life that is born, or destroy one that is coming to the birth. in both instances, destruction is murder’ - early christian writer
• life begins at conception (catholics and some evangelicals)
  • ‘for you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mothers womb. i praise you because i am fearfully and wonderfully made’ - psalm

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“there is no evidence for an afterlife”

for

• it is scientifically impossible as no brain activity can be recorded - emotions come from the brain, therefore you cannot experience heaven

• white light in a near death experience is caused by a chemical in the brain if you are dying

• %%Déja vu - is a delay in messages passing through the brain%%

• %%Ian McCormac - may be lying%%

against

• certain case studies show that when people died and came back to life, they stated that they have seen some depiction of heaven
• %%déja vu - could be seen as a past life%%
• christians
  • descriptions of heaven and hell in the bible
• Jesus’ resurrection
• Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead
• %%Ian McCormac - he died from a jellyfish sting and came back in the morgue after seeing heaven%%

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euthanasia should be okay

for

• %%some may say that a doctors aim is to reduce suffering%%
• emotional pain
  • the case of Paul Lamb
  • he was left paralysed after a car crash in the 90s and not has to be hand washe and bathed
  • quality of life is not good
• it is cruel for the family to watch you suffer
• you should be able to have control over your own life
• forcing someone to stay alive may be seen as unnatural
• 300 dying people end their own life in the UK each year (dying in dignity campaign) - banning euthanasia doesn’t stop them from dying, it stops people from doing it in a safe environment
• 84% of the public support the assisted dying of terminally ill adults

against

• %%doctors went into the field to save lives/ make them better, not to end lives%%
  • they sign the hippocratic oath
• it is selfish to take away life, in the sense that it negatively affects your family and friends.
• people may feel pressured to end their life as they may feel like they are a burden
• the sanctity of life → don’t end your life, manage the pain.

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