Theme B - Religion and Life

• Darwin's theory of evolution


  All animals evolved over millions of years through survival of the fittest from a common anscestor
• The theory of evolution conflicts with the Christian belief that God created humanity as we are in his own image
• Conflicts between evolution and theology


  • Goes against the idea that humanity was created by God in his image
  • Less of an obligation to God and the world if the creation story is doubted
• Resolutions between evolution and theology


  • God created the creatures that would eventually evolve into humans
  • God's omniscience means that he knew what they would become
  • The creation story ccan be interpreted as metaphorical rather than literal
  • Theistic evolution - the idea that God is the "architect of evolution"
• Religious truth


  • From religious holy books
  • E.g. Genesis 1.1 - "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth"
  • Based on experience and revelation
  • Explains the "why" questions, giving purpose and meaning to theists
  • Open to interpretaiton
  • E.g. conservative v. liberal denominations
• Scientific truth


  • Form a hypothesis that has been tested
  • Based on repeated observation
  • Describes how the world works
  • Answers the "what" and the "how" questions
  • Objective, but open to being developed
• Anthropic principle


  • The conditions of the Earth are completely perfect, down to fractions of degrees
  • Fred Hoyle - "The probability of the Earth coming about the way it did is as likely as a tornado creating a Boeing 747 in a junkyard"
• Stengths of the watch analogy

  • Simplest explanation must be true
  • Occam's razor
  • "Do not multiply entities unecessarily"
  • Empirical evidence
  • The anthropic principle
• Weaknesses of the watch analogy

  • The problem of evil
  • David Hume - "The problem of evil is the rock of atheism"
  • Natural and moral evil
  • Assumes the "creator" is the traditional theistic God
  • Evolution explains the anthropic principle
• Theistic evolution


  • Genesis is read as a myth revealing the mystery of God' power to create
  • St. Augustine argued for allegorical interpretations
  • God is the architect of evolution
  • Pope Benedict - "evolution and creation are complementary"
  • Very common belief with more liberal Christians
• Fundamental Christians may argue where the line is about what to take literally or interpret as an allegory
• Pope Pius argued that God is needed for the "soul" that humans have, but this can coexist with evolution
• • Theistic evolution creates the idea of a more personal, immanent God, since he is still creating today
  • The creation continues ex nihilio
  • The ides that God is the "sustainer" - necessary for life to exist
• Stewardship


  • Duty/responsibility to care for the world
  • More modern idea
• Dominion


  • The Earth exists for humans to use as they require
  • More traditional idea
• The idea of dominion in the past can be linked to:

  • Climate change
  • Abuse of resources
  • Rising sea levels
  • Affecting the population of certain species
  • Habitats destroyed
  • Species dying
• Aquinas' views


  • "He that kills another man's ox sins, not through killing the ox, but through injuring another man in his property. Wherefore this is not a sin of murder but of the sin of theft or robbery"
  • Humans have authority over animals
  • Animals viewed as property rather than living beings
  • "the life of animals and plants is reserved not for themselves but for man"
  • "both their life and death are subject for our use"
• Theistic evolution in Islam


  • Muslims will read the Genesis accounnt as part of the Tawrat which they believe is a "source of guidance and light"
  • The Qur'an does not give an order of creation, but does say that Allah created everything
  • The word translated as "days" can also mean "long periods" or "ages"
  • Theories of the Big Bang and evolution do not create problems for Muslims
  • They believe that Allah controls the world, but there is no reason that science cannot explain what is in the Qur'an
  • Scientific discoveries are accpeted as further explanations of the woder of Allah's creation
• Epistemic distance


  The gap between humanity and God, which can be overcome by living a good life and overcoming sin
• Special creation


  • The idea that humans were created differently from other creatures
  • God only "breathed the breath of life" into humans, which sets us apart
  • Suggests that part of us is holy
  • Lends to the idea of the sanctity of life
  • "The body is a temple of the Holy Spirit"
  • The reason that humans have reason and rationality that sets us apart
• Animal experimentation


  • Most experimentation is done for the good of humanity but can be painful or distressing for animals
  • The animals (usually mice, rats, rabbits, dogs, and monkeys) are specially bred for testing
  • Used to test medical products, drugs, and cosmetics
• Animals for food


  • Accounts for about 8% of human beings' energy intake
  • About half the world's meat is produced using intensive or factory farming
  • Intensive/factory farming can be painful or disressing for animals and significantly contributes to global warming
• Arguments for using animals for food

  • Humans are naturally omnivores, not herbivores
  • Required for the human diet (nutrients like protein)
  • Dominion (religious argument)
  • Natural part of the food cycle
• Arguments against using animals for food

  • Farming is distressing/painful for animals
  • Farming takes up space, can destroy the natural environment
  • Happening on a large scale in South America
  • Factory farming is one of the biggest contributors to global warming
  • Concerns for animal welfare in intensive farming
  • Factory farming affects quality of food
  • Animal conditions are poor, and many given chemicals and antibiotics
  • Huge use of resources
• Is eating meat disrespectful to God? - YES


  • Humans have stewardship, therefore we shouldn't inflict suffering on animals
  • Hummans and non-humans both have origins from God, therefore we shouldn't cause them suffering
  • St. Francis of Assisi said all animals "had the same source as himself"
• Is eating meat disrespectful to God? - NO

  • Thinkers like Augustine reinforced ideas of animal inferiority, concluding that animals exist solely for the benefit of humanity
  • "Humans are rational, therefore entitled to rule irrational beings"
• Arguments for animal experimentation


  • Treatments for terminal diseases increase life expectancy
  • Dominion
  • We are a superior species and therefore have the right to use animals for our own ends
  • Can help medical research and cures
  • Can prevent harmful products from being sold
  • Better to harm animals than humans
• Arguments against animal experimentation

  • Affects the animals' quality of life
  • Unnecessary suffering and distress
  • Jeremy Bentham - "It's not if they can reason, it's whether they can suffer"
  • There are alternatives
  • Donated samples
  • Artificial skin
  • Animals cannot consent
• Cosmetic testing was banned in the UK in 1998
• Sanctity of life


  Human life is sacred and a gift from God which is to be respected and protected
• Quality of life


  The degree to which an individual is healthy, comfortable, and able to participate in or enjoy life events
• • Christians believe that there is something special and holy about every human life
  • We were created and cared for by God
  • Christians believe that, in a way, humanity shares something of the nature of God
• Imago Dei


  In the image of God
• "So God created man in his own image" - Genesis 1:26
• "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb" - Psalm 139:13-6
• "You yourselves are God's temple... If anyone destroy's God's temple, God will destroy him" - 1 Corinthians 3:16
• "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you" - Jeremiah
• Abortion is currently legal in the UK
• • Abortion can usually only be carried out within the first 24 weeks, if certain criteria are met
  • Must be carried out in a hospital or specialised clinic
  • Two doctors must consent
  • An abortion can be carried out after 24 weeks if under certain circumstances
  • It is necessary to save the life of the mother
  • To prevent physical or mental damage to the mother
  • If the child may be born with mental or physical "abnormalities"
• Abortion


  The deliberate expulsion of a foetus from the womb with the intention of destroying it