issues of good and evil

• good: something that is considered morally right, beneficial and advantageous.
• evil: something considered immoral, wicked and wrong.
• forgiveness: to grant pardon for a wrongdoing.
• free will: the ability to make choices voluntarily and independently.
• justice: fairness; where everyone has equal provisions and opportunity.
• morality: principles and standards determining what is right or wrong.
• punishment: a penalty given to someone for a crime or wrong they have done.
• sin: deliberate immoral action or breaking religious/immoral law.
• suffering: pain or distress caused by illness, injury or loss.
• Factors that can affect decision making are conscience, the law, religious leaders, religious teachings, reason/logic, past experiences and other values.
• wrong: an action which contravenes accepted moral, religious or ethical code.
• absolute morality: when a person has a strict moral code that they follow.
• relative morality: a set of moral rules that many change or adapt depending on the situation.
• crime: an act that breaks the law.
• some causes of crime are poor education, poverty, peer pressure and mental health issues.
• the 6 aims of punishment are protection, retribution, deterrence, reformation, vindication and reparation.
• aims of punishment:

  • retribution: making the criminal pay for what they have done.
  • reformation: to persuade criminals not to reoffend.
  • vindication: to prevent chaos and maintain order.
  • reparation: repairing the damage done.
• Christians do not support the idea of retribution because Jesus taught the message of kindness and compassion to all.
• Muslims believe in retribution and believe the punishment should fit the crime. This can be shown through the quote 'Allah orders justice (...) and forbids immorality'.
• hudud: punishments that are fixed by Allah.
• apostasy: abandoning or turning away from Islam.
• Diyah: a financial compensation to a victim or a crime.
• prison reformers:

  • John Howard - he inspected prisons in the late 18th century and asked the government to provide basic provisions such as clean water, access to doctors and separate cells for men and women.
  • Elizabeth Fry - she was a quaker who argued that prisoners should have access to education.
• prison chaplain: people from a religious community who provide pastoral care for prisoners.
• prison chaplains may offer Bible reading groups, religious services, prayer mats, literature and halal food.
• arguments for the death penalty:

  • it acts as a deterrent to stop people from committing the worst of crimes.
  • The lethal injection costs much less than it does to keep someone in prison.
  • it can be seen as fair retribution for murder.
• arguments against the death penalty:

  • it violates human rights.
  • it isn't always effective in deterring people from committing crimes.
  • you cannot be exonerated.
• capital punishment:

  Christian:

  • allow - conservative Christians and Roman Catholics allow the death penalty. This could be because of the scripture 'an eye for an eye' or 'whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed'.
  • forbids - Quakers don't allow the death penalty. This could be because of the scripture 'thou shall not kill', 'Jesus said forgive 70x7' and 'father, forgive them for they know not what they do'.
• capital punishment:

  Islam: Muslims accept the death penalty for deliberate murder or openly attacking Islam. They feel that sometimes it is necessary to protect the Ummah. This could be because of the scripture 'never take a life that Allah has made sacred - except for a just cause'.
• forgiveness:

  Christian:

  • case study - Gee Walker. She is the mother of Anthony Walker, a boy who was murdered during a racially motivated attack. She forgave her son's killer due to Christian teachings.
  • quotes - 'forgive and you will be forgiven', 'forgive us for our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us', 'father forgive them for they know not what they do', 'Jesus said forgive 70x7'.
• forgiveness:

  Islam:

  • Muslims pray for forgiveness on the second day of Hajj.
  • case study - Abraham Davis vandalised a mosque and the mosque leaders immediately forgave him due to Islamic teachings.
  • quotes - 'paradise is for those who curb their anger and forgive their fellow men'.
• st Irenaeus: he argued humans were not created perfect but by following God's teachings and with willing cooperation, humans could grow into spiritual perfection.
• John Hick: he agreed with soul making and argued that without evil humans could not develop. He also believed in an epistemic distance between God and humans.
• evil: Christians believe evil could exist as it is a form of soul making, because life is a test, as a result of the original sin, because God is mysterious, or because of temptation from the devil.
• evil: Muslims believe evil exists because it comes from Shaytan and because life is a test. This could be because of the quote 'we will surely test you with something of fear and hunger'.