GCSE Religious Studies

• Reasons for changing attitudes

  Family Life- Due to more cohabitation there are more families where parents are not married. - Increase in divorce has lead to increase in re- marriage & more reconstituted families.- More extended families as working parents rely on grandparents for child-care. Homosexuality- Medical research has shown homosexuality is normal so more people accept gay couples - The work of gay rights groups has led to an acceptance of equal rights for homosexuals.- More gay celebrities, confirming it is normal
• Reasons for the Changes in Attitudes

  Cohabitation and marriage- Effective contraception now available to everyone in UK made it safer to have sex before marriage.- The media showed sexual relationships outside marriage as normal so more people thought sex outside marriage was OK.- Fewer people go to Church and are influenced by the Christian message to save sex for marriage. Divorce- New laws made divorce cheaper and easier. - Increased equality for women means that women are no longer prepared to accept unequal treatment from men and will divorce. - Most divorce occur after 10 years which was the average length of marriage 100 years ago because women often died at child birth.
• Changing Attitudes to Marriage & Family

  In the UK in the 1950's... -People were expected to only have sex after marriage.-People married young, in church, for life. -Families were husband and wife and children.- Homosexuality was a criminal offence.- Women used to get married younger as fewer had careersNow in the UK...- Most people have sex before marriage.- Many couples live together (cohabit) rather than marry.- The average age for marrying has increased enormously.- Divorce is accepted as a normal part of life.- The average age to get married is about 30.- March 2014, homosexuals allowed to marry in UK.
• Christian Views on Euthanasia

  Catholics believe assisted suicide, voluntary euthanasia & non-voluntary euthanasia are all wrong because...- Life is sacred, God created it only He can take it away - Ending someone's life is murder, forbidden in the 10 commandments - Catechism teaches the Doctrine of Double Affect - Indirect Euthanasia. If painkillers are taken that will shorten someone's life, but they are taken only to end pain not life, this is ok. - Switching off life support machines is not euthanasia if the doctor believes him/her to be brain dead. - Refusing treatment that will cause suffering & only delays death is also not euthanasia Some Christians believe... - Any form of euthanasia including switching off life support machines or refusing treatment is wrong. They believe both to be murder or suicide which are banned by God in the Bible & they take these teachings literallyA few Christians believe... - Living wills which say when someone wants to die should be respected as this is the kindest thing to do- Modern medicine means we cannot know what are God's wishes & what are mans- Jesus said 'love your neighbour', ending pain is loving
• Why Euthanasia is a Controversial IssuePro-choice vs' Pro-life

  Many want it to remain illegal because...+ A doctor's job is to save life, not to end it.+ A cure for the disease may be found so people should not give up hope.+ People might change their mind when it is too lateMany people want it made legal because: - Advances in medicine mean people who would have died are now being kept alive & are too old & ill so they should have the right to die.- People have the right to commit suicide; they should have the right to ask someone to help them die.
• The Nature of Euthanasia

  Euthanasia is the painless killing of someone dying from a painful disease Voluntary euthanasia is ending the life of someone in great pain who asks for death. Non-voluntary euthanasia is ending the life of someone in great pain when they are unable to ask & you have good reason for believing they would want you to. British law says that that euthanasia is murder but withdrawal of nutrition & hydration (passive euthanasia) or withholding treatment is not murder
• Christian Views on Abortion

  Catholics believe... all direct abortion is wrong- Life if holy & belongs to God, only He should end it - Life begins at conception so it is murder- The 10 commandments states murder is wrong- The Church points to evidence that abortion can lead women to suffer mental health issues- Even in the case of rape... two sinful acts (wrongs) do not make a right so adoption is always the better solution as it brings joy to the adopting family. Doctrine of Double Affect = Indirect AbortionIf someone where to take treatment for an illness, e.g. chemotherapy for cancer, to save the like of the mother knowing it will abort the baby Catholics believe this is ok. Liberal Protestants believe... abortion is wrong but must be permitted in certain circumstances e.g. if the women is raped or fetus severely handicapped. * Jesus taught us to love your neighbor - abortion might be most loving thing to do.* Christianity is concerned with justice, if women were not given the choice this would not be just
• Why Abortion is a Controversial issuePro-choice vs Pro-life

  *Many people believe that life begins at conception, therefore abortion is murder. *Some argue a woman should have the right to do what she wants with her own body. An unwanted fetus is like an unwanted tumor.*Some believe that the time for abortion should be reduced to 18 or 20 weeks when the fetus is less developed*There are arguments about whether medical staff should have to carry out abortions.
• The nature of abortion


  The law says that abortion is only allowed if two doctors agree that either.... - The mother's life is at risk - The Mother's mental health is at risk.- The child will be born severely disabledAbortions cannot be carried out after 24 weeks of pregnancy unless the mothers life is in serious danger & it is an extreme circumstance.
• How CAFOD is trying to Remove World Poverty(Catholic Agency For Overseas Development)

  Long-term plans to help people become self-supporting e.g., CAFOD has set up a scheme in Brazil to help homeless children get an education & skills to earn a living. Disaster & Emergency aid includes sending food, water, shelter & medicine e.g. to victims of the Tsunami in Thailand Raising Awareness, 5% of CAFOD budget spent on educating people in Churches & school etc., about ending povertySpeaking out for people too poor to fight for their rightsWhy CAFOD is trying to remove world poverty...+ The Gospels teach us to share our wealth with the poor+ Jesus told us to treat everyone equally & love our neighbours & treat others as we would like to be treated (Golden Rule) + The Catholic Church says it is our duty
• Causes of World Poverty

  LEDCs = Less economically developed countries MEDCs = More economically developed countriesPoorer countries have more poverty because...- Wars - common in LEDCs & they destroy crops, hospitals, homes & schools leading to poverty- Unfair trade - people not paid enough in poorer countries so rich countries make all the profits- HIV/AIDS - common in LEDCs, people too ill to work so no money to live off- Lack of Education - in LEDCs fewer children are educated so less chance of getting our of poverty
• Why some people do not believe in life after death

  - They see no evidence for God or the spiritual world so think nothing happens when you die. - The different religions contradict each other. If LAD were true they would all believe the same thing.- Different religions believe different holy books, there is no way to decide which one is true. - All evidence of the paranormal (e.g. ghosts) goes against what science says is possible. - There is no physical place for people to go in LAD... space journeys have shown heaven is not above the clouds.
• Non christian reasons for believing in life after death

  *Near death experiences - when a person is clinically dead then comes back to life.*Evidence of the spirit world - Mediums can contact the dead and pass messages to living relatives.*Ghosts - some people claim to have seen the spirits of dead people.*Past life experience - some people claim to remember past lives, this is evidence of reincarnation the idea that after you die you come back to life on earth as something elseCatholic ResponseThe Catholic Church rejects the evidence of mediums, ghosts etc., as superstitions.
• How Belief in life after death affects christians

  *Catholics believe we will be judged when we dies to we must live a good life so that you will get rewarded in heaven.*To live a good life you must follow God's teachings so Christians get baptised, seek forgiveness for sins, worship God, pray frequently, & treat people well. *Jesus taught: love your neighbour as yourself, this means helping / being kind /showing respect to everyone including strangers maybe by doing charity work. *LAD gives life meaning and purpose. Christians may suffer less from depression than atheists!
• Christian Reasons for Believing in Life After Death

  *Jesus rose from the dead (resurrection), this is only possible because there is LAD. *St Paul teaches that people will be resurrected for LAD in the same way Jesus was* The Creeds of the Church teach about LAD *The Bible teaches people are made up of a body and a soul. The soul is immortal and will live on after the death of the body.*LAD gives life meaning and purpose, e.g. living a holy life may lead to heaven.
• Christian's Responses to Unanswered Prayer

  - If you pray for something selfish God will not answer your prayer- God may have different plans for you that go against your prayer eg., God may want a sick person to enter heaven despite prayers for good health- God will answer our prayers when it is the best thing for us this might not be when we want. - Sometimes when God answers prayers the answer is 'no' or is different to how we would expect.
• Unanswered Prayers lead to Atheism/Agnosticism


  When people pray they are attempting to contact God. Many people claim to feel God when praying. - Other people may say prayers and never feel God's presence. This makes them think they are doing something wrong or that He does not exist. - If someone prays for something and it doesn't happen they may feel their prayers are not being answered.- If they do not feel God's presence when they pray they may lead to agnosticism or atheism.
• Christian Explanations of Evil & Suffering

  - Christians believe God wants them to have the opportunity to help those suffering as Jesus taught.- Christians believe suffering is caused by misusing free will and so is a human problem, not God's.- Christians believe that evil & suffering are a test to prepare us for heaven or hell. - Christians believe that God has a reason for not removing suffering but that we cannot possibly understand it.
• How Evil and Suffering causes people to reject belief in God

  - If God were omnipotent (all-powerful) he would be able to stop suffering.- If God were omniscient (all-knowing) he would know about all suffering.- If God were benevolent (all-loving) he would want to stop suffering.If God existed evil and suffering wouldn't but as we know evil and suffering do exist, God cannot exist.
• Evil and Suffering


  Moral evil is evil which is caused by humans misusing their free will. An example of moral evil is war. War causes massive suffering and is started by humans.*Natural evil is suffering which humans have not caused. An example is earthquakes. They cause massive suffering but are natural occurrences.
• Christian Response to Science

  + The 6 days of creation in the Biblical Genesis story of creation can fit with scientific understanding of evolution because one of God's 'days' could be reference to 6 time periods including millions of years of evolution.* Creationists believe the earth was created exactly as it says in the Bible; they reject evolution as truth* Creationists believe that fossils may have been put in the ground by God, or humans, to trick people
• Scientific explanations that lead to Atheism/Agnosticism

  - Science can explain where the world came from without God- People become agnostic because there is no need for God as an explanation anymore.- Atheists believe that science proves God does not exist because if he did there would be no other explanation for the world except God, but there is (the Big Bang & evolution).- Atheists argue that proof of dinosaur's shows God does not exist because why would God create and then destroy them?
• Scientific Explanations of the Universe

  *About 15 million years ago the Big Bang happened and formed our solar system.*Gases on the Earth's surface produced primitive life forms. These primitive life forms lead to the evolution of new life forms and about 2.5 millions years ago, humans evolved.
• Criticisms of Causation Argument

  *If everything needs a cause then who caused God?*If matter is eternal (cannot be created or destroyed) then the process goes on forever.*Even if there was a First Cause it would not have to be God.* If you can argue that God does not need a cause, you can also argue that the Universe did not need a cause.
• The Causation Argument

  - Everything in the world needs a cause. Anything caused to exist must have something that caused it; nothing can cause itself!- If you keep working backwards you will eventually get to the cause of the Universe - the First Cause.- The only thing powerful enough to have caused the Universe is God.- Therefore, God must exist!
• Criticisms of the design argument

  * No designer would have created natural evil like volcanoes and earthquakes.* Science can explain the appearance of design without needing God through evolution & natural selection making things look designed when they are not. * The argument does not explain how things like dinosaurs could have been part of a design plan for the world.* Even if the argument worked, it would only prove that the world has a designer. This may not be God.
• The Design Argument


  - There is lots of evidence of complex things in the world which appear designed e.g., the eye.- Anything that has been designed needs a designer.- The only thing powerful enough to design the Earth is God.- Therefore, God must exist!
• How religious experience leads to belief in god

  - Numinous feeling - If you sense a presence greater than yourself you will believe this is God.- Conversion - Sensing that God wants you to change.- Miracles - If there is no scientific explanation the only possible explanation is God thus He must exist- Prayer - Answered prayers will lead to BIG
• Religious Experience


  *Numinous feelings - The feeling of the presence of something greater than yourself.*Conversion - When your life is changed by giving yourself to God.*Miracles - Something which breaks the laws of science making you think God must have done it.*Prayer -An attempt to contact God, usually through words.
• How religious upbringing leads to belief in God


  - Children will believe what parents have told them about God because their parents have authority- Because parents pray Children will believe it is not a waste of time & the normal thing to do- Seeing so many people worship in Church will make children believe God must exist- At school or children's liturgy teachers will tell children God exists & teach them bible stories
• What is religious upbringing

  *Babies Baptised - Promise to bring children up to believe in God.*Teach to pray - Direct relationship with God.*Take to worship - Worshiping as a community shows other people who believe.*Church school or Sunday school - Teaching children in a Christian environment.
• Sin


  An act against god's will
• Crime


  An act against the law
• Retribution


  the idea that punishments should make criminals pay for what they have done wrong
• Rehabilitation

  restore to normal life
• Reform


  the idea that punishments should try to change the criminals so that they will not commit crimes again
• Law


  rules made by Parliament and enforceable by the courts
• Justice


  due allocation of reward and the punishment/maintenance of what is right
• Detterance


  the idea that punishments should be of such nature that they will put people off (deter) committing crimes
• Addiction


  a recurring compulsion to engage in an activity regardless of its bad effects