Religious studies theme E

• conscience


  The voice in our heads that tells us right from wrong
• Evil


  An act that is very wicked or immoral
• Forgiveness


  Letting go of anger towards someone for a wrong they have done to us
• Justice


  A belief in what is right and fair
• Law and order


  Rules of our society and how they are enforced
• Morality


  A persons or religions beliefs of what is right and wrong in behaviour and action
• Sin


  An act which goes against Gods will; a religious offence
• Suffering


  Feeling of pain, harm,distress or hardship caused by others actions when committing crime
• Religion and rules


  -Some have their own eg 10 commandments

  -Can't be broken unless a life or death scenario

  -Conscience helps them

  -If rule is broken they're punished in the afterlife

  -Accept people make mistakes and believe in forgiveness and punishment
• Types of crime

  -Against a person

  -Against property

  -Against the state
• Causes of crime

  -Upbringing (bad family or neighbourhood)

  -Mental illness

  -Poverty (to provide and survive)

  -Addiction (to fund)

  -Greed

  -Opposition of laws
• Christian attitudes towards evil

  -Is the abuse of free will God gave humans allowing them to choose right from wrong

  -In order to see and appreciate good it must exist

  -Devil/Satan is an evil power that temps humans to behave badly

  -Evil is the combination of internal and external factors
• Islamic attitudes towards evil


  -Iblis (a devil) was an angel. Allah ordered the angels to bow to Adam and he refused so he was expelled from paradise and caused Adam and Eve's removal from Eden. Iblis continuously tempts humans to be wicked and humans fail self discipline and give in

  -Evil is a mix of powerful evil and weakness of humans
• Aims of punishment

  -Protection: of society from criminal

  -Vindication: the law is tough enough for people to follow

  -Reparation: criminal can repair damage or do community service to make up for crime

  -Compensation: criminal pays back damage they created
• Aims of punishment: deterrence

  -Deters people from committing crime in the first place

  -If people were deterred they wouldn't do it and there would be no crime

  -In Islam they use the death penalty so there is not chance of it happening again
• Aims of punishment: retribution

  -The idea that the punishment fits the crime

  -So the death penalty would be appropriate for a murderer- this means justice is done as prison isn't always harsh enough
• Aims of punishment: reformation


  -Where criminal sees error of their ways and goes back to society without breaking the law

  -Can be some through: harsh punishment, punishment with education, rehabilitation or counselling

  -All religions support this
• Christian attitudes towards crime and punishment

  -Law punishes criminals, prison removes their rights and can reform them so there is conflict between harsh punishments and the Christian belief of love, help and reform

  -Some believe in justice and the 'eye for an eye tooth for a tooth' way but still treated humanely
• Islamic attitudes towards crime and punishment


  -Qur'an emphasises justice and mercy and forgiveness but crimes such as rape murder and theft can be punished with capital punishment, imprisonment and lashings

  -Most believe extreme punishment isn't the way, criminals can compensate the victim to give them a lesser sentence
• Religious belief on suffering


  Wish God to help them overcome suffering or to forgive for causing it

  -Some emotions can lead to suffering eg greed so religions have teaching to stop

  -Believes law gives justice and there is help available for victims
• Religious attitudes towards forgiveness

  -Christianity: Jesus said we should forgive not seven times but seventy times seven'

  -Islam: states 'whoever forgives and makes amends, his reward is upon Allah'

  -Forgiveness is a quality of God
• Repentance


  Being truly sorry for what you have done
• Prison


  A secure confinement of a criminal to deprive them of their liberties. Most serve half their sentence
• Community service


  Unpaid work for the community as a legal punishment
• corporal punishment


  Inflicting physical pain as a legal punishment
• Aims of prison

  -Protection

  -Deterrence

  -Retribution

  -Reformation

  -Reparation

  -Vindication
• Concerns about prisons


  -Conditions dont allow them to reform

  -Debate over which crimes deserve prison

  -Mixing bad people with bad people doesn't make them reform

  -Most reoffend si ineffective and costly

  -Crime continues in prisons

  -Separation from families and society are the source of the problems
• Aims of community service


  -Reformation

  -Deterrence (Orange suits)

  -Retribution
• Concerns about community service

  -Not enough projects available

  -Seen as too soft

  -Monitoring and management is often poor
• Corporal punishment


  -Has been historically used in religions

  -In Islam is still used with lashings and amputation as word of God must be followed

  -Is a deterrent, offers retribution and reformation but is inhumane and barbaric
• Religious attitudes towards corporal punishment

  -Christianity: 'An eye for and eye' 'if someone hits you offer the other cheek'

  -Islam: 'as for a thief, male or female, cut off their hand
• Death penalty


  -Used for murder, blasphemy, drugs offences, fraud, corruption, treason, war crimes and adultery

  -A murderer shows no respect for human life so state has none for theirs
• Arguments for CP

  -'Eye for an eye'

  -Deterrence

  -Justice

  -Life sentences don't mean life

  -Terrorists can't be reformed

  -Waste of resources housing criminals

  -Been used for centuries

  -Some crimes aren't tolerated
• Arguments against CP

  -Retribution is uncivilised

  -Most murders are spur of the moment

  -Killing murderer does not end pain for victims family

  -Executioners seem as bad as criminals

  -Executing terrorists make them martyrs

  -Innocent people may be executed

  -All life is sacred

  -It is inhumane and degrading
• Christian attitudes towards capital punishment

  -'An eye for an eye' (Old Testament)

  -'Do not kill' (Old Testament)

  -'God gives life and takes life away' (Job)

  -'all life is sacred
• Islamic attitudes towards capital punishment


  -'The greatest sin is to take another mans life' (Qur'an)

  -'We ordained for them- a life for a life' (Qur'an)

  -'Take not life except by way of justice and law' (Qur'an)

  -'If a man kills unjustly his family will be entitled to satisfaction' (Shari'ah)
• What is corporal punishment

  physical punishment, such as caning or flogging.
• What is capital punishment

  the legally authorized killing of someone as punishment for a crime.
• Why is criminal behaviour the result of free choice?

  Each person can choose whether or not to abide by the law
• What is reformation as an aim of punishment?

  Persuading a criminal to turn away from crime and change their attitude