Religion and life

• Genesis 1


  Account of God creating the universe in the Bible
• Christian belief about creation

  • God created the universe, the world, and everything in six days
  • Then rested on the seventh day
• Many people feel


  Humans have abused the environment through using natural resources
• Environmental problems caused by humans

  • Pollution
  • Deforestation
  • Greenhouse gas emissions and global warming
  • Water, land and air pollution
• Value of the world

  Many religious people feel they have a responsibility to look after the world because it was given by God
• Views on using animals

  • Animal experimentation is wrong
  • Using animals for food is acceptable if they are treated well
  • Vegetarianism and veganism are encouraged
• Religious reasons against using animals

  • Animals are important to God/Allah and should not be abused
  • Causing harm to animals goes against religious principles
• There is controversy about whether religious methods of killing animals are humane and whether they should be legal
• Creation


  Christians believe that God created the world
• Different accounts of creation in Genesis

  • God creates humans in his image after creating everything else
  • God creates man, then animals, then woman from man's rib
• Christians believe that humans are created in God's image
• Christians believe that the creation story in Genesis is literally true
• Some Christians interpret the Bible symbolically and believe God may have used evolution to create the world
• Beliefs about the origin of life

  • Religious beliefs
  • Scientific theories like evolution
• Some people believe the origin of life is important, others believe it is not as important
• Beliefs about death and an afterlife

  • Belief in heaven and hell
  • Belief in reincarnation
  • Belief in the immortality of the soul
  • Belief in the extinction of the soul and body
• There is no consensus on what happens after death
• Beliefs about the quality of life

  • Poverty
  • Disability
  • Suffering
• Some religious people believe in a better afterlife, non-religious people generally do not
• Abortion


  Deliberately ending a pregnancy in a way where the fetus dies
• Legal reasons for abortion

  • Mother's health at risk
  • Mental health of mother at risk
  • Probability of disability/defect in fetus
  • Other personal reasons
• Abortion is controversial and people have different views on it
• Religious views on abortion

  • Christianity - abortion is wrong
  • Judaism - woman's rights more important than fetus
  • Islam - abortion only allowed in some cases
• Types of euthanasia


  • Active euthanasia
  • Passive euthanasia
  • Voluntary euthanasia
  • Non-voluntary euthanasia
• Some religions allow euthanasia in certain circumstances, others see it as murder
• The principle of double effect allows using treatments that may shorten life to relieve suffering