re gcse theme e

• Good and evil intentions and actions

  • Intentions are the reasons or plans behind your actions, the motives you have for acting in a certain way
  • Actions are the practical things you actually do to help or harm others
• Good intentions


  Doing something for the right reasons, being sincere and genuine
• Examples of good intentions leading to potentially wrong actions

  • Stealing to feed a starving child
  • Lying to avoid upsetting a friend
  • Killing a terrorist to prevent more murders
  • Performing an abortion to save the mother's life
• Good actions


  Practical things you do to help others, treating people with kindness
• Jesus: 'The parable of the sheep and the goats - those who perform good actions will be rewarded with eternal life'
• Evil intentions


  Desiring to deliberately cause suffering or harm to others
• Evil intentions can lead to good actions, e.g. helping others to look good
• Hadith (Prophet Muhammad): 'Actions are judged by intentions'
• Religious people believe God is omniscient and judges based on both actions and intentions
• Two religious beliefs about good intentions and actions

  • Christianity: Rewarded for good actions (parable of sheep and goats)
  • Islam: Intentions and actions both important, judged by God (Hadith)
• Good Intentions and actions

  Religious beliefs about
• Good actions


  Rewarded in Christianity
• Christianity: 'Parable of the sheep and the goats - those who do good deeds and perform good actions to help others are rewarded'
• Actions


  Judged by intentions in Islam
• Muslims believe actions and intentions are equally important
• Islam: 'Hadith - actions are judged by intentions'
• Suffering


  An effect of evil, undergoing pain and hardship
• Christianity: 'St Paul - suffering produces perseverance'
• Islam: 'Quran - You are sure to be tested'
• Islam: 'Quran - God does not burden the soul with more than it can bear'
• Christianity: 'Book of Acts - We must go through hardships to enter the kingdom of God'
• Islam: 'Quran - Along with hardship there is ease'
• Suffering can test, strengthen, and help people become better
• Suffering can be justified

  In self-defense, to protect others, to punish criminals, if the end justifies the means, to prevent future suffering
• Christians and Muslims believe suffering can teach lessons, strengthen character and souls, and is a test of faith from God
• Suffering can also lead to questioning an all-loving God
• Reasons for crime


  Upbringing, poverty, hate, opposition to unjust law, addiction/mental illness, greed
• Christians believe it is important to raise children with strong morals and within the religion
• Muslims also believe it is a duty to raise children with good manners and morals
• Christians and Muslims believe poverty does not excuse crime, but they should help alleviate poverty to prevent it leading to crime
• Hate is always seen as unjustifiable by Christians and Muslims
• Christians can justify opposing unjust laws through civil disobedience, but also believe in submitting to authorities
• In Islamic countries under Sharia law, opposing unjust laws may be justified, but generally Muslims should obey the law
• Addiction, mental illness, and greed are seen as less justifiable reasons for crime by Christians and Muslims
• Christians believe that their religious faith inspires them to protest against and stand up against unfair and unjust laws
• St Paul: 'Submit to the governing authorities'
• Sharia law


  Muslims would believe they should not break any of the rules because all of God's laws are just
• Muslims might protest against an unfair secular law because they could say it is their duty to stand up for those who are oppressed and to make sure people are treated fairly
• Hadith: 'All people are equal like the teeth of a comb'
• Addiction and mental illness can cause crime by influencing cognition, thinking and behaviour