Religion and Life

Religion and Life

1. Origin of the Universe

   • Big Bang Theory
     • Developed by catholic priest Georges Lemaitre
       • 'God said "Let there be light"'
     • Universe started as a singularity, then expanded, causing matter to fly in every direction
       • It created the universe as the matter cooled
   • Genesis 1
     • States that god designed and made the universe out of nothing in six days
     • Fundamentalists take this as a literal account; fact.
     • Liberal Christians believe that genesis is symbolic of the care God put into the world, and how he is all powerful.
       • They may believe the big bang theory
       • Christians view the world as a precious gift from god
   • Cycle
     • Buddhists do not believe in a creator of the universe
       • They believe that the universe has no beginning or end, just a cycle of one universe after another
     • They do not believe that establishing an origin is important
     • Buddhists value the world because it provides and sustains life.
       • It belongs to nobody, and is everyone's responsibility

2. Pollution

   • Christians want to reduce pollution because of many reasons
     • Stewardship- christians are taught that they must look after the world, as it belongs to God
       • The earth is the Lord's and everything in it
     • Pollution is not loving, it causes others harm - Love thy neighbour
     • For example, the pope has called for environmental action in his letter 'On the care of our common home'
   • Buddhists also want to reduce pollution, as it causes harm to all living creatures, which contradicts the first moral precept
     • The holy isle is a project ran by tibetan buddhists to care for the island's environment. They have planted 35,000 trees, reduced sewage etc.

3. Euthanasia

   • Active euthanasia is illegal in the UK
     • However, a doctor may choose to stop treatment that is keeping a patient alive - passive euthanasia - which is legal
   • Most christians believe that euthanasia is murder and interferes with God's plan
     • It's against the sanctity of life
     • It could pressure old people to feel like they need to end their lives
     • Some believe that it is the right thing to do because it ends suffering
   • Many buddhists believe that euthanasia goes against the first moral precept
     • However most would respect the right of the individual to choose
     • However, it could be compassionate to end a suffering person's life
     • Someone's state of mind is important for their rebirth, so someone dying in peace could help their next life
     • The Dalai Lama said that euthanasia was only okay in certain circumstances, extremities

4. Use and abuse of the environment

   • Stewardship
     • Christians have a duty to look after the world on behalf of God
       • Genesis 2 says that humans were put on the earth to "work it and take care of it"
     • Abusing the environment goes against god's wishes and destroying what is not theirs
       • 'The earth is the lord's and everything in it'
     • The pope has called for everyone to take action
   • Dominion
     • The idea that the earth was created for humans to do what they wish with it.
       • 'Rule over'
   • Buddhists avoid harming the environment, as that would cause suffering for themselves and others
     • The moral precepts teach that Buddhists should not steal or take life, both of which occur when harming the environment
       • "Extend that kind of attitude to the natural environment"

5. Death and the afterlife

   • Christians believe that the resurrection of Jesus is evidence for the afterlife
     • They believe that after death they will be judged, and then spend eternity with or without God, depending on how they lived their lives
       • Catholics believe in a middle stage - purgatory - where souls are purified to allow them into heaven
       • Some believe that judgement happens immediately after death
         • Others believe that Jesus will return on a future day to judge all souls
     • 'For God so oved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life'
   • Buddhists believe that death is a process, not a single moment
     • The consciousness passes on from the body over hours or days
       • Most buddhist teachings say that they are again reborn after they die
         • The quality of the rebirth is dependent upon the ethics of their actions in their previous life - kamma
           • If someone reaches enlightenment, then they are freed from any future rebirths
             • 'This body is his last'

6. The origins of human life

   • Theory of Evolution
     • Life started with single-celled organisms in the sea
       • They evolved into creatures able to live on land
         • Humans began to evolve 2 million years ago
           • Creatures adapted to their surroundings through random mutations and thrived - survival of the fittest
   • Genesis 1
     • God created all life, with mankind being last
       • 'God said, "Let there be light"'
       • 'Let us make mankind in our image, our likeness'
   • Genesis 2
     • God created the first man - Adam - from soil and breathed life into him
       • Then God created Eve from Adam's rib to be 'a helper fit for him'
   • Many christians (liberal christians) do not take these stories as literal fact, rather they believe them to be symbolic of the care and precision that God used to create the world
     • Many believe in evolution, but that it is a process that God began with his creation
   • Fundamentalist christians do believe that these stories are literal accounts, but they are a minority
   • The buddha said that anything can come into existence when the necessary conditions are there e.g. the world
     • There is no beginning or end to the world, just a continual process of change
       • This includes evolution, as animal and plant life continue to change, so Buddhists believe in evolution

7. Use and abuse of animals

   • Christians believe that animals were put on earth for humans to both use and care for
     • Therefore they believe that animals should be treated kindly, but that they can be used for human benefit, e.g. food or labour
   • Buddhists believe that animals should be treated with kindness, as causing harm to animals is unskillful and will cause suffering
     • The eightfold path says that it us wrong to make a living from something that causes harm to others
   • Animal experimentation
     • Most christians believe that animal testing is sometimes necessary and justified in order to ensure human safety
       • Animal welfare should be taken into account, but ultimately human life is more important
     • Some buddhists are against animal experimentation, as it is unskillful to harm animals
       • Some believe that is is acceptable if it will save human lives
   • Food
     • Christianity has no rules about eating meat
       • Most christians believe that animals were made for human food
         • 'Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you'
       • Some christians are against eating meat, arguing that crops would feed more people, pleasing God
     • Most buddhists are vegetarian or vegan to reduce animal suffering
       • The buddha said,' One should not kill or cause to kill'

8. Abortion

   • In the UK an abortion can occur if two doctors agree that there is a risk to the physical or mental health of the mother, the baby, or existing children in the family
     • It can only occur in the first 24 weeks of the pregnancy, unless there is significant risk to the mother, or the foetus is severely deformed
   • Christians believe in the sanctity of life, meaning human life is sacred, made in the image of God
     • Christians that believe that life begins at conception, think abortion is wrong, as it takes life given by God
       • Some christians believe that abortion is acceptable when its the lesser of two evils, for example in cases of rape or severe deformation, as that's the more loving thing to do
   • Abortion is seen as a form of killing, so is therefore viewed as unskillful
     • However buddhists may sometimes favour abortion when it reduces overall suffering
       • Some view it as a question of personal choice
         • Views tend to be dependent on country and culture, as some countries view it more favourably than others