Matters Of Life And Death, Hinduism

1. MATTERS OF LIFE AND
DEATH
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Outcome: To have revised and shown knowledge and
understanding of the key issues of the topic!

2. For the exam you will need to
understand:
Abortion
Life After Death
The UK laws on abortion
2 different Christian beliefs
Non-religious arguments about
about life after death
abortion
(immortality of the soul and
Different attitudes to abortion in
the resurrection of the body)
Christianity and reasons for these
The teachings on life after
Different attitudes to abortion in one
death of one religion other
religion other than Christianity
than Christianity
Non-religious reasons for
Euthanasia
believing in life after death
What it is and the laws on it
(the paranormal)
Non-religious arguments
Why some people do not
about euthanasia
believe there is a life after
Attitudes to euthanasia in
death
Christianity and reasons for
them
Attitudes to abortion in one
religion other than
Christianity

3. Key Word Starter:
The Key words are the two mark questions which
appear in part a) of every four part question in the
exam paper. Remember to make sure that you give a
2 mark answer!
Resurrection
Paranormal
Immortality of Abortion
the Soul
Assisted Suicide
Euthanasia
Sanctity of Life
Voluntary euthanasia
Non-voluntary
euthanasia

4. Christian Attitudes to Life after Death
Immortality of the Soul: Resurrection of the Body:
Many Christians believe humans Some Christians (e.g.
are made up of physical body Evangelical Protestants)
and the soul (mind / believe that after death the
personality). They believe that soul stays on the grave until
the soul is immortal and will the time when God will end
never die. When the body dies, the world – known as the Last
the soul leaves the body to live Day which will follow second
with God. Some believe in one coming of Jesus. Then the
spiritual heaven place, and dead will be raised and
others believe in both a everyone will appear before
spiritual form of heaven and God for a final judgment
hell that the souls may go to which will determine a fate in
depending on their actions in either heaven (for good
life. Other Christians again people) or hell (for the
believe in no form of hell. sinners)

5. Resurrection of the Body – Why?
Jesus’ body rose from
the dead
St Paul teaches this
in 1 Corinthians
It also teaches this in
the book of Revelation
Jesus said that
there would be a
It is a part of the Christian final judgement
Creeds at the end of the
world

6. Immortality of the Soul – Why?
Jesus said the
Jesus went up to a
criminal on the cross
spirit world after
would be in paradise
his ascension
straight after death
The New Testament says
people like Moses are
living in a spiritual heaven
Evidence of the
paranormal

7. An all-loving
The Bible says lots of God
different things
Different Ideas in
Christianity – Why?
The paranormal
Multi-faith society
makes hell seem
hard to believe

8. Jesus rose from
the dead
The Bible
All Christians says so
Life After Death at all –
Why?
The
All the Christian
paranormal
Churches say so
It gives
meaning and
purpose to this
The Creeds say
life
so, and should be
believed

9. Judaism and Life After Death
There are different Interpretations of the Jewish teachings,
but generally, they say that after death there is resurrection.
This is stated in the Thirteen Principles of Faith which is based on the
writings in the Torah and Tenakh. The Torah is the first
five books of the Bible.
The texts state that God will end this world when he decides to and will
then create a new world and resurrect the dead. He will also
rebuild the holy city of Jerusalem and the
temple for Jews to live in for the rest of eternity.

10. The different interpretations mean that some Jews believe that only
Jews will have an afterlife as they are the chosen people and
Jerusalem is for them. Most Jews, however, believe that there will be an
afterlife for everyone and people of all religions will be brought
together in the New Jerusalem. The teachings of the Tenakh seem
to suggest this.
Some Jews believe that evil people will go to hell as this is also
mentioned in the Tenakh.
More Liberal Jews are called Reform Jews, and many of them have
similar views to some Christians who believe in the immortality of the
soul after death.

11. Why do Jews believe in Life After Death? - Have a guess!
The Holy Book –
The teaching of
Direct
the Talmud
communication or
inspired by God
The Jewish Creed
Meaning and Purpose
Evidence of the Paranormal

12. Non-Religious reasons for believing in a Life After
Death
Near Death Clinically dead for a period of time and then
Experiences brought back to life. Often have out of body
experiences, visions of light etc.
Ghosts, mediums etc. Mediums = people who
Evidence of a
believe that they can contact the dead
Spirit World
Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist belief that after
Evidence of
death the soul is reborn into another body.
Reincarnation
Possible evidence would be memories of a
past life.

13. Why some people not believe in Life After Death
If there is not God, how can
If Life After Death were true,
there be a heaven?
wouldn’t all religions have the
same views about it and not
different ones?
Evidence is either from holy books,
which are not believed by non-
believers, or the paranormal which
scientists have disputed Evidence suggests that the
mind cannot live without the
brain, but according to belief
Where would life after death be? the body (and so brain) dies…
How would we recognise souls
without bodies in another spiritual
world?

14. Abortion
1967 Abortion Act = Abortion allowed
if 2 doctors can agree that:
• Mothers life is at risk
• Risk of injury to mothers mental /
physical health
• Risk that another child would put at
1990 Act stated
risk mental / physical health of
abortions could no
existing children
longer take place
after 24 weeks • Substantial risk of baby being bron
unless mothers life seriously handicapped
at risk as advances in
medicine mean baby STOP PRESS! This has been in the news recently as
likely to survive from many people are now arguing that it is too time
consuming to require 2 doctors, and also that babies
this age
are now surviving from 22 weeks!

15. Key Issues about Abortion
When does life begin?
Who has the greater chance to life
– the mother or the baby?
Does the foetus have a soul?
Should a woman be allowed to make
a decision involving her body?
Is abortion murder?
Does a foetus have human rights?

16. Christian Attitudes to
Abortion
Attitude 1:
(e.g. many Evangelical and most Catholic Christians)
Believe all abortion is wrong whatever the circumstances
Attitude 2:
(e.g. Methodist and Church of England Christians)
Believe that abortion is wrong, but it must be
permitted in certain circumstances e.g. rape,
quality of life. Some Christians would even allow it
for social reasons.

17. Reasons for these
Attitudes
Attitude 1:
• Life is holy and belongs to God – he should be the only one to end it
• Life begins at conception – when the sperm and the egg meet
• 10 commandments say it’s wrong to take life
• Every person has a natural right to life – a foetus is a potential person
• Catholic Church teaches abortion is wrong whatever the circumstances
Attitude 2:
• Jesus told Christians love is the most important thing, and in
some circumstances, abortion may be the most loving thing to do
• Life does not begin at conception
• The sanctity of life can be broken in other situations (e.g. a just
war), why not in abortion?
• Christians should accept technological advances in medicine
• Making it legal allows it to be safe and controlled

18. Judaism and Abortion
Some Jews believe never allowed – life begins at
conception so abortion is murder and only god has the
right to take life
Many Jews believe it is wrong but allowed if the mothers
life is at risk – abortion is wrong as they believe in the
sanctity of life, but the Torah allows killing in self defence
and if the mothers life is in risk then abortion is in self
defence
Some Jews believe allowed when following UK abortion
laws – life does not begin until the foetus can survive on its
own (in Torah), believe in self defence of mother, and that
Jews have a duty to prevent avoidable suffering which is
what the UK abortion laws try to do

19. Euthanasia – Non-religious arguments
Euthanasia is considered a crime in the UK and is therefore not
legal.
Non-religious arguments for it to remain illegal:
A cure might be found for the disease
Striving to keep
alive – doctors must
How would you control such a thing? There
to everything to
is risk of misuse
keep a patient alive
– they are in the
job of saving lives
Mean relatives might want
not ending them
Euthanasia for rich people so
that they can gain from their
wills
People might not be in their right mind
when they ask to die

20. Non-religious arguments for it to be made legal:
Quality of life is not worth living
The right to die – basic
human right
If families or doctors
can choose when to
Loss of human dignity switch off a life
support, why can you
not make the decision
yourself?
Many more people can now be saved but
live in a poor condition who would have
died years ago

21. Alo
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The Doctrine of Double Effect t n
con is ano he las derlin
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c
issu ept o ther k 2 slid ed
f th e
e es,
eE y
uth
ana
sia
The idea that if I take action to achieve one effect,
knowing that it will produce another, I cannot be
blamed for the second affect.
e.g. If I was to give a large dose of painkillers to
relieve someone’s pain, knowing that it will shorten
the person’s life, I cannot be blamed for this
person’s death because I only intended to relieve
their pain.

22. Christian Attitudes to Euthanasia
Christians generally believe that Euthanasia is wrong but there are
still different attitudes:
Most Christians – euthanasia is wrong, but switching off life
machines as long as the person is brain dead, and giving dying
people pain killers which will shorten their life is not wrong.
Why? Believe in sanctity of life – only God should end it. Assisted
suicide, voluntary and non-voluntary euthanasia are all murder. If
someone is brain dead then they’re already dead and they believe in
the law of double effect.
Some Christians – any form of euthanasia is wrong.
Why? They take the Bible teachings literally which bans suicide
and switching off life support or giving painkillers is murder.

23. Judaism and Euthanasia
Some Jews believe that
Most Jews against any
although it is wrong
euthanasia – written in
switching off life machines
torah that suicide is
and not striving to keep
wrong, believe in
someone alive is allowed –
sanctity of life and no
some rabbi’s have said this,
murder and the
a brain dead person is
Tenakh says only God
already dead, and striving
can take life
to keep someone alive is
preventing God from
receiving their soul

24. TIPS!
• Never leave a question blank – always have a go!
• Try to make sure you are always explaining things
as much as possible (reasons why) to get the higher
marks
• Make sure you read the questions carefully
• Take note of the number of marks allocation for
the question
• Remember exam conditions