Religious Studies: Key Terms

Religious Studies GCSE

Section 1: Believing in God
Key Terms Agnosticism = not being sure whether God exists
Atheism = believing that God does not exist
Causation = the idea that everything has been caused or started off by something else
Conversion = when your life is changed by giving yourself to God
Design = when things are connected and seem to have a purpose e.g. the eye is designed for seeing
Free will = the idea that human beings are free to make their own choices
Miracle = something which seems to break a law of science and makes you think only God could have done it
Moral evil = actions done by humans which cause suffering
Natural evil = things which cause suffering but have nothing to do with humans
Numinous = the
feeling of the presence of something greater than you
Omni-benevolent = the belief that God is all-good
Omnipotent = the belief that God is all-powerful
Omniscient = the belief that God knows everything that has happened and everything that is going to happen
Prayer = an attempt to contact God, usually through words

1. The main features of a religious upbringing in Christianity and how it may lead to belief in God. The main features of a Christian upbringing are:
• being baptised (Christened)
• Parents taking their children to church, especially on Sundays, and festivals such as Christmas and Easter
• Parents teaching their children bedtime prayers.

Most people find that their religious upbringing leads them to believe in God because
1. it appears natural to you
2. You will always have been told that God exists
3. People you respect will believe in God (parents, priests, vicars)
4. You will have been given no reason for not believing in God.

The main reasons from a Christian upbringing are:
• Christian parents teach their children to pray; praying to God will make children believe he exists
• Christian parents take their children to church where they will hear all about God existing and so believe he does
• Christian parents will send their children to Sunday school where they will hear all about God existing and so believe he does
• many Christian parents send their children to a church school where they will hear all about God existing and so believe he does
• Christian parents encourage their children to be confirmed where they may feel the presence of God in the prayers, vows and anointing

Key Point: Having a religious upbringing is likely to lead to belief in God because children are taught that God exists and they spend most of their time with people who believe that God exists.

2. How religious experiences, as seen in the numinous, conversion,
Miracles and prayer may lead to belief in God.

Numinous
When people are in a religious building, in a beautiful place or looking up at the stars on a clear night, they may be filled with the awareness that there is something greater than them, which they feel to be God. It might lead a person to believe in God because they believe that experience felt like God was real.

Conversion
Conversions occur when a person has an experience of God that is so great that the person experiencing it wants to change their life and commit themselves to God in a special way. This may be a change in religion or from agnosticism or atheism to belief in God. For some people, it gives a feeling of being ‘born again’

An example is the conversion of Saul in the Bible:
• Saul hated the Christians
• Saul to Damascus to arrest the Christians
• While in the desert, a bright light shone around him
• Saul hears God say, ‘Why are you persecuting me?’
• Saul becomes blind.
• He becomes a Christian and his name changes to Paul.

Miracle
Most religious people believe that a miracle is something which breaks the laws of nature and can only be explained by God. Miracles like this happened in the Bible when Jesus made blind people see, walked on water and raised the dead. Many religious believers think that miracles still happen today. At Christian healing services, people are healed after being prayed for.

Religious people believe that miracles happen because:
• They believe in God and God must be able to perform miracles
• They believe in the Bible which describe miracles
• They have seen miracles happen
• They believe people who have seen miracles happen. If you witness a miracle it will help you to believe in God.

Prayer
Religious believers think that they can make contact with God through prayer. If the person praying feels that God is listening to the prayer, then they have a religious experience through prayer. For example, when someone prays for a sick family member to recover and they do recover.

Key Point
People claim to experience God in miracles, answered prayers, the numinous and conversion. Religious experience makes people feel that God is real.

3. The argument from design The appearance of design in the world leads people to believe in God because:
• Anything that has been designed needs a designer
• There is plenty of evidence that the world has been designed (the laws of science, DNA, the beauty of nature)
• If the world has been designed, the world must have had a designer
• The only possible designer of something as beautiful and complex as the world would be God
• Therefore, appearance of design in the world proves that God exists.

The argument from design in the world can lead people who are unsure about God to believe that he exists. It can also give extra reasons for believing in God to those who already believe. Many people think that the argument from design does not lead to belief in God because:
• The argument ignores the evidence of lack of design, e.g. volcanoes, hurricanes, disease, etc
• All the evidence for design can be explained by science
• The argument does not refer to dinosaurs.

Key Point
The universe seems to be designed. Anything that is designed must have a designer. Therefore God must exist because only God could have designed the universe.

4. The argument from causation

The appearance of causation

Key Point
The way everything seems to have a cause makes people think the universe must have a cause, and the only possible cause of the universe is God, so God must exist.

This argument makes people think that the universe, the world and humans must have come from somewhere, they must have had a cause. As God is the only logical cause of the universe, it makes them think that God must exist, or it supports their belief in God if they already believe.

Some people may think the argument from causation does not prove that God exists because:
• Why should the causes stop at God? If everything needs a cause then God must need a cause.
• A better explanation is that the matter of the Universe itself is eternal and so the process of causes goes on forever.
• Even if the First Cause were to exist, it would not have to be God; it could be any sort of Creator.

5. Why scientific explanations of the origins of the world may lead some people not to believe in God. Science can explain where the world came from and where humans come from without any reference to God.

Key Point :
Science says that matter is eternal and that the universe began when this matter exploded. The solar system came out of the explosion and the nature of the earth allowed life to develop through evolution.
6. How Christianity responds to this.

Response 1
Key Point
• Many Christians accept the scientific explanations but believe they show that God created the universe through the Big Bang.

Because:
1. The Big Bang had to be at exactly the right micro second. If it had been too soon, it would have been too small to form stars, if it had been too late, everything would have flown away too fast for stars to form.

2. There had to be scientific laws such as gravity for the matter of the universe to form solar systems, and only God could have made these laws.

3. Life on earth requires carbon to be able to bond with 4 other atoms and water molecules. This could not have happened by chance, so God must have ensured it happened.

• Some say Science is wrong and the Bible is correct because it is the word of God

• Some Christians believe that both science and the Bible are true, because God’s days could be billions of years long.

Response 2 - Creationism
Some Christians believe that science is wrong and the Bible is right. All of the evidence about the Big Bang and evolution can be explained by the effects of Noah’s flood.

Response 3
Some Christians believe that both the scientific explanations and the Bible are correct. The main points of the Bible story fit with science.

7. Why unanswered prayers may lead some people not to believe in God.

Many religious people claim that when they pray, they feel that God is there listening to their
Prayers. However, other people never feel the presence of God when they pray. This is likely to make them feel that something is wrong: either they are not praying correctly or there is no God
Listening to them.

Unanswered prayers can lead people to become agnostics or atheists. God is supposed to care for those that worship him and answer prayers, but if someone prayers for God to help say a dying child and the child dies, that person may become agnostic/atheist.

8. How Christianity responds

Key Point
Christians believe that God cannot answer selfish prayers, but he answers all other prayers, though not always in the way people expect, because his answers have to fit in with his overall plans.

9. Why evil and suffering may lead some people not to believe in God.

Evil and suffering are linked together because evil is wrong, and most people think it is wrong for people to suffer. Many people find it hard to believe in God because there is evil and suffering in the world, especially as they think that God must be good, if they are going to
Free will = the idea that human beings are free to make their own choices

Moral evil means actions done by humans which cause suffering, e.g. murder, rape.
Natural evil means things which cause suffering but having nothing to do with humans, e.g. earthquakes, tsunami. worship him.

The Problem of Evil
• if God is good (benevolent), he cannot want evil and suffering in his world
• if God is all-powerful (omnipotent), he must be able to remove evil and suffering from his world.
• There is evil and suffering in the world, so God must not know everything (omniscient)

Key Point
Some people do not believe in God because they think that there would be no evil and suffering in a world created by a good and powerful God. A good God should not want such things to happen, and a powerful God ought to be able to get rid of them, but does not.

• God has not removed evil and suffering from the world so either he is not good, or he is not all-powerful, or he is not omniscient or God does not exist.

10. How Christianity responds

Question - Can God be all-loving (benevolent)? May be God doesn’t care about human suffering.
May be God isn’t all-loving after all.
Christian Answer - May be there is a purpose to suffering. Good can come out of suffering. May be we just can’t see it yet.

Question - Can God be all-knowing (omniscient)? May be God doesn’t even know about human suffering. May be God isn’t all-knowing after all.

Christian Answer - May be God knows more than us. God sees the bigger picture and the whole of time. God knows what is good in the long run for everyone.

Question - Can God be all-powerful (omnipotent)? May be God can’t actually do anything to stop human suffering. May be God isn’t all powerful after all.

Christian Answer - May be God chooses to be powerless. God sets natural laws in motion then chooses not to interfere. God gives humans free will to behave as they wish.

Section 2
Matters of Life and Death abortion = the removal of a foetus from the womb before it can survive assisted suicide = providing a seriously ill person with the means to commit suicide euthanasia = the painless killing of someone dying from a painful disease immortality of the soul = the idea that the soul lives on after the death of the body near-death experience = when someone about to die has an out of body experience non-voluntary euthanasia = ending someone’s life painlessly when they are unable to ask, but you have good reason for thinking they would want you to do so paranormal = unexplained things which are thought to have spiritual causes eg ghosts, mediums quality of life = the idea that life must have some benefits for it to be worth living reincarnation = the belief that, after death, souls are reborn in a new body resurrection = the belief that, after death, the body stays in the grave until the end of the world when it is raised sanctity of life = the belief that life is holy and belongs to God voluntary euthanasia = ending life painlessly when someone in great pain asks for death

1. Why Christians believe in life after death and how beliefs about life after death affect their lives.

There are two ideas involved in Christian beliefs about life after death:
• Resurrection of the body
• Immortality of the soul.

Many Evangelical Christians believe that when people die, they stay in the grave until the end of the world. Then God will raise and judge everyone, good Christians will go to heaven and everyone else will go to hell.

Many Protestant Christians believe that when people die their soul goes straight to heaven.

Roman Catholic Christians believe that when people die the souls of very good Christians go to heaven, other Christians go to purgatory to pay for their sins and at the end of the world everyone will be raised and Christians will go to heaven and others to hell.

Christians differ in their views about life after death. But they all believe that life has a purpose, and that it is sacred and should not be destroyed by anyone.

Why do they believe it
All Christians believe that there is life after death because:
• Jesus rose from the dead
• The Bible says there is life after death
• The paranormal and NDEs give evidence for it
• Life after death gives life meaning and purpose.

How the belief affects their lives

1. Christians believe that what happens to them after they die will be determined by how they have lived in this life. This means that Christians will try to live a good Christian life following the teachings of the Bible and the Church.

2. Living a good Christian life will mean following the teachings of Jesus. Jesus taught that the 2 greatest commandments are to Love God and to love your neighbour as yourself. Christians will try to love God by praying and worshipping to God. Catholics will try to attend Mass every week.

3. Christians will try to love their neighbour by helping anyone in need.

4. Christian beliefs about life after death give their lives meaning and purpose. Living life with a purpose affects the way that Christians live. In surveys, Christians suffer less from depression and are less likely to commit suicide than atheists and agnostics.

Key Point
Christians believe in life after death because:
• Jesus rose from the dead
• The Bible says there is life after death
• The soul is something that can never die. This affects their beliefs because Christians try to love God and love their neighbour so that they go to heaven and not hell

The Parable of the Sheep and Goats
Matthew 25:31-46

The Parable of the Good Samaritan
Luke 10:2937

2. Why the followers of Islam believe in life after death and how beliefs about life after death affect their lives.

Muslims believe in the resurrection of the body. They believe that when people die, they stay in the grave until the Last Day when Allah will bring the world to an end. Then everyone will be raised with resurrected bodies for a final judgment. Allah will judge people on whether they have been good or bad Muslims – the good will go to heaven for ever and the bad will go to hell forever.

They believe this because:
• All these teachings are found in the Quran
• Whatever the Quran says is the word of Allah and must be true.

This belief makes Muslims aware that everything they do is known to God and will be used by God to decide whether to send them to heaven or hell. So their behaviour is affected by their beliefs about life after death.

Why Muslims believe in life after death.

All Muslims believe in life after death because:
• it is what the Qur’an teaches and the Qur’an is the word of God
• life is a test from Allah, which only makes sense if there is life after death
• Some Muslims believe in life after death because of the evidence of the paranormal
Life after death gives life meaning and purpose.

How the belief affects their lives

• Islam teaches that, on the Last Day, all humans will be gathered before God on a vast plain and judged by God. Those who have lived good Muslim lives will pass the judgement and go to paradise, everyone else goes to hell. This affects Muslims’ lives because they must try to live good Muslim lives to go to paradise and avoid hell.

• Living a good Muslim life means observing the 5 pillars.

• Living a good Muslim life also means following the holy law of Islam – the Sharia, such as eating halal, not drinking alcohol or gambling.

• Muslims believe that resurrection means that nothing should be removed from the body after death. This means that funerals take place within 48 hours and the body is simply embalmed and buried. This affects Muslim lives because they try to avoid post-mortems and many Muslims have concerns about transplant surgery. Key Point
Muslims believe in life after death because it is taught in the Quran’, in the Hadith and is one of the 6 essential beliefs of Islam.
These beliefs affect their lives because Muslims will try to follow the 5 Pillars and the teachings of the Shari’ah so that they go to heaven and not hell.

3. Non-religious reasons for believing in life after death (near-death experiences, ghosts, mediums, the evidence of reincarnation).

Key Point
Some people believe in life after death for non-religious reasons, such as:
• Near death some people believe in life after death because there is evidence of the paranormal - ghosts, contacts with the dead through mediums, séances, Ouija boards etc.

Some people believe in life after death because there is evidence of post or near death experiences:
• People have died or nearly died in heart attacks, operating theatres and who have been resuscitated.
• About 70% of these cases talk about being aware of being out of their bodies, a presence of light, a tunnel of light and having visions of dead relatives and/or God.

4. Why some people do not believe in life after death.

Key
Point
Some people do not believe in life after death because
• Near death they do not believe in God
• There is no scientific evidence
• They do not see where life after death could take place.

5. The nature of abortion, including current British legislation, and why abortion is a controversial issue.

The 1967 Abortion Act first made abortions LEGAL in Great Britain. It states that an abortion can be carried out if:
• 2 doctors AGREE
• the mother’s life is at risk
• there is risk of injury to the MOTHER’S physical or mental health
• there is a risk that another child would put at risk the mental or physical health of EXISTING children
• there is a SUBSTANTIAL risk that the baby might be born seriously HANDICAPPED.

The 1990 Abortion Act states that abortions cannot take place after 24 WEEKS of pregnancy unless the MOTHER’S life is at risk because advances in medical techniques mean that such foetuses have a slim chance of survival.

Key Point
Abortion is allowed in the UK if 2 doctors agree that there is a medical reason for it.
Abortion is a controversial issue because:
• People disagree about when life begins
• People disagree about whether abortion is murder
• people disagree about whether a woman has the right to choose. fertilised
• Others say it begins when it receives a soul (about 15 weeks)
• Other say life only begins when the foetus can survive outside the womb.

6. Different Christian attitudes to abortion
There are 2 different Christian teachings on abortion

1. Roman Catholics and many Evangelical Protestants believe abortion is always wrong because of Christian teachings on the sanctity of life:
• God created life in the mother and to prevent that life being born is murder and against God’s will
• Life begins at conception and as God said ‘Do not murder’ (the 6 of the 10 commandments) all abortions should be banned.

2. Other Protestants disagree with abortion, but think that in certain circumstances it is necessary. Although, they would prefer there to be no abortion, they realise there would be too much suffering if abortion was banned. They believe this because:
• they do not believe life begins at conception
• they believe Jesus’ command to ’love you neighbour’ is the most important command.
• They believe that when faced with a choice between 2 evils, Christians should choose the lesser evil.
The reason why there are 2 different views in Christianity on the issue of abortion is because Christians disagree about when life begins. 7. Different attitudes to abortion in Islam
There are 3 different Muslim teachings on abortion.

1. Some Muslims think abortion should never be allowed, because: • They believe in the sanctity of life – life can only be given and taken by Allah.
• It says in the Qur’an that people should never kill their children.

2. Most Muslims believe that abortion can be allowed only if the mother’s life is at risk, because:
• the death of an unborn child is a lesser evil than the death of the mother
• the Shari’ah says that the mother’s life must always take priority.

3. Some Muslims allow abortions up to 120 days of pregnancy for reasons such as the health of the mother or the baby, because:
• the Hadith and Muslim lawyers say at 120 days of pregnancy the foetus becomes a child. The reason why there are 3 different views in Islam on the issue of abortion is because Muslims interpret parts of the Qur’an differently.

Key Point
Christians have different attitudes to abortion:
• Some Christians believe that abortion is always wrong because it is murder and against God’s will
• Some Christians believe that abortion is wrong but must be allowed in some circumstances as the lesser of 2 evils.

Key Point * Some Muslims think abortion should never be allowed

* Some Muslims think abortion can only be allowed if the mother’s life is in danger

* Some Muslims think abortion is allowed until 120 days because this is when the foetus receives a soul.
Key Point
There are various types of euthanasia that are all aimed at giving an easy death to those suffering intolerably.

British law says that euthanasia is a crime, but withholding treatment to dying patients is not.

8. The nature of euthanasia including current British legislation, and why euthanasia is a controversial issue.

The law says nothing can be done by doctors which could be thought of as euthanasia.

However recent decisions by the courts have allowed doctors to switch off life support machines
And stop feeding patients who are in a persistent vegetative state.

Why Euthanasia is a Controversial issue

Many people want euthanasia to stay illegal because:
• there is always doubt as to whether it is what the person truly wants
• the illness may not always be terminal – a cure could be found
• doctors should be saving lives, not taking them
• people might change their minds later

Many people want euthanasia to be made legal because:
• Life support machines, new medical technology to keep handicapped babies alive, better drugs to fight cancer, all mean that people are being kept by alive by medicine – often in agony.
• The NHS cannot afford to keep people alive on life support machines, which could be used to save the life of someone who has a chance of recovery
• Some people think it is a human right to have control about when they die.

9. Christian attitudes to euthanasia.
All Christians agree that euthanasia is wrong, because:

1. The Bible says decisions about life and death belong to God. of the 10 Commandments says Christians should not murder.

There are 3 views about surrounding issues:

Catholics and many liberal Christians believe that switching off life support machines is NOT euthanasia IF brain death has been confirmed by doctors.
They also believe that it is not wrong to allow death by NOT giving extraordinary medical treatment.
Nor is it wrong to giving dying people painkillers which may shorten their life.
They believe this because:
• it is up to doctors to determine when death has occurred
• the doctrine of double
effect.

Some Evangelical Christians do NOT allow
• turning off life support machines

Key Point
All Christians are against euthanasia because they believe that life is sacred and belongs to God.
There are some different attitudes among Christians about
• switching off life support machines
• withdrawing medical treatment, etc because some people think that these are not euthanasia.
• refusal of extraordinary treatment
• giving large doses of painkillers because they take the Bible literally and

1. the Bible bans suicide
2. the 3 actions above are like euthanasia
3. all euthanasia is murder and against the 10 Commandments.

A few Liberal Christians accept limited use of euthanasia because
1. It is not actually killing
2. It still leaves the decision about life and death to God.

There are 3 different attitudes among Christians about
• switching off life support machines
• withdrawing medical treatment, etc because it is debated whether these are methods of euthanasia.

10. Muslim attitudes to euthanasia.
There are 2 different view in Islam about the issues surrounding euthanasia.

Most Muslims does not allow euthanasia in any form at all because:
1. Life is a test and suicide and euthanasia are like cheating in the test.
2. The Qur’an bans suicide and euthanasia is like suicide.
3. The Qur’an says that only God has the right to give an take life, so euthanasia is putting yourself on a par with God, which could be the greatest sin of SHIRK.

Some Muslims would agree with all of this BUT would allow life support machines to be switched off if there are no signs of life because if someone is brain-dead, Allah has already taken their life.

There are different attitudes among Muslims about
• switching off life support machines
• withdrawing medical treatment, etc because some people think that these are not euthanasia. Key Point
All Muslims are against euthanasia because they believe that life is sacred and belongs to God.

There are some different attitudes among Muslims about
• switching off life support machines
• withdrawing medical treatment, etc because some people think that these are not euthanasia.

11. Arguments for and against the media being free to criticise what religions say about matters of life and death.

Arguments that the media SHOULD be free to criticise what religions say about matters of life and death
• it is a way of stirring up religious hatred
• Article 10 of the European
• religious hatred is banned by the law – Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2007
• it can cause serious offence to believers
• it is close to the crime of blasphemy Convention on Human Rights allows for freedom of expression
• Religious leaders use the media to criticise government policies, so should be prepared to be criticised in return
• In a multi-faith society, there must be freedom of religious belief and expression (Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights)
• Life and death issues are so important that there should be debate in the media
• God is beyond human criticism. • Life and death issues must be scrutinised by the free media. Examples to Choose from:
• Dragonfly film
• Million Dollar Baby film

Section 3
Marriage and the Family Life Adultery = a sexual act between a married person and someone other than their marriage partner
Civil partnership = a legal ceremony giving a homosexual couple the same legal rights as a husband and wife
Cohabitation = living together without being married
Contraception = intentionally preventing pregnancy from occurring
Faithfulness = staying with your marriage partner and having sex only with them
Homosexuality = sexual attraction to the same sex
Nuclear family = mother, father and children living as a unit
Pre-marital sex = sex before marriage
Procreation = making a new life
Promiscuity = having sex with a number of partners without commitment
Re-constituted family = where two sets of children (stepbrothers and stepsisters) become one family when their divorced parents marry each other
Re-marriage = marrying again after being divorced from a previous marriage

1. Changing attitudes to marriage, divorce, family life and homosexuality in the UK and the reasons for them.

The numbers of people who are getting married are decreasing. This could be because:
1. It is expensive to marry
2. society no longer expects people to marry
3. women have a greater ability to earn their own money, so reducing the need to marry to be provided for.

The numbers of people cohabiting (living together) is increasing. This could be because:
1. it is expensive to marry
2. society no longer expects people to marry, but people want commitment with their partner. The Civil Partnerships Act 2004 allows Civil Partnerships between 2 people of the same sex.

Changing attitudes to divorce in the United Kingdom.
The numbers of people who are getting divorce are increasing. This could be because: 1. society no longer expects people to stay married if they are unhappy
2. laws have made it easier and quicker to get divorced society does not look down on people if they are divorced.

Key Point
50 years ago most people only had sex in marriage and they married in church. Now people have sex before they marry, cohabiting is acceptable and most weddings are not in church. This could be caused by safer contraception and fewer people being influenced by religion.

Divorce and remarriage used to be rare but are accepted today and 2/5 marriages end in divorce. The changes may have been caused by cheaper divorce and women having more equality.

Family life has changed so that although most children are still brought up by a mother and a father, the parents may not be married or may have been married more than once.

Homosexuality used to be illegal but there is now a greater equality, especially with Civil Partnerships. These changes are probably due to discoveries showing that homosexuality is natural and changes to the law.

2. The attitudes of Christianity to sex outside marriage
All Christians believe that having sex without love or with different partners is wrong. This is called promiscuity.

Most Christian churches say that having sex before you are married (this is called pre-marital sex) is wrong. They say that living together without being married (cohabitation) is wrong.

All Christians believe it is very wrong to have sex with someone else after marriage. This is called adultery.

Some Christians accept that couples may cohabit before marriage, but would expect them to marry when starting a family and would only accept a sexual relationship between 2 people committed to a long term relationship.

3. The attitudes of Islam to sex outside marriage Key Point
All Muslims believe that sex before marriage and adultery are wrong because the Qur’an teaches this. Islam bans all sex outside marriage and cohabitation. Islam regards sex before marriage as the same as adultery. Islam has strict rules to prevent sex outside marriage. After the age of 13, men and women can’t mix together outside the home and family.

Islam teaches that the primary purpose of sex is for the procreation of children and children should only be born in a family where the mother and father are married.

Both men and women should wear baggy clothes to cover their bodies fully. Key Point
All Christians believe adultery is wrong as it breaks one of the 10 Commandments. Most Christians believe that sex before marriage is wrong because the Church and the Bible teach this.

4. The attitudes of Christianity to divorce
Christians disprove of divorce because the wedding vows mean the marriage should last for life.

There are 2 Christian views about divorce and remarriage:

Protestants allow divorce and remarriage because:
• Jesus allowed divorce in the Bible
• If people make a mistake they should be allowed another chance as long as they are sorry.
• Christianity teaches that God forgives sins. Roman Catholics do not allow divorce at all because:
• Marriage is a sacrament only God can end
• Vows promised to god mean only death can end a marriage
• Jesus said that anyone divorcing and remarrying is committing adultery. The reason why there are 2 different views about divorce in Christianity is because they prioritise different parts of the Bible on the issue of divorce.

5. The attitudes of Islam to divorce

There are 2 Muslim views about divorce:

Some Muslims think that marriage should be for life and they would not divorce because:
• Muhammad (pbuh) said divorce is hated by God
• Divorce causes a lot of problems in the families who introduced/arranged the marriage.
• The Qur’an teaches that the family should do all they can to rescue the marriage during the 3 month waiting period (iddah) – means that there should be no divorce.

Most Muslims believe that divorce should be allowed because:
• it is allowed in the Qur’an.
• Marriage is a contract
• Islam teaches that in some situations, Muslims must choose the lesser of 2 evils. Divorce may be the lesser evil than forcing a couple to live in hatred and bitterness.

Key Point
Catholics do not allow religious divorce and remarriage because they believe the marriage vows
Cannot be broken
Other Christians disapprove of divorce but allow religious divorce and remarriage if the marriage
Has broken down, because Christianity teaches forgiveness.

The reason why there are 2 different views about divorce in Islam is because the Qur’an allows divorce, but it is hated by God.

Key Point
Most Muslims allow divorce because it is allowed by the Qur’an
Some Muslims do not allow divorce because the Prophet said God disapproves of it.
6. The teachings of Christianity on family life and its importance.
Why family life is important in Christianity

• Family life is important because it was created by

Key Point
Christians believe that the family is important because it is taught in the Bible, Christian wedding services refer to bringing up a family as the main purpose of marriage; Christians believe that the ] family was created by God. God to keep society together.
• Family life is important because it is the only way God wants children to be brought up
• Family life is important because it is the place where children learn about Christianity. Christian teaching on family life

• Christianity teaches that children should be brought up by a mother and a father in a family.
• Parents should provide children with food, clothes, love and bring them up as Christians.
• Children should obey and respect their parents and look after them when they are old.
How churches help with the upbringing of children and keeping the family together.
• Churches help family life by having baptism services, and can help parents teach their children about Christianity.
• Churches have organisations to give children a social life.
• Churches have many charities to help family life like homes for old people and marriage guidance. 7. The teachings of Islam on family life and its importance.

Why family life is important in Islam

• Family life is important because it was created by God to keep society together.
• Family life is important because it is the only way God wants children to be brought up
• Family life is important because it is the place where children learn about Islam. Islamic teaching on family life

• Islam teaches that children should be brought up by a mother and a father in a family.
• Parents should provide children with food, clothes, and bring them up as Muslims.
• Children should obey and respect their parents and look after them when they are old.
How mosques help with the upbringing of children and keeping the family together.
• Mosques run special schools (madrasahs) to teach children about Islam and Arabic.
• Mosques act as social centres with boys’ and girls’ clubs.
• Most mosques have a committee to help with family problems and marriage guidance.

Key Point
Family life is important in Islam because the Qur’an says that the family is the basis of society and Muslims should follow the example of Muhammad (pbuh) who raised a family.

8. Christian attitudes to homosexuality and the reasons for them.
There are 4 Christian views about homosexuality.
The Catholic View
• Being homosexual is not a sin because people can be born gay and the Bible speaks about homosexual acts not homosexuality.
• Catholics say homosexual sexual relationships are sinful, because it is classed as a sin in Bible.
• Homosexuals should not be discriminated against because the Bible says that everyone was created equally.

The Evangelical Protestant view
• Homosexuality is a sin because it is classed as a sin in Bible.
• There should be no homosexual Christians. The Liberal Protestant view
• Life-long homosexual partnerships are acceptable, as the Bible says love and commitment are important. • But homosexual priests should not engage in sexual activity as they are religious leaders.

Quaker view
• The quality and nature of a relationship matters, not about the people involved. If there is deep love, it does not matter if it is a homosexual relationship.
• Because Christianity is all about love and the Bible says to Love your neighbour.

There are different attitudes in Christianity to homosexuality because the Bible says the action is wrong, but some Christians believe that Christianity should be about loving people. Key Point
Catholics believe there is nothing wrong with homosexual feelings or relationships as long as there is no sexual activity. Evangelical Christians believe being gay is a sin because it is condemned in the
Bible Liberal Protestants believe that being gay is acceptable because it is natural and Christians should love and accept everyone

9. Muslim attitudes to homosexuality and the reasons for them.
There are 2 views about homosexuality in Islam

Most Muslims believe homosexuality is wrong because
• Homosexuality is condemned within Islam.
• It is considered unnatural and is punishable under Islamic law. If people continue to act in a homosexual way they can be punished. Under Shariah law, the punishment can be death.
• Part of the reason is that pregnancy cannot happen. It is not creative sex. Muslims SHOULD aim to have children.
• The Prophet had children, and he is the best representative for Muslims to follow.

Some Muslims believe that homosexuality is acceptable because
• Islam is a religion of tolerance
• God created all people and loves them as he created them.
• Scientific evidence shows that some people are born gay. Key Point
Most Muslims believe that homosexuality is wrong because it is condemned in the Qur’an and
Shari’ah.

A few Muslims believe that homosexuality should be accepted because it was created by God and
Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance

10. Different Christian attitudes to contraception
There are 2 Christian views about contraception

The Catholic View The use of contraception is against Natural Law (not in keeping with human nature). It is natural that conception may happen with sex and therefore this should not be avoided. This is because the Bible says that God intends people to have sex so that they can have children.
The only form of contraception permitted is the rhythm method where intercourse takes place at a time when the woman is least fertile.

Key Point
Catholics say that using artificial methods of contraception to stop a baby being conceived is wrong. Sex should be creative.
Other Christians allow the use of contraception because they believe God gave sex to strengthen a married relationship. Sex is unitive as well as creative.

The Protestant View

Sees sex as good in itself in that it provides an essential way for a husband and wife to express and enjoy their love for each other. The Church of England accepts contraception as a means of enabling a couple to enjoy sex and to take responsibility for the upbringing of their family, spacing out their children and avoiding pregnancy altogether for medical reasons.

11. Different Muslim attitudes to contraception All Muslims believe that contraception should not be used to prevent Muslims from having any children, but there are different attitudes as to whether contraception can be used to limit family size.

Some Muslims believe that the use of contraception is acceptable because :
• There is evidence that the Prophet knew and approved of the use of contraception.
• The Qur’an says that Allah does not place extra burdens on Muslims and a large family makes an extra burden .

Some Muslims say that contraception goes against Allah’s will and should not be used at all
• The Qur’an states that you should not kill your children – and refer this to contraception.
• God created sex for procreation (creative sex)
• It is the duty of Muslims to have large families.

There are different Christian and Muslim views about contraception because the believers differ in their view of the purpose of sex – whether it is creative or unitive.
Additional Key words
Contraception is taking action to prevent conception taking place
Birth control means taking action to plan the number of children a woman gives birth to
Key Point
Some Muslims are against the use of contraceptives because sex should be creative.
Other Muslims agree with contraception because the Prophet did.

Section 4
Religion and Community Cohesion

community cohesion = a common vision and shared sense of belonging for all groups in society discrimination = treating people less favourably because of their ethnicity /gender /colour/ sexuality/ age/class ethnic minority = a member of an ethnic group (race) which is much smaller than the majority group interfaith marriages = marriage where the husband and wife are from different religions multi-ethnic society = many different races and cultures living together in one society multi-faith society = many different religions living together in one society prejudice = believing some people are inferior or superior without even knowing them racial harmony = different races/colours living together happily racism = the belief that some races are superior to others religious freedom = the right to practise your religion and change your religion religious pluralism = accepting all religions as having an equal right to coexist sexism = discriminating against people because of their gender (being male or female)

1. How and why attitudes to the roles of men and women have changed in the UK.

It became accepted that married women should not work in the second half of the nineteenth century. The effect this had on women’s employment was to reduce it from 50% to 15%.

Laws have changed
• Married Women’s Property Act 1882 allowed married women to keep their property separate from their husband’s
• 1892 the Local Government Act gave women the right to stand as councillors
• 1928 Electoral Reform Act gave equal voting rights to women and allowed women to stand as MPs.
• Equal Pay Act 1970 required employers to pay women the same as men

Key Point
Attitudes to the roles of men and women have changed greatly. Women now have equal rights and men and women are expected to share roles in the home.

Attitudes have changed because of the Feminist movement, social and industrial changes and the effects of the 2 World Wars.
• 1975 Sex Discrimination Act made it illegal to discriminate on grounds of gender or whether someone is married (though religion was given an opt-out on this

Two reasons why attitudes to the roles of men and women have changed are:
• the two world wars – women had to do men’s jobs
• various movements promoting women’s rights.

There has been less progress in who actually does the work around the home. 68% of women say they do all the housework, though only 54% of men agree!

2. Different Christian attitudes to equal rights for women in religion.
Christianity has 3 different attitudes to the roles of men and women:

Evangelical Christians

Evangelical Christians believe that men and women should have different roles. Women should bring up children and run a Christian home. Men should provide for the family and lead the family in religion. They believe that only men can be church leaders.

They believe this because:
• St Paul said women should not speak in church and should obey their husbands.
• Genesis chapter 2 says that Adam was created first.

Liberal Protestants Many other Protestants believe that men and women are equal and have women ministers and priests.

They believe this because:
• Jesus treated women as his equals
• Genesis chapter 2 says God created men and women at the same time
• There may have been women priests in the early church.

The Roles of Men and Women in Roman Catholic Christianity

The Roman Catholic Church teaches that men and women are equal and should have equal roles in life, but only men can be priests.
They believe this because:
• Jesus only appointed men as the 12 disciples/apostles

Key Point
• Evangelical Christians believe only men should be religious leaders because this is what the Bible teaches
• Liberal Protestants believe men and women have equal roles in religion because Jesus had women disciples
• Catholics believe men and women should have equal roles, but only men can become priest because Jesus was a man
• Priests are successors of the apostles.

There are different attitudes in Christianity to equal rights for men and women in religion, because different Bible passages are interpreted as being important.

3. Different Muslim attitudes to equal rights for women in religion.
There are 2 Muslim views about equal rights for women in religion.

The traditional view in Islam

Most Muslims believe that men and women have different roles. It is the role of women to have children and bring them up. It is the role of men to provide for the family and take theboys to pray at the mosque.

This is because they believe that:
• The Qur’an says that men should support women
• The Qur’an says that women should inherit half of what a man inherits.

The modern view in Islam Key Point
• Traditional Muslims believe that men and women should have different roles in religion because of tradition and the teachings of the Qur’an
• Modern Muslims believe that men and women should have equal riles in religion because of the teachings of the Qur’an and the example of the Prophet.
Some Muslims believe that men and women are equal and that women can have careers and should worship in the mosque.

This is because they believe that:
• The Qur’an teaches that men and women are equal in religion and education.
• Women worshipped in the mosque at the time of the Prophet.

There are different attitudes to the roles of men and women in Islam because different Muslims interpret the Qur’an differently.

4. UK as a multi-ethnic society
The UK has always been a mixed society. 5,000 years ago, people travelled from many areas of the world to live in what is now known as Britain. If we go back in history far enough, everyone in Britain was originally from another place, e.g. Romans, Saxons, Vikings, Normans.

Since 250CE there have been black people in Britain, when Rome sent an army of African soldiers to stand guard on Hadrian's Wall.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the British Empire controlled many places across the world, like India, African countries and the West Indies. Britain benefited a lot from the people in its colonies; they worked, and even fought in wars for the Empire. Most were given rights to live in the UK.

After the World War 2, Britain needed help to rebuild the country. People across the Empire were invited to come and work in the UK. Since 22 June 1948 with the arrival of the Windrush, thousands of people from many countries started to arrive in Britain.

Advantages of living in a Multi Ethnic Society
• Develop understanding of different people.
• Larger variety of Food, Clothes and Music.
• Develop a sense of empathy in order to reduce discrimination.
• Melting pot of different skills and depth of educational backgrounds and experiences.

Problems of Discrimination and Racism
Prejudiced landlords, employers, politicians, teachers, police officers can cause significant problems for the UK.

Effects of discrimination and racism
• feeling of being treated unfairly
• ‘self-fulfilling’ prophecies by politicians
• The rise of groups such as the BNP, which could stir up hatred.

Benefits of living in a Multi-Ethnic Society
• less chance of war
• more progress because new people bring in new ideas
• life is more interesting with a variety of food, music, fashion, entertainment etc.

Key Point
• Britain has many ethnic minorities and so is called a multi-ethnic society

• Multi-ethnic societies have many benefits, such as advancing quickly because they have a greater variety of ideas
• A multi-ethnic society needs equal opportunities and treatment to work and prejudice and discrimination cause major problems in the UK because they do not treat everyone equally.

5. Government action to promote community cohesion in the UK, including legislation on equal rights for ethnic minorities and religions.

The UK believes that a multi-ethnic society needs to promote community cohesion in order to overcome the problems of prejudice, discrimination and racism. The British Government promotes community cohesion by
• financially supporting groups that are working for community cohesion
• making community cohesion part of the curriculum
• Race Relations Act – makes it unlawful to discriminate against everyone because of race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins
• Crime and Disorder Act – higher penalties where there is evidence of racial or religious motivation or hostility.

Why community cohesion is important
• without community cohesion, there could be violence and civil unrest
• a lack of community cohesion in Oldham, Burnley and Bradford led to racially/religiously motivated riots
• to avoid ‘parallel communities’
• In countries without community cohesion, such as Iraq, Kosovo, Kashmir, violence becomes a way of life

How community cohesion supports a society
• Avoids the bad effects of intolerance and harassment
• Encourages different groups to work together and treat each other better
• Ensures respect for diversity
• Develops common bonds and commitments. Key Point
The Government is promoting community cohesion in the UK by passing laws against racism and discrimination and by making it part of the national curriculum.

Community cohesion is important because without it a multi-ethnic society could become violent
And divided.

6. Why Christians should help to promote racial harmony.
Christians should promote racial harmony because

• The Bible, especially the Parable of the Good Samaritan, teaches that all people, regardless of colour, race, are equal. Christianity talks about the equality of human beings and the fact that we are all God's creatures.

• Jesus treated a Samaritan as his equal (John 4), healed a Roman’s servant (Luke 7) and had a black African help him carry his cross (Luke 23)

• Saint Peter was given a vision by God, which showed him that God treats all races equally and accepts the worship of anyone who does right whatever their race (Acts 10).

• St Paul taught about racial harmony (Gal 3)

• In Britain the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church campaign against racism and they also examine issues such as immigration laws and unemployment levels in ethnic minority groups.

Key Point
Christians should promote racial harmony because of the teachings of the Bible and the Church against racism and because they should follow the example of Jesus.

7. Why Muslims should help to promote racial harmony.

Muslims should promote racial harmony because:
• This world wide Muslim community is known as the Ummah, as it is

Key Point
Muslims should promote racial harmony because Islam teaches that racism is wrong because of the teachings of the Qur’an and the example of the Prophet. made up of all races.
• When Islam first began in Arabia, the first person that the Prophet made read out the call to prayer was a black Ethiopian.

• He also said that, 'Allah does not look upon your outward appearance, he looks upon your hearts and deeds'. It is a person's behaviour, not their racial origin that is important.

• The African American Muslim, Malcolm X, believed that Islam was 'black religion' until he made the Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca) in 1964. He saw amongst the millions of pilgrims all were represented and were equal in the eyes of Allah. While on pilgrimage, all Muslims wear white garments to show their equality.
• The Quran teaches that racism is wrong, because regardless of differences, all people have the same common origin; 'Allah created you from a single being... out of him spread many men and women'. (Quran 4:1)

8. The UK as a multi-faith society
All religions have equal rights in the UK, (although the Church of England - is the State religion).

Advantages of Multi-faith Societies
• Increase tolerance and understanding among individuals.
• Countries that are multi-faith also tend to be less sexist and racist.
• Having a variety of religions in a country can also help relationships between different countries. For example, having Muslims in UK may help the Government to get on with Muslim countries, making war less likely.
• it encourages people to think deeply about their own religious beliefs. This is because they will be exposed to different religions and people are able to learn about other faiths understandings of
God to their own.
• Gives people the opportunity to convert because there is a wider range of choice. Disadvantages

• Some people think multi-faith societies cause problems because it is impossible to treat all religions equally. For example, who gets priority if Christians and Muslims both want to build a place of worship in the same place?
• Some say multi-faith communities actually divide people because people only mix with people from their own religion.

Key Point
Britain is a multi-faith society because several religions are practised here and everyone is free to practise their religion. A multi-faith society has many benefits such as religious freedom and the opportunity to find out about and think more deeply about different religions.

9. Issues raised for religion by a multi-faith society Conversion is an issue raised by a multi-faith society because many religions see it as their right, even duty to convert everyone because:
• they believe their religion is the only true religion and all other religions are mistaken
• they believe that everyone should go to heaven and the only way for this to happen is for others to be converted
• the holy books teach them to convert non-believers.

Trying to convert other religions in a multi-faith society can cause major problems because:
• it could be seen as prejudice and discrimination – because you treat people differently
• It is impossible to see all other religions as wrong, unless you have studied them all – few who are trying to convert have done this
• It can lead to arguments and even violence when people are told their religion is wrong.

Bringing up children is an issue raised by a multi-faith society because it is everyone’s right to religious freedom – including children. Most religions encourage parents to ensure that their children are brought up in the religion – most parents don’t want their children to have the chance to reject the religion and choose and learn about another

Inter-faith Marriages is an issue raised by a multi-faith society and can be a problem for religious parents and religious leaders because:
• often there can be no religious wedding ceremony
• There is the question of which religion the children will be raised in
• There is the problem of what will happen after death? Will the couple have to be buried in separate places because of their religion?
• Some religions believe only their religion has the full truth, but other religions can reach God
(inclusivism).
• Some religions believe only their religion has the truth and other religions need to be converted to them (exclusivism).
• Some religions believe that all religions are equal and are just different ways of finding God
(pluralism)

Key Point
A multi-faith society needs to have laws giving equal rights to all religions and to those who have no religion. However a multi-faith society can raise problems for religious people in areas such as:
• Conversion attempts by other faiths because it is like discrimination
• Bringing up children because they may leave their parents’ faith
• Interfaith marriages because of having to decide which faith the children should be brought up in.

10. Ways in which religions work to promote community cohesion in the UK. The different religions are beginning to work to promote community cohesion by:

1. Discovering what is the same in their religions: For example, Judaism, Islam and Christianity believe in the same prophets Abraham and Moses. All religions have the Golden Rule.
2. Some religious groups are developing ways of helping interfaith marriages
3. Developing ideas of how to bring up children in 2 religions.
4. Joining together in special groups to explore ways of helping community cohesion.
Key Point

Religions are working for community cohesion in the UK by:
• working together to discover what is the same about religions
• helping with interfaith marriages
• making sure all children learn about different faiths
• joining local and national groups to promote community cohesion.

Key Point
When studying the presentation of an issue from religion and community cohesion in the media, you must be able to explain why the issue was chosen, how it was presented, whether the presentation treated religious beliefs fairly and whether than presentation treated religious people fairly.