Existence of God Christians and Jews are mono-theists

Teleological - Where there's design (the universe), there's a

designer (God)

Detail, intricate, complex, beauty and independence -

Couldn’t be random chance

Paley - watch analogy of the world – having not seen a

watch before, you would see it was intricately designed

not assembled by chance. The universe is more complex

i.e. the eye. God designed it.

Newton - Unique thumb print – ‘the thumb alone would

convince me of God's existence’

Intelligent designer - human ability to design reflects

this creator

Against:

Nature has design faults (natural disasters, evil and

suffering…) - why would God create such imperfections?

Evolution gives an appearance of design – natural

selection, self-designed

Problem of Evil – Why did God create evil?

First Cause – Cosmological

Thomas Aquinas - everything (the universe) must be

caused to exist e.g. fire. Eternal first cause (God) -

infinite regression is impossible

The Universe – best evidence for God

God caused the Big Bang – life evolved from it

To measure time, you need a beginning (God)

God caused the Big Bang; something (the universe) can't

be created from nothing

Against:

What caused God?

The Big Bang caused everything - 'certain atoms can

come in and out of existence' (physics)

The universe doesn’t have to have a cause, it may have

always existed

Religious experience – For God’s existence

Based on revelation, miracle, conversion or worship

Personal experience - 'I saw it, so I know it

exists' - No reliable witnesses

Reliable evidence - 'Someone convinced me

about their experience'

'Logical reasoning has lead me to believe in its

existence'

E.g. Miracle, vision, dream, answered prayer,

revelation = God Exists

1980’s John Rajah (blood poisoning – near to

death) – cried for God - saw two tunnels

(experience) healed by God through prayer

Buddhism: Gotama - spiritual experience when

meditating under Bodhi tree. Overcame

temptations to reach enlightenment

Christianity: Saul (St Paul) blinded by Jesus’ light

going to Damascus – turned to Christianity

Against:

Drugs, alcohol, mentally ill/ mistaken,

hallucinating (trick of the light)

Scared of death/ lying (wishful thinking)

They were getting better anyway

Medicine was making them worse

Rational/ alternative explanations

Morality - Ethics of right and wrong

For – Theists (Proof there is a God):

Morality programmed by a superior authority

which must be obeyed (guilt/ conscience inbuilt

by God) - voice of God

Rewarded in the afterlife if not in this life

Against – Atheists (Proof there is no God):

Evolution process (survival process through

natural selection)

Guilt from upbringing – going against family

and society

No evidence of afterlife

Evil (cause) and Suffering (result e.g. pain, grief or pain)

Bad time – distress, agony, misery, unpleasant life

Types of evil = cause suffering – Accidental, deliberate or

beyond human understanding:

Natural Human – someone’s actions

Volcanoes Earthquakes

Flooding Tornadoes

Tsunami

Stealing Revenge

Murder/rape War/ terrorism

Stabbing

Causes – origins:

- Ignorance/ Selfishness - Laziness - Lust - Pride - Thoughtlessness

- Anger - Craving - Envy - Greed - Hatred

Unfortunate circumstances - born into poverty…

Purpose:

Test of faith/ Appreciate God

A better, stronger person

God’s plan – achieve a goal

Pain = warning e.g. toothache

Bring people/community together – help others

Teach a lesson

Christianity: Avoid suffering

Trust in God

‘Love your neighbour as yourself’

Feel compassion and help sufferers

Follow Jesus – help the needy, heal the sick

Explanations:

Freewill

The balance of nature – not God’s fault – how the world

developed after its creation

The suffering of Jesus/ The original sin (human

disobedience) - consequences

Satan (temptation)

Absence of good – St Augustine ‘like illness is the

absence of good health’

God’s mysterious plan

Problem of Evil:

If God is Omni-benevolent (all-loving), omniscient (all-

knowing) and omnipotent (all-powerful), why do people

suffer?

Case studies:

Job Dunblane

Suffering is a test, punishment for sin, part of God’s plan – beyond human understanding

Psychological Phenomenon (result of a damaged mind) Accused of abuse – banned from coaching scouts – killed 16 primary school children and a teacher

Buddhism: There is no God to blame

Causing Dukkha (suffering) = bad karma

3 Poisons: Ignorance, greed and hatred

8 fold path:

Right understanding

Right attitude

Right speech

Right action

Right livelihood

Right effort

Right mindfulness

Right concentration

Purpose:

Stop craving,

Overcome material attachments,

Balance wealth and poverty

Four noble truths:

All life contains suffering

Suffering is caused by craving

Suffering will only end when we find peace and

contentment

The only way to peace and contentment is to

follow the 8th fold path

Life-After Death Endless existence (Immortality)

Examples:

Legacy (books, music…)

Memories

Immortal soul

Resurrection

Reincarnation/ rebirth

Evidence for:

Ghosts – apparitions, and exorcists claim to able to

remove spirits

Ancient beliefs e.g. embalming for the after life – for

many years

Seen dead relatives and mediums – messages from the

dead

NDE – many patients (from different societies, cultures

and religions) after major surgery claim this – e.g.

leaving the body to watch the operation from above,

their spirit drifting towards a bright light with beautiful

music or greeted and told their time is not up yet

God exists = Life After Death exists

Evidence in holy books

If you’re good you go to heaven, bad you go to hell

Evidence against:

Other explanations e.g. hallucinations/ NDEs – oxygen

starvation/ psychological creates a sense of euphoria –

feeling of ecstasy

Life needs a functioning brain

No evidence of souls and astronomers can’t see heaven

Invented people afraid (wishful thinking), just because it

has been believed for centuries doesn’t make it correct

Past lives – half remembered plot lines

Bible is too vague – is eternal punishment the same for

any crime

Mediums are proved to be fake – already knowing

information about the person

Christianity:

God decides whether you go to Heaven - state of eternal

happiness with God, reward for people who repent sins and

accept Jesus, or Hell – state of eternal separation from God

- punishment

Resurrection (rising) – Life after death exists -

Judgement day (you account for your actions)

Problems Solutions

Will the body after death be spiritual or physical? Do you get a new body?

You get a new body

Buddhism:

Rebirth – ‘again becoming’ - Karma (Law of

cause and effect) meaning good actions are

rewarded in the next life and bad actions will

bring punishments

Karmic energy chooses your re-birth into a

better/ not life. Samsara (circle of life/death

until Nibbana (enlightenment) – freedom from

suffering of existence) - No immortal soul but

continuity of conscience is linked somehow:

Problems Solutions

Is your soul the same in every living being? No brain = new memories/new life

Dualism – Humans have a soul and shell (body) – if the shell is destroyed, the body lives on – immortal soul continues

Science and Religion

Keywords:

Absolute truth – fixed truth for every culture

Evolving truth – changes with new knowledge/

circumstances

Religious truth – Spiritually revealed truth – part of a

doctrine of a religion

Scientific truth – based on observation, hypothesis/

experiment after repeated tests

Myth – a story that may or may not be true – usually

has a meaning e.g. the creation story – God made the

world

Genesis – book in the Bible about creation – not telling

how the planet was made

Science: Explores to understand how the world was made -

CHANCE

The Big Bang – The beginning of the universe – massive

explosion - expanded from one tiny point 10 billion

years ago – planets, galaxies e.g. the Milky-Way were

eventually formed

Evolution – As the earth cooled, life appeared we

developed from simpler to more complex life-forms

Cosmological Revolution:

- Medieval view – The Earth at the centre of the universe

- Nicolas Copemicus – Astronomer – Earth not the centre

of the universe all of the planets go around the sun

- Galileo – Used a telescope – backed Copemicus - Planet

movements are natural, not because of God

Both said we evolved – not created in God’s image

Religion: Explores to understand why the world was made

Christian creation (Genesis): God’s actions created all life

- Day 1 – Light and dark

- Day 2 – The sky and sea

- Day 3 – The land, trees and plants

- Day 4 – The sun, moon and stars

- Day 5 – Sea creatures and birds

- Day 6 – Land animals and human beings

- Day 7 – God rested

Types of Christians:

Fundamental (literal – Bible = all true)- Life’s

final form was this at the end of the 6 days of

creation – No Evolution/ Big Bang

Liberal – God caused the Big Bang and

evolution

Others – Bible(Some truth) creationism -

symbolic

Evolution vs. Creationism (God’s existence)

Darwin: Origin of Species (book – how humans

developed)

For Creationism:

Humans made in the image of God

Humans have a spiritual soul

Gaps in fossil records

Natural selection – Humans are too advance for

random chance

God works through evolution

For Evolution (Darwin)

God works through evolution

God has power to design self-developing

humans (evolve)

The gaps in fossil records (evolutionary process)

are all part of God’s plan

Buddhism: No creation story – Buddha - ‘No simple

answer that is right for everyone’. Worlds evolve

and follow a cycle of birth, death and rebirth

Questions guiders:

Science explains how (the process), Religion

explains why (the start) Science builds facts to

work out answers; religion relies on faith

putting God in the gap

The creation story says it took 7 days… Science

says it took billions of years

The creation story mentions no species/

dinosaurs which science proves to exist

Both the creation story and the Big Band begin

with light

Big Bang has no God; the religious version is

about God

Attitudes to Animals

The Uses: Entertainment, Drinks, Pets, Cosmetics, Security,

Ornaments, Guidance, Labour/ travel…

Sport/ hunting - (Horse racing)

First humans survived through hunting - Traditional

activities/ hobby

Kill pests – help conserve the countryside

Limit the spread of disease

Christianity – hunting is justified – God told humans to

bring animals under control

It’s cruel and unnecessary

Some animals can die a slow, painful death

Some animals may become extinct

Clothing – (Fur-making)

Harsh - Waste of a life e.g. killing an elephant for just its

tusks

Cruel - Battery cages e.g. in Korea – thousands of animals

electrocuted so the fur won’t damage (selfish)

Cruel – Many animals from cold countries are taken to

places like Korea (very hot)

We don’t need fur or ivory

It has endangered the whole elephant species

Testing/ vivisection (experimenting)

Human rights are greater, computers aren’t enough

Medicine testing is ok e.g. insulin

Animals put on Earth for us to use – acceptable to

provide human benefits

Christianity – testing is ok

Animals equal

Animals different to humans – misleading results (better

alternatives)

Cosmetics isn’t ok

We don’t have the right to harm animals

Food (meat)

90% of Britain eats meat – vegetarians don’t and

vegans won’t eat any animal product

Tasty, natural source of protein and B12 vitamin,

(balanced diet)

We have canine teeth – designed for chewing

meat

Christianity – Animals created by God for human

survival to eat – people can eat meat after the

flood, Jesus ate meat e.g. fish

Meat is murder; there are healthier options

which taste nicer

Against some religions

Cruel to raise animals just to kill them – we don’t

have the right

Factory farming shows little regard for animal

welfare

Buddhism – Are vegetarian – ahimsa (non-

violence) animals should be treated well. Rebirth

cycle – could be eating an ancestors shell.

Buddhism: Ahimsa - Compassion and loving

kindness should extend to all beings – sport,

testing… is forbidden as it causes harm – precious

life

‘All living creature should not be killed or

abused’

‘I will not harm any living thing’

Christianity: Care for all creation (responsibility

and stewardship) and Sanctity of Life – life is

sacred/ holy

‘All food may be eaten, but it is wrong to eat

anything that will cause someone else to sin’

‘Animals are part of God’s creation – respect

them’

Factory Farming – very small spaces indoors:

Efficient and cheap production of meat, eggs… Humans

on a ‘higher level’ – can express opinions, protect the weak,

religious – believe in God

Crowded, un-natural conditions, unfair – separation at

birth, dangerous chemicals – can affect the food chain,

dangerous job

Free-range Farming – roam free and behave naturally

Why Prevent Extinction?

All species have a key role in the ecosystem

Needed for medicine/ research – genetic

modification – change it to create new forms of a

species or cloning – exact replica to save

endangered species

Don’t have the right to hunt until extinction

Inherit depleted world – children won’t see them

Difference between animals and humans:

Humans on a ‘higher level’ e.g. reincarnation

Animals can’t think or make rational, instinctive

decisions as we can

Humans can appreciate and express opinions

(communicate on art, music, beauty…)

Humans protect weaker members of society,

animals use survival of the fittest

Don’t seem to have a religion or are able to

communicate with God

The environment

Global warming –increasing concentration of CO2 in the

atmosphere through:

- Burning fossil fuels to produce electricity

- Cutting down trees – more CO2, less oxygen

Result:

The breaking ozone layer – causes cancer from solar

radiation

Greenhouse effect – trapping heat inside the

atmosphere - Increasing temperature causes droughts/

floods

Types of pollution:

Land from litter/ pesticides = human illness/ unsightly

Air from smoke- factories/ transport = breathing

problems

Noise from factories, aircraft, music = hearing problems

and nuisance

Water from chemicals/ waste disposal = harms life,

unsafe water

Causes:

Wanting newer, better things/ technology – disposing

old gadgets and pollution from their manufacture

No care

Increasing population – 6 billion people

Abusing Natural Resources:

Using up fossil fuels – there will be none left

Deforestation - The clearance of rainforest = land not

good to grow crops (wasted)

- Many animals die – destroyed habitat – affect food

chain - extinction

Christianity:

The Earth is the Lord’s and everything in it – God

created the world giving humans stewardship

People are responsible for the planet’s future – have to

face God on judgement day and all must carry out their

given duties or will be punished

God made the world and gave us stewardship

Respect for life extends to the rest of creation

Stewardship – To look after the world God created

Earth summits – U.N conferences on

environmental issues and sustainable

development

Renewable resources – wind, tidal, solar

and nuclear

Recycling

Using public transport / walking (caring)

Buddhism:

Respect and compassion for all life forms –

karmic consequences

Humans should respect their superiority

having earned it

Help not harm other sentient beings

Ultimate source of life - Rebirth –

conservation is a question of own survival –

important to protect the planet for

everyone’s future – home until

enlightenment (future generations will

inherit a degraded planet)

Destruction results from ignorance, greed

and lack of respect – retain people from

enlightenment

‘Monks and nuns many not destroy any

plant or tree’

5 precepts:

- ‘Not to harm any living thing’

- Not to take what isn’t given

- To avoid improper sexual activity

- Not to take part in improper speech

- To avoid alcohol and drug misuse

Prejudice and Discrimination

Keywords:

Prejudice is an attitude towards an individual or a

group of people before knowing them

Discrimination is an action based on prejudice

treating an individual or a group of people

differently

Tolerance – Respecting the beliefs of others

(opposite to prejudice)

Stereotyping – A general/ mental image of someone

which you apply to a group

Scapegoating – Blaming groups for society’s

problems

Harmony – Living in peace with each other

Apartheid – A policy segregating racial groups

Types:

Sexism, racism, ageism, disability, homophobia,

Religious prejudice – Thinking a certain religion is

superior or when non-believers are against

believers,

Social prejudice – class – rich or poor

Causes:

Bad experience

Upbringing

Scapegoating

Lack of education

British Laws:

1975 – equal pay from sexual discrimination

1976 – Race Relations Act (RRA)

1995 – Disability discrimination

2000 – RRA amendment act

2007 – Sexual orientation

Martin Luther King: Opposed racism (Christian)

Blacks were segregated – believed in equality

‘People should be judged on their character, not

their skin’

1955 – Bus boycott ended segregation

1957 – preached, non violent marches, sit-ins and

rally speeches

1963 – Poor education/ schools – marched

Segregation is now illegal

‘I have a dream’

Desmond Tutu: Opposed social class system

South Africa – lived under the total black

segregation Apartheid system - Had a vision

where everyone mattered

1976 – became bishop = protection and

fame

1984 – Nobel prize

1986 – Archbishop of Cape town

Media showed black suffering = Apartheid

law dismantled

Christianity:

God created everyone equally

‘There is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor

freeman, male nor female – we are all

equal in Christ’

‘So in everything, do unto others what you

would have done to you’

Jesus told us to love your neighbour

In the Good Samaritan story, the man is

helped by his need not because of who he

was/ wasn’t

‘You are all in union with Christ’

Buddhism:

Not harm others or use harmful language

Try to develop Metta

There is no division (male and female) at

enlightenment - Everyone is equal because

everyone is welcome in the Sangha

Prejudice creates bad karma

The Dalai Lama said ‘always think

compassion’

‘Men and women are equal’

‘All members of the Sangha are equal’

War and Peace

Keywords:

Terrorism – acts of violence which intend to create fear

Terrorist – anyone who plans/ carries out an attack of

terror. Freedom fighters or suicide bombers

Martyr – someone willing to die for their religion

Causes of War:

Resources – oil, land, money …

Tension – different opinions or hatred

Religion

Retaliation

Freedom

Defend our or another country, religion or way of life

Power/control – improved government

Cost of war:

Death of creation, injuries or disease

– human, animal, plants, environment

The environment – pollution and destruction of the

environment

Financial – expensive £100 million per hour (Global

Military expenditure)

Types of War:

Civil war

Cold war

Holy War e.g. the crusades – A religious leader must

authorise the war. People taking part are promised a

spiritual reward and must achieve a religious goal

- spread faith

- recover countries/ rescue holy places

- revenge

Just war

- Authority began it

- Just cause

- Avoid evil and promote good (just intention)

- Last resort

- Necessary force – proportional – civilians must be

protected

- Peace resumed at the end

Pacifism (against war):

There are alternatives

All war/ violence is wrong

Why war is wrong:

- Conscientious objectors (beliefs not

cowardice): War is wrong and goes

against their conscience (guilty

feeling) e.g. Quakers

- Peace will only come if people

refuse to fight in wars

- Next generation suffers

Christianity:

Avoid war (peace) except for circumstances i.e.

Just war – results of war are worse

‘ Thou shall not kill’

‘Do not kill’, ‘Do not harm any living being’

‘Blessed are the peace-makers’

‘Those who live by the sword, die by the sword’

‘Everyone must commit themselves to peace’-

‘love your enemies, and pray for them’

Sanctity of Life

‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you’

Buddhism:

Ahimsa – non-violence– refrain from harming –

it’s wrong to harm others

Consider the consequences – future

generations

Hatred is ceased by love

‘Peace will only exist if people refuse to fight’

War can lead to greater problems are is a result

of the three poisons

Consequences from harming others – The

Eightfold path – consider others

‘He should not kill a living being, nor cause it to

be killed, nor should he incite another to kill’

Peace can exist if everyone respects all others’

Link between religions – we should all live in peace,

WMD are unacceptable – too extreme and

uncontrollable – not moral, just or holy

Religious people for peace protest (fight for

change):

Martin Luther King – black rights

- Non-violent protest – boycotts,

peaceful marches and sit-ins

Mahatma Gandhi – Indian Independence

- Non-violent protest – peaceful marches

and no fighting back

Weapons of Mass Destruction – Nuclear Power, Biological

and chemical and radiological warfare:

Against deterrent:

Can kill large numbers of people e.g. civilians

Cause great damage and cost the world billions

Proliferation – spread of nuclear power – everyone

wants to be safe

Not morally justified

For deterrent:

To discourage other countries – the use is less likely

Must work – not been used since 1945

Arms agreement – equal capabilities