Matters of Life and Death

Christian attitudes to life after death

•Two different attitudes:
•Resurrection
–Some Christians believe that when people die the soul remains in the grave until the end of the world. Jesus will return to declare the end of the world. The dead will be raised and given resurrection bodies.
- Why? – Jesus rose and his resurrection body was different; taught by St. Paul; Jesus taught that he would come again at the end of the world and God would judge all; the creeds say Christians should believe in the resurrection of the body.
•Immortality of the soul
•When the body dies the soul leaves the body to be with God
•How you live in the afterlife is determined by how you lived on earth
•Good will go to heaven
•Some believe non-Christians and the bad will go to hell
•Others believe all good to heaven and all bad to hell.
•Why: Jesus became a spirit after his ascension; Jesus told the thief crucified with him that he would do straight to paradise; evidence of the paranormal


Why are there different Christian attitudes to life after death
•Christians use the Bible as the basis for their beliefs, but the Bible is not clear. Different passages say different things.
•Christians now put more emphasis on the love of God which would lead them to believe a loving God would not punish the good.
•Living in multi-faith societies shows that there are good in all religions so it is hard to believe the good will go to hell.
•An increase in the paranormal has made immortality of the soul more believable.


Why Christians believe in life after death?

•All Christians believe in life after death because:
•1. Jesus rose from the dead. All four Gospels record the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection.
•2. The major creeds of the Church teach that Jesus rose from the dead and there will be life after death.
•3. All Christians churches teach it
•4. It gives lives meaning and purpose
•5. Evidence of the paranormal


Sikhism and life after death
•Each person is a part of God
•Souls are reborn until they attain mukti, which is release from the cycle of life and death. They are then with God.
•The way to mukti is from being human-centred (manmukh) to God-centred (gurmukh).
•To be God-centred, is to live life like the Ten Gurus and the Guru Granth Sahib.

Different Sikh interpretations
•Some do not believe in reincarnation – they think that all good Sikhs will go to heaven
•Some believe only Sikhs can be gurmukh (God-centred) so only Sikhs can go to heaven
•Some believe that good followers of any religion can go to heaven.

Why do Sikhs believe in life after death?
•It is taught in the Guru Granth Sahib – which is regarded as a living guru. It has the teachings of God and of the Ten Gurus
•The Ten Human Gurus all believes in life after death
•It gives meaning and purpose to life
•There are accounts of evidence of reincarnation

Non religious reasons for believing in life after death
•1. Near death experiences during heart attacks, operations, etc
•2. Evidence for a spirit world – ghosts, oujia boards, mediums
•3. Evidence of reincarnation such as people remembering previous lives.

Abortion
•1967 Law:
•Two doctors agree
•Mother’s life at risk
•Risk to physical or mental health of the mother
•Risk to mental or physical health of existing children
•Risk the baby might be born seriously handicapped
•Not after 24 weeks

Arguments about abortion
•Life begins at the moment of conception
•Unborn child has rights
•Doctors and nurses should not be forced to carry out abortions
•Baby is not a separate life while inside the mother
•Woman has the right to do what she wants with her own body
•Abortion is just a medical procedure

Christian attitudes to abortion
•Two different attitudes
•Evangelical Protestants
•Abortion is wrong
•Life is holy and belongs to God
•Life begins at conception
•Ten Commandments say it is wrong to take life
•Every person has a right to life
•Catholic Church teaches abortion is wrong no matter of the circumstances.

Church of England
•Abortion is wrong but it must be permitted in certain circumstance – rape, mother’s life at risk, handicapped so no quality of life, some would allow because of poverty
•Jesus taught to love and abortion might be the most loving thing to do
•Life does not begin at conception
•Sanctity of life – just war, just abortion

Sikhism and abortion
•Different attitudes in Sikhism
•Most believe it is wrong
•Human life is sacred and should not be taken
•Only God can take life
•Others believe it is ok if the health of the baby or mother is at risk
•Removing suffering

Euthanasia
•Easy and gentle death
•Non religious arguments about euthanasia:
•Some might try to euthanise rich relatives
•Cure might be found
•Doctors should save not end lives
•People are not in right mind
•Sciences keeps people alive too long
•Life support machines cost money and emotion
•Coma for years
•It is a basic human right

Key concepts
•Doctrine of double effect: intend to do one thing but it has a second effect
•Striving to keep alive: doctors should do everything to keep people alive
•Quality of life: Why live if they can only move eyes
•Human dignity: what if you can’t control functions of the body
•Right to die: Control your own life

Christian attitude

•All believe it is wrong
•But switching off life support ok for some
•Sanctity of life
•Form of murder
•Bible bans suicide
•Life belongs to God

Sikh attitude
•Most against
•Violence harms karma and prevents mukti
•Life is a gift from God
•Some accept:
•Turning off life support
•Keeping someone alive when God wants their life is wrong
•Aim of life is to release the soul