Matters Of Life & Death

Abortion: The removal of the 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:Ending some-one's life painlessly when they are unable to ask, but you have good reasons for thinking they want you to do so.

Paranormal: Unexplained things which are though have spiritual causes, e.g. ghosts, mediums.

Quality of life: The ides that life must have some benefits for it to be worth living.

Reincarnation: The belief that, after death, the 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.

Catholics believe in life after death because:

-Jesus rose from the dead.

-The Bible and the creeds say there is life after death.

-The Church teaches that there is life after death.

-The soul is something that will never die.

Some people believe in life after death for non-religious reasons such as:

-Near-death experiences when people see things during heart attacks, operations, etc.

-Evidence of the spirit would, ghosts, mediums, etc.

-Evidence of reincarnation such as people remembering previous lives.

However, some people do not believe in life after death because:

-They do not believe in God.

-There is no scientific evidence.

-They do not see where life after death could take place.

Abortion is allowed in the UK if two 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.

Christians have different attitudes to abortion:

-Some Christians believe that abortion is wrong but must be allowed in the circumstances as the lesser of two evils.

Euthanasia is a controversial issue because:

-Medicine can keep people alive with little quality of life.

-Suicide is no longer a crime.

-We give euthanasia to suffering animals.

-The role of doctors is to save life, not kill.

-Can you ever be sure that euthanasia is what someone wants?

All Christians are against euthanasia because they believe life is sacred and belongs to God. However, there are some different attitudes among Christians about switching off life-support machines, withdrawing treatment and so on because some think these are not euthanasia.

Some people think that what religions say about matters of life and death should not be criticised by the media because:

-They might stir up religious hatred.

-They might be offensive to religious believers.

Other people think the media should be free to criticise religious attitudes because:

-A free media is a key part of democracy.

-If religions want to be free to say what they want, then the media must be free to criticise religion.

When studying the presentation of an issue from the Matters of Life & Death 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.

-Whether the presentation treated religious people fairly.

The main causes of world poverty are:

-Natural Disasters

-Wars

-Debt

-Unfair trade

-Lack of education

-HIV/AIDS

CAFOD works for world development by:

-Promoting long-term developtment schemes.

-Responding to emergencies.

-Raising public awareness of the poverty.

-Speaking out on behalf of poor communties.