Religion and Society: Rights and Responsibilities

• Bible is word of God therefore is seen as God's guidance to humans and has absolute authority

• Contains God's teachings on behaviour which is seen in the 10 Commandments which gives Christian's clear moral guidance

• Teachings of Jesus and how he lived

• Only the Bible is definitely authorised by God so only by following their moral decisons will be approved of by God

• Many of the attitudes written are not suited for modern times

• Many would use the Church to tell them what the Bible means today so would put the authority of the Church over the Bible

• Many would use their conscience to decide whether to use the Bible on making moral decisions today

• Body of Christ so has the same authority as Christ

• God speaks to world today through church

• Community of Christian believers so must be guided by God

• Christians expect the Church to give them advice on Christian life

• God speaks to them through the voice in their head

• Church says use conscience as if it were the voice of God

• Christian thinkers say that Christian's should use their conscience in the final part of decision making

• Bible and Church doesn't come directly from God and often has to be translated and interpreted 

• May not be God speaking to you

• Should follow teachings of Bible as that what all Christian's agree is the Christian thing to do

• If everyone followed their conscience rather than laws life would be chaotic 

• Jesus used SE when he overruled what the Old Testament said as he thought it was unloving

• Think its wrong to ignore the consequences of your actions so should only do things that produces good results

• Jesus said 'Love Thy Neighbour' meaning do the most loving thing

• Christianity is a religion based on love and forgiveness which is shown in the life and death of Jesus so Christian's should base their moral decisions on love not laws

• God would have not made laws if they were not to be followed

• They should follow what all Christian's agree instead of relying on their own ideas

• Church knows better of what Christians should do more than the individual 

• Right to life is a basic Christian belief

• Jesus taught that everyone should be treated equally and fairly 

• Christians must have the legal right to believe in Christianity

Civil Partnerships

• Christian's are against this as its against God's will so believe they have the right to discriminate against

Inter-Faith Marriages

• Against this so can refuse marriage in church

Homesexuals to have a family

• Against this so can make it illegal in Christian adoption agencies

Catholic Woman Priest

• May use human rights laws against church

• Ancestors fought for the right for us to vote today

• Can't complain if you don't vote

• Gives you are say in changes in your area

Golden Rule

Treat people how you want to be treated

Parable of the Sheep and Goats

Clothe the naked, feed the hungry, visit those in prison, give drink to the thirsty and help the sick and if you help you will go to heaven

Am I my brothers keeper?

Its your duty to look after everyone in need

• Cures currently incurable diseases

• Being done in other countries so only available to those rich enough to travel

• Uses animals eggs so doesn't involve the loss of human life

• Closely monitored by the law

• Too little information on the long term consequences

• If anything went wrong it would be permenant

• Treats the human body as a commodity no different than plants

• Jesus was a healer so Christian's should do all they can to cure diseases

• Improving human life is part of what God wants humans to do as stewards of his creation

• There is a difference between creating people and creating cells. Creating cells is working with God

• Embryos cannot be regarded as potential human life till 14 days old 

• Life begins at conception

• Killing an embryo is killing a life

• Embryo's for research are produced by male masturbation which is a sin

• God created the genetic make up of each human being at the moment of conception and people have no right to interfere with God's will

• Playing God which is a sin

• Wrong to make Earth perfect as only heaven is perfect