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B602 Revision Guide b602 revision guide GCSE RELIGIOUS STUDIES Table of Contents How to answer the questions Good and Evil Christianity Religion and Science Christianity Good and Evil Origins of the world and life The Devil; the Fall; Original Sin and Redemption Scientific theories about the origins of the world and humanity The Problem of Evil Teachings about the origins of the world and humanity What is the problem of evil for Christians? Science and Religion Responses to the problem People and animals Ways of coping with suffering Environmental issues Sources and reasons for moral behaviour Example Questions Example Questions How to answer the questions Parts a, b and c are point marked. This means that each mark requires one point to be made e.g. part b is worth 2 marks, so make two points Examples: a) What is death? (1) Death is the end of life One point made – one mark given b) Give two examples of environmental issues. (2) Global warming and pollution. Two points made – two marks given c) Describe Christian beliefs about God. (3) Christians believe God is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-seeing) and God is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, known as the Trinity. Three points made – three marks given Parts d (6 marks) and e (12 marks) are level marked. This means you do not need to make 6 or 12 points, but you need to write a detailed answer. Spend most of your time on these questions. o d) questions - in these questions, you need to give full explanations. Accurately state the beliefs and teachings you are explaining, using specialist terms Use quotes to back up these points of view Remember there are often ranges of views / beliefs that need to be explained o e) questions - in these questions, you need to give discuss different opinions. This means you have to show understanding of a range of different views, including religious views, giving detailed supporting reasons for each one. In your discussion, you should show how one view agrees or disagrees with other points of view. You also need to include a conclusion, showing clearly what you think of the different views in your discussion. Good and Evil Christianity Good and Evil Concepts of good and evil; God and the Devil (Satan); the Fall, original sin and redemption Good - anything that brings a person closer to God is considered to be good. Evil - anything that frustrates humans’ relationship with God is evil The Devil; the Fall; Original Sin and Redemption Genesis - the creation story. The devil (in the form of a serpent) tempts Adam & Eve to disobey God. This event is referred to as the Fall. At this point, the perfect creation is ruined and evil enters the world. For fundamentalist Christians this is the source of all evil in the world. The disobedience of Adam & Eve is referred to as original sin and, since we are all descended from Adam & Eve, all human beings are tainted with original sin. i.e. we are not perfect. After Adam & Eve had sinned, they were banished from the Garden of Eden. However, since God is omnibenevolent, he offered humans the chance of redemption (to make up for their sin). God came to earth as Jesus to offer a ‘bridge’ back to God. Those who believe in Jesus can be saved and go to Heaven. Beliefs about the devil can be seen developing in Christian thought throughout the Old and New Testament. Genesis - a serpent tempts Eve (there is no actual mention of the devil here) The story of Job - the devil and God have a bet as to whether Job will lose his faith if his life is full of suffering. At no point does the devil have power over Job. The Gospels - in the New Testament the devil becomes Jesus’ enemy, tempting him to turn his back on God. The book of Revelation - the final book of the Bible tells the story of Lucifer, God’s brightest angel, who was cast out of Heaven by the archangel Michael and became ‘the devil’. At this point in the Bible, the serpent in the story of creation is identified as being Lucifer, the fallen angel. Christian beliefs today Fundamentalist Christians Liberal Christians believe that believe the devil is a real being the story of the devil is simply a at work in the world, tempting metaphor for the ‘evil’ that humans away from God. humans are capable of doing. It is our duty to fight against temptation and try to do good. The Problem of Evil Concepts of natural and moral evil; Approaches to why there is evil and suffering in the world; Responses to the problem Two types of evil Natural Evil Moral Evil Evil caused by nature e.g. earthquakes, Evil caused by humans e.g. war, crime, disease, floods emotional pain What is the problem of evil for Christians? If God is all loving, then he would want to stop evil and suffering. If God is omnipotent (all powerful), the he is able to stop evil and suffering. Why, then does evil exist? Why doesn’t God do something about it? Responses to the problem Perhaps the simplest response, though not the Christian response, is to say that God does not exist. St. Augustine – The Augustinian Theodicy Augustine argued that God created a good and perfect world. Part of this was to give humans (Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden) free will. This free will was abused and humans chose to disobey God. This ‘original sin’ caused the creation to be corrupted, that is, it went wrong. The consequence of this was natural and moral evil. All this means that evil is the fault of humans, not God. St. Irenaeus – Irenaean Theodicy St. Irenaeus argued that humans were created by God and given free will. They were not created perfect, but given the ability, through free will, to become perfect. This means that humans make mistakes and do things wrong, causing evil and suffering. Humans should learn from this and slowly develop into the ‘children of God’. Again, this answer blames humans for evil and not God. Ways of coping with suffering Understanding ways of coping with suffering The suffering of Christ – the story of the suffering of Jesus is called the Passion Story and is told in each of the four Gospels. Jesus was arrested, beaten and whipped by Roman soldiers. He was then crucified. This involved being nailed to a cross, resulting in a slow and agonizing death. This has become a metaphor for suffering, as people sometimes say that they have a ‘cross to bear’. Christians try to follow Jesus and live a life like him, and if the life of Jesus involved suffering, then they can accept that their life may also involve suffering. Suffering can make them more ‘Christ-like’. Faith in God – the suffering of Jesus also reminds Christians that the death of Jesus was God’s way of showing his love for humanity. By taking on the burden of the world’s sins and sacrificing his life to make amends for these sins, Jesus brings salvation to the world. This belief is known as the atonement. Christians might also say that they have to trust in God. Even though suffering and evil seem horrible and unfair, they have to believe that somehow it is all part of God’s plan. Prayer / Reading the Bible – Christians might pray to God for strength to cope with suffering or read examples in the Bible of how others have coped with suffering as inspiration. Support of other Christians – being part of the Christian community might help Christians cope with suffering. Sharing and helping others in need can be very comforting. Sources and reasons for moral behaviour The Bible – Christian might look in the Bible for guidance on how to behave. Examples such as the Ten Commandments give clear rules about what is right and what is wrong, while the teachings of Jesus often give principles (“Love your neighbour as yourself”) from which you can work out what is the right thing to do. Conscience – your conscience is the voice in your head that tells us when you are doing something wrong. Some Christians say that your conscience is the voice of God. Faith in Christ – Some Christians use the idea of ‘What would Jesus do?’ This helps them to think about a situation and work out what Jesus’ answer would be. Following this helps them to be more ‘Christ-like’. Example Questions (a) What is meant by evil? [1] (b) Give two examples of human suffering. [2] (c) What is the difference between natural and moral evil? [3] (d) How might Christians explain the problem of evil in the world? [6] (e) ‘It is God who makes people suffer.’ Discuss this statement. You should include different, supported points of view and a personal viewpoint. You must refer to Christianity in your answer. [12] (a) What is meant by conscience? [1] (b) Suggest two causes of evil in the world. [2] (c) Give three ways in which Christians might try to behave morally. [3] (d) A Christian might say that suffering is a necessary part of human life. Explain why. [6] (e) “You should only help people if you will get something in return.” Discuss this statement. You should include different, supported points of view and a personal viewpoint. You must refer to Christianity in your answer. [12] (a) What does ‘immoral’ mean? [1] (b) Describe one way in which Christians might try to cope with suffering. [2] (c) How does the idea of free will explain why there is evil in the world? [3] (d) Explain why Christians might feel it is important to behave morally.
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