Abortion and Euthanasia
. Some Christians believe that human life is sacred. Explain how this belief influences their attitude to abortion and euthanasia, showing that you understand other points of view.
All Christians are supposed to view human life as sacred, as in the Bible life was a gift from God to humanity. They believe that as only God can give life, only God has the right to take it away. God made people in the image of himself, therefore to kill a person would be like insulting God. He also said to have many children, not prevent their existence;
'So God created human beings, making them to be like himself. He created them male and female, blessed them, and said, "Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth..." ' (Genesis 1: 27-28.)
In the Ten Commandments laid down to Moses by God, the sixth commandment is 'do not commit murder'. The dictionary definition of murder is as follows:
'murder n. unlawful intentional killing of a human being'.
Therefore, in the eyes of Christianity, it is wrong to perform the act of euthanasia, and depending on each individual's opinion of when life begins, it is also wrong to carry out and undergo an abortion. At this point the notion that life is sacred becomes more complicated than it first seems, as not all Christians are able to agree on one point where life begins and ends. Some people argue that life begins right from the moment of conception, backing up what they say with quotes such as this one from the Bible:
'When my bones were being formed, carefully put together in my mother's womb, when I was growing there in secret, you knew that I was there - you saw me before I was born.' (Psalms 139: 15-16.)
Whereas others would claim life begins only when the baby is capable of sustaining itself outside the mother's womb; and others think that life begins at the birth of the child.
The Baptist Union of Great Britain has varied views on when life begins with regard to abortion. Within their society there is no singularly correct belief on the matter; some would go as far as claiming life begins when relationships are forged with other people, before conception. It is generally agreed by Baptists that restrictive laws are necessary, and many also feel the age at which a foetus can be aborted should be reduced. The official Church of England view is against abortion under all but the most severe of circumstances, but just because this is what the church leaders believe, it does not necessarily represent the view of every denomination of Christianity. Some may be totally against abortion at all costs, but others might take a more lenient stance. This is true of most religious organizations. The Methodist Church is also strongly against abortion, but when each of the available options can only be seen as evil, it understands that abortion is sometimes the lesser of these evils. Of course, Methodists, like nearly everyone else, would greatly prefer an advance in medical science to render abortions unnecessary. Quakers are yet to come to an agreement over abortion, the reason being that they prefer to make the correct decision rather than a rash one, that may have to change in time. The Roman Catholic Church has very strict and strong opinions on the matter of life and abortion. It condemns abortion, teaching that it is wrong to kill an unborn child, regardless of the stage of its development. The United Reform Church contains a wide range of views on abortion - some would like to see abortion banned; others feel that women have a right to choose whether they keep a baby or not. Most members of the United Reform Church think that the rights of the pregnant woman come before those of the unborn child, as the child cannot survive without the mother, so it is better that the child should perish rather than the mother. They generally think that decisions on abortion depend on other factors that vary with each case, e.g. rape or strong handicap.
. Some Christians believe that human life is sacred. Explain how this belief influences their attitude to abortion and euthanasia, showing that you understand other points of view.
All Christians are supposed to view human life as sacred, as in the Bible life was a gift from God to humanity. They believe that as only God can give life, only God has the right to take it away. God made people in the image of himself, therefore to kill a person would be like insulting God. He also said to have many children, not prevent their existence;
'So God created human beings, making them to be like himself. He created them male and female, blessed them, and said, "Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth..." ' (Genesis 1: 27-28.)
In the Ten Commandments laid down to Moses by God, the sixth commandment is 'do not commit murder'. The dictionary definition of murder is as follows:
'murder n. unlawful intentional killing of a human being'.
Therefore, in the eyes of Christianity, it is wrong to perform the act of euthanasia, and depending on each individual's opinion of when life begins, it is also wrong to carry out and undergo an abortion. At this point the notion that life is sacred becomes more complicated than it first seems, as not all Christians are able to agree on one point where life begins and ends. Some people argue that life begins right from the moment of conception, backing up what they say with quotes such as this one from the Bible:
'When my bones were being formed, carefully put together in my mother's womb, when I was growing there in secret, you knew that I was there - you saw me before I was born.' (Psalms 139: 15-16.)
Whereas others would claim life begins only when the baby is capable of sustaining itself outside the mother's womb; and others think that life begins at the birth of the child.
The Baptist Union of Great Britain has varied views on when life begins with regard to abortion. Within their society there is no singularly correct belief on the matter; some would go as far as claiming life begins when relationships are forged with other people, before conception. It is generally agreed by Baptists that restrictive laws are necessary, and many also feel the age at which a foetus can be aborted should be reduced. The official Church of England view is against abortion under all but the most severe of circumstances, but just because this is what the church leaders believe, it does not necessarily represent the view of every denomination of Christianity. Some may be totally against abortion at all costs, but others might take a more lenient stance. This is true of most religious organizations. The Methodist Church is also strongly against abortion, but when each of the available options can only be seen as evil, it understands that abortion is sometimes the lesser of these evils. Of course, Methodists, like nearly everyone else, would greatly prefer an advance in medical science to render abortions unnecessary. Quakers are yet to come to an agreement over abortion, the reason being that they prefer to make the correct decision rather than a rash one, that may have to change in time. The Roman Catholic Church has very strict and strong opinions on the matter of life and abortion. It condemns abortion, teaching that it is wrong to kill an unborn child, regardless of the stage of its development. The United Reform Church contains a wide range of views on abortion - some would like to see abortion banned; others feel that women have a right to choose whether they keep a baby or not. Most members of the United Reform Church think that the rights of the pregnant woman come before those of the unborn child, as the child cannot survive without the mother, so it is better that the child should perish rather than the mother. They generally think that decisions on abortion depend on other factors that vary with each case, e.g. rape or strong handicap.
