All beliefs about the beginning and the end of life are taken from the bible. In 1 Samuel 2:6 “The Lord brings earth and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up.” it tells us that it is God’s duty to bring death and make life, and that no one is allowed to alter what God intends for us from the beginning to the end of life. The belief stated here is that God is in control of the end of our lives
The beginning of life is a debated subject whether it begins at conception or at birth and in Lk 1:43-44 “as soon as the round of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped with joy” this tells us that the baby is living. Modern science tells us that a baby in its womb can hear very well and so have some of the characteristics of a human. It tells us that life begins at conception and not when the baby is born. The baby is alive, and so God is living inside it, some therefore believe that God is in us from the very beginning.
Genesis 1: 26-27, and Lk 12: 4-7, both tells us that people are part of God. “God created man in his image and likeness” this tells us that God makes everyone in his own image and so we are special to God. Many believe that God made the world for humans before he created them; this means that we are sacred. We should therefore protect everyone, because everyone is God. Life is not there to be taken away, either old or new. God gave life and only he can take it away, so it is our duty to protect it from the beginning to the end. Christians point to Exodus 20: 1-17. “You shall not murder” which shows that killing in any sort of form is a breach of the 10 commandments made by God and so you are going against God by ending another person’s life whether it is at the beginning or the end.
Christian beliefs about the beginning of life are that human life is special to God and that he is the creator, God has made us unique and as individuals. That from the moment of conception God has planned a life for the child and it should start and end when he has decided it to. Christians also believe that the Holy Spirit lives in all of us.
Christian beliefs about the end of life are that man rules the world (Genesis) and that they have the responsibility to preserve life. The commandment “thou shall not murder” tells us that life should be protected until the end, and that God chooses when he wants the person to join him in heaven. God decides when we are supposed to die. The teaching from the apostle Paul’ you are the temple of the Holy Spirit” gives one a reason to argue that this would force some Christians to believe that life should be regarded as sacred to the end. It does not loose any value or importance with age. However others may also believe that free will is very important in the decision of whether a man wishes to die or not.
For some Christians, ending another human’s life is wrong because it means that you are ending a life in which God lives, but the diverse view is that in certain circumstances it may be ended as God allowed everyone free will in which they could make their own decisions. There are a variety of different beliefs within Christianity itself ranging from beliefs from the bible “Do not kill” to that compassion determine how one should be treated from the beginning to the end of life.