God,life and death

Symbolism & Imagery

Some religious people will wear certain clothes or objects to symbolise apart of their faith. IT also expresses their belief in God. They can help them focus on God during worship.

Christianity

The Cross

• Christians believe that Jesus is the best way to know about God
• As the cross reminds them of Jesus – his death & resurrection – it reminds them of beliefs in God & his character
• Jesus’ death was the greatest act of love – sacrifice.
• His resurrection gave hope of overcoming sin & death

The Trinity

• God is One, but also the Father the Son & the Holy Spirit
• Christians know this is hard to understand or explain – best way to explain it is ‘water’
• H2O as a liquid – water

             As a solid - ice

             As a gas - steam

These are all different things but are still H2O

• God is 3 in 1.
• God was able to reveal himself through Jesus. God ‘incarnate’ = ‘God in the flesh’

Jesus

• Son of God born to a virgin
• Human in every way – God in flesh (incarnate)
• Showed what God was like
• Died for our sins = sacrificial death (Good Friday)
• Easter Sunday – rose from the dead
• Returned to his father in heaven – the Ascension
• Lord & Redeemer

Judaism

The Mezuzah

• A case which is kept on all doorposts (except bathroom) in a Jewish home
• Inside is the Shema – an important prayer which should be recited daily

“Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is One. You shall love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might.” Deuteronomy 6:4-9

• Shema is also inside a tefillin (boxes put on head & weakest arm during worship)

Life & Death

Whose Life is it Anyway??

• God gave life.

• It is special = the sanctity of life. He should take it away
• God is the source of all life. Life begins & ends with God. Genesis 1.27 says we are made in the image of God. This means we have a soul (a spiritual part of us, something which is God)
• Life must be preserved = Do not work on the Sabbath – could if life was in danger
• Every life has a purpose = No life should be ended prematurely or wasted.
• God choose = No human has the right to end their or another’s life

• People have freewill – a choice to decide things in their life. We should choose when to die

• We are not puppets on a string – we can make choices
• Up to the person if they believe in God
• Choice of right or wrong
• Animals are programmed to act a certain way. Humans choose how to act. You can try & reason with a human being but not an animal.
• Religious people believe you have to answer to God on Judgement Day at the end of the world.

Euthanasia

The Christian View

Christians all agree on - Life is a free gift from God & has great value

                                       Every person should be able to live & die in dignity

Non Conformist Churches

Baptists & Methodists - allowed if patient is terminally ill are not looked after properly = loneliness, no support off family or friends etc

The Church of England

1. Sanctity of Life = very important
2. Quality of life = important. If ‘brain dead’ switch off the respirators

A statement in 1992 – decisions should be made with patient & relatives. More than 1 doctor should be involved.

The Roman Catholic Church

• All life is sacred = NO to Euthanasia
• It is murder
• We should ‘play’ God
• 1 Corinthians 10:13 – People are tempted to look for the easy way out. God will provide a way of getting through it.

The Jewish View

• Unacceptable
• Against the will of God
• A gift from God
• Jewish teachings say they should never deliberately shorten a life. The Talmud (important book) says ‘anyone who shoots a man as he falls off a cliff to his certain death is guilty of murder.’
• Nothing should be done to prolong a person’s pain. It is acceptable to give drugs to relieve their pain (even if it shortens a person’s life- the law of double effect)

Reasons For & Against Euthanasia

For

1. Cant give treatment indefinitely – life support for coma victim
2. Lets the person die with dignity
3. Quality of life is what is important
4. Freedom of choice to do the right thing
5. We would put our pets down if they were in pain
6. Removes the possibility of someone being a burden on their family

Against

1. It’s illegal
2. People could take advantage & kill others for benefit
3. Makes people feel vulnerable
4. Hippocratic Oath – doctors & nurses – preserve life
5. Drugs are available to ease pain
6. Human life is sacred & that should be remembered at all costs
7. We are all precious to God. He decides!

Suicide

It is often a cry for help. They hope to be stopped or discovered before it’s too late.

• About 1,200 people in the world take their own lives each day.
• Someone somewhere commits suicide every 1.5 minutes
• Men are more likely to do it than women
• Most vulnerable age is 20 – 45  
• Increasing number of teenagers now – bullying, failure in exams, lack of parental communication
• About 10% who fail will later succeed

Reasons For Suicide

• Money worries – large debts, creditors wanting to be paid
• Loneliness – a death of a loved one etc
• Redundancy – Finding no prospects etc
• Divorce – Loss of a family, lack of access
• Old age – Loss of physical / mental faculties
• Depression & addiction – illness, alcohol & drug abuse

The Samaritans

• Main charity in UK
• 1963, an Anglican vicar, Rev Chad Varah
• Realised the extent of problem
• The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)
• Not a Christian organization – no mention of religion
• Over 200 branches
• Trained volunteers
• Anonymous
• Receive over 2,500,000 calls a year

Christianity

• Against
• A selfish act
• Life is a gift from God – to destroy it = a sin
• In the past RC = Mortal sin = won’t get into heaven. Wont have a Requiem Mass (funeral) or buried in consecrated (sacred) ground
• More sympathetic these days – pressures of today. Desperate not wicked act
• In every circumstance God is there for every one (Corinthians 10:13)
• Christian responsibility to help others

Judaism

• Life is sacred & should be treasured
• Pikuach Nefesh – taking of a life is prohibited, it must be preserved
• From birth to death we are in Gods hands – Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 “A season is set for everything, a time for every experience under heaven. A time for being born and a time for dying”
•  Individual Jews can be very understanding
• The Torah showed them how to live
• Not allowed to have same burial rites. Not buried too close to other people

Life After Death

Christianity

• Soul or spirit = image of God (Genesis) = immortal
• God chooses when. OT “in his hands is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:10)
• Jesus resurrected – a new & different body. Second Coming of Christ – everyone will be resurrected
• Body disintegrates – soul lives on
• Church of England – stay in the grave until the end of the world. God brings everyone back to life to face Judgement. Go to either heaven or hell
• R.C – Souls of very good Christians go straight to heaven. Purgatory – sins are cleansed. Then go to heaven

The Funeral

• Orthodox Christians – Coffin is open = remind them death is God’s punishment for sin. There is hope however with a resurrection = symbolized by candles & incense. Readings of resurrection & hope that death is not the end
• R.C – Prayers are offered for the soul of the dead – speed it’s journey through purgatory. E.g. “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me will live and all those who live and believe in me will never die” (John 11:25) Priest wear white robes = colour associated with life after death & the resurrection of the body. Funeral service is called a Requiem Mass
• Non-Conformist – Committing the body to God’s safe keeping until the return Of Christ.
• All Christians will accept cremation or burial.

Judaism

• Only 1 mention of Judgement (Daniel 12:2)
• All accountable for our sins – heaven or hell
• Hell is not a place of eternal torment. Soul is cleansed then goes to heaven
• Do believe in the resurrection of the dead. Body & soul
• Chevra Kadisha (Holy fellowship) – a group of volunteers who stay with & look after the body till burial. This job is a great honour. A voluntary act of love (no reward)

Funeral

• Take place as soon as possible (24 hrs)
• Orthodox Jews = buried. Reform Jews = cremation
• Eulogy from rabbi, Psalms are chanted & Kaddish prayer is said
• Coffin is lowered, family throw earth on top followed by mourners. This encourages people to focus on life
• Series of stages of Jewish mourning. If lost a parent = 12 months. Light a candle at home every year on anniversary. Erect grave stone / stained glass window in the synagogue

Questions