Capital punishment is the infliction of death by an authorized public authority as punishment for a crime.
Capital punishment is the infliction of death by an authorized public authority as punishment for a crime. In most jurisdictions where it remains, its use is limited to those who have been convicted of murder, although in some countries where its use is more frequent it is imposed as a penalty for other offences such as armed robbery (in certain African countries), large-scale embezzlement of state property (the former Soviet Union), rape and gang-fighting (China), and drug-trafficking (Thailand). A UN survey in 1990 revealed that forty-three countries had abolished the death penalty entirely, seventeen had retained it but only for exceptional crimes such as treason, twenty-four had retained it but not used it for at least ten years, and ninety-seven were still using it. The abolitionist countries were widely scattered, including, for example, the Philippines and Namibia, but were mostly to be found in Europe and Latin America. Although the number of abolitionist states had doubled since the previous survey in 1967, the UN found unwavering official support for capital punishment in many countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Islamic law (the sharia) imposes capital punishment for certain offences, and capital punishment is enforced in those countries where the sharia forms the legal code, and in many countries where the sharia is drawn on as the basis for the legal
A place of Muslim Worship
R.S Coursework Option 1 A Place of Muslim Worship A mosque is mainly used as a Muslim house of prayer. In Arabic, a mosque is called a masjid. This literally means that it is a 'place of prostration' (where muslims lie with the face down) as an act of submission to Allah. Most mosques are usually more than just a place of worship. They are used as a centre of community for Muslims. Apart from prayer, a mosque is used as a Madrasa (mosque school) where Muslim children go to learn the basic principles of Islam, as well as how to carry out Muslim practices and recite the Qur'an. The main service in a mosque is on Friday. All males are expected to attend unless they are ill or travelling. Women should also try to attend if they can. They do not have to attend but if they do, they must pray separately from men. Describe the main features of a specific mosque I am going to discuss and describe the main features of the Sultan mosque in Istanbul, which is sometimes called the 'Blue mosque.' Here is a picture of the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and Hippodrome. The last great majestic mosque, The Blue Mosque, was founded by Sultan Ahmet I and built by the architect Mehmet Aga between 1609 and 1616. Sultan Ahmet wanted to beat Justin Ian and his Hagia Sophia mosque, and on the other hand, architect Mehmet Aga wanted to be better than his master Sinan with Hippodrome.
conflict between Islamic and West
Question 1: Some see the conflict between Islamic and Western societies as being based solely on religious differences. Choose a particular area of conflict between these two societies and evaluate the influence of religion in this issue. The term "Jihad" has been loosely used in recent and past times. This simple term and multiple meanings it holds has evidently caused great conflict between Islamic and Western societies. Some see this conflict of Jihad as being based solely on religious differences. On the other hand, many disagree with this opinion and believe that even though religious differences contribute to this conflict, there are other factors that fuel ongoing clashes between the societies. The following essay will evaluate the influence of religion on the conflict of Jihad as well as examine some other factors affecting the conflict. Before examining the conflict of Jihad between Islam and the west, we first need an understanding of Jihad itself. Despite a bad reputation it actually has positive connotations and is simply defined as the struggle for something greater. It is used frequently in the Islamic holy book, the Quran, as a sense of effort and strength in adversity and not in the sense of war and fighting as believed by many Western societies, such can be seen in the following quote, "Fight for the sake of God those that fight against you, but do not
The issue of free will and determinism creates problems for religious belief. Traditional theistic belief
To what extent are human beings free? Freedom is the most important aspect of human life - some people take it for granted, some dream of it, and others fight wars over it. However, if God exists, how can humans be free, as He knows everything that has happened, is happening, or will happen? And if we are not determined, how can God be omnipotent? The issue of free will and determinism creates problems for religious belief. Traditional theistic belief involves a Creator God, which is both omnipotent and omniscient. Thus He can do anything. The problem here is that God knows everything that has happened and everything that will happen. His knowledge cannot be wrong. There is not a single event that He has not foreseen. Given that He created the Universe the way He did, do we have free will? Consider that when God made the Universe He could see every possible result of what it was doing. Which means He could not create something without knowing what the results would be, and without knowing how it would be affect the things around it. So therefore He created the Universe knowing every single choice every single human being would make. As a result, everything we will ever do is known by God and therefore predestined. For example, let's say that Fred has a choice that will save his life, and the final choice is to be made tomorrow. God knows already what choice he will make -
What does Christianity teach about human responsibility for the world?
Religion, Poverty and Wealth Rachel Stevens Religious Studies Coursework a.) What does Christianity teach about human responsibility for the world? All Christians believe that the world and everything in it have been created by God. They believe that the world is holy, special, divine, worthy of respect and honour. 'The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.' Psalm 24:1-2 Because 'the earth is the Lord's', Christians believe they are stewards or caretakers. They should be committed to the proper management of the world and its resources. Since the earth has been delegated to people by God they have to manage it responsibly and productively for the sake of both their own and subsequent generations. The following bible quotes tell us that everything belongs to God. God made the mountains, the sea, dry land and the skies. They also show that God's creation reveals his greatness: 'For the Lord is the great God... In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands form the dry land' Psalm 95:3-6 Christianity teaches us that God is the God of nature, as well as of religion. God made the physical universe, sustains it, and still pronounces it good.
Your Majesty, I request an elimination of Francisco Pizarro from this sacred and holy mission.
Your Majesty, I, Miguel Estete, your humble servant, am writing this letter to report on the various issues that have arisen since we left our well-governed country. I am to report on Francisco Pizarro, our inept and ineffectual leader, the vicious inhabitants that we have encountered, and the progress of our expedition. Your Highness may find this advice to be quite astounding, but I request an elimination of Francisco Pizarro from this sacred and holy mission. My reasons being his foolhardy ideas and disrespectful attitude towards your Excellency. Evidently, his unacceptable manner disgraces not only your name. He has absolutely no respect for respected figures, and has proved this so by, as I was enquiring about his fragile state as way of a passing comment, he foolishly stated that your highness is wicked, his exact words being "If it's wickedness I'm sure the crown can guess it as soon as the Army". Indeed, you must not let such a sly, deceiving man take charge of such an honourable mission. Why, he even considers himself above representatives of the king and that he need not wait for them when it comes to important ceremonial procedures, for example, when our weapons were being blessed. May I also add, your majesty, that Francisco Pizarro may be slightly too old to take charge of such a royal escapade for he is indeed over 60 years in age. He is
" God gives life and only God can take it away". Do you agree or disagree?
" God gives life and only God can take it away". Do you agree or disagree? I neither agree nor disagree with this statement, for I believe that it has relevance in only certain circumstances. I can understand why many Christians would think this statement as true as many biblical passages show this. I also think that it is a fundamental belief of Christianity to believe that, "God gave life". There are many passages in the Bible that say this, like in Genesis 1: 27, 28 and Genesis 2: 7: "So god created man in his own image, in the image of god he created him; male and female he created them. And God said to them, ""have dominion over every living thing that moves upon the earth."" And- "Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being" Some Christian churches do believe that only, God has the right to take life away. They may think that under very special circumstances it is allowed to take away life, to permit abortion. All Christians believe that life is sacred and every attempt should be made to try and protect it. However some Christian denominations (except The Roman Catholic Church) agree that within certain circumstances it is all right to abort (or terminate) the foetus. I agree with abortion being carried out, but only within certain, very serious circumstances. I
" No Christian should ever have an abortion."
Essay " No Christian should ever have an abortion." This statement is very controversial - people can believe it completely or can have doubts. It all depends on which branch of Christianity you are a part of. The Roman Catholic Church is the firmest believer in this statement. They do not consider abortion any different from infanticide - when a parent murders their child. They believe that abortion is a very serious crime, and that it should be punished by law. Because of this firm standing against abortion, it is not unusual for a catholic family to have lots of children. They believe that, no matter the circumstances, the pregnancy should be seen through. If you are a Roman Catholic, then you are supposed to believe that abortion should be punished by law. The United States Methodists are a little more lenient on the subject. They also consider abortion a very serious matter, but stop short on saying that it should be punished by law. They simply say that it is a very serious crime. They do not allow abortions, but they do not think it suitable to punish anybody who participates in any part of an abortion. By saying that abortion is a sin, they hope that the person concerned will feel guilty and will not go ahead with the abortion. The Church of England are undecided about this subject. No church could possibly say that abortion is a good thing. The Church of England
"'God is life' and 'God is love' are meaningless statements" Examine the reasons why some philosophers might agree with this statement.
a) "'God is life' and 'God is love' are meaningless statements" Examine the reasons why some philosophers might agree with this statement. b) Explain and assess the claim that such statements as 'God is life' and 'God is love' have meaning for a believer. A plain factual statement is usually easy to understand for example; 'my dad is a man', this is easy to understand because the listener would know what a dad is because they have one as well, and they know what a man is, and it shows that my dad is alive at the time of me speaking about him. People, may however, argue about the concepts behind every word, for speaker and listener, but common sense tells us that the majority of people would know what is meant by this. However, religious concepts are not bound by these rules; there can be no such thing as 'a plain factual religious statement'. There are two philosophers in particular that wrote about religious language in relation to statements such as; 'God is life' and 'God is love', these are AJ Ayer and Anthony Flew. To answer this question it is necessary to bring in the verification principle. This states that; a meaningful statement can be proven to be so by either being an analytical statement which means it is true by definition, or by being a synthetic statement which has to be verified by experience. If it cannot be subjected to either then it is meaningless.
"'Right' and 'wrong' are just expressions of preference; they do not refer to any absolute set of values." Discuss.
"'Right' and 'wrong' are just expressions of preference; they do not refer to any absolute set of values." Discuss. (17 marks) The question of the existence of absolute 'rights' and 'wrongs' is a much-debated topic in society. Many argue there is no such thing and that all moral judgements are made by order of preference rather than following a set of moral rules or guidelines. It is natural for us as humans who were built to think for ourselves, to want to portray our viewpoint to others on topics of great discussion. Therefore we can expect personal opinions or preferences to take an important role in decision-making. However, many argue this way of thinking has no moral value at all. It is merely stating what you feel rather than what is morally 'right'. Expressions of preference are ideas that people are inclined to believe to be correct. They are based on our emotions and feelings, and what we would like to see happen as a consequence to our preference. This key idea is mainly reflected in Emotivism, which is in opposition to absolutism. This is where something is seen as intrinsically right regardless of different situations. We need to however ask ourselves whether Emotivism is a useful theory? Should we solely think with our mind, logic and reason rather than the feelings and emotions of our heart? We could view Universability a more useful as well as logical