RE Religion and Life 2012 Exam Paper Animals 1) Give two reasons why some animals are kept in Zoos 2 Marks Conservation purposes breeding programmes are run in some zoos to help protect animals from extinction Education and entertainment some zoos are open to the public to provide an opportunity to see animals that otherwise people would never get to see 2) Explain the religious attitudes towards animal experiments 4 Marks Christians view animals as part of God s creation. They believe part of their duty to protect animals, therefore some Christians are against animal testing However some Christians may agree on the use of animals for medical experiments, as testing can find cures for diseases or advances in surgery as humans are the most important part of God s creation and we can use them for our own survival Quakers actively campaign against animal testing as it causes too much suffering to the animals The Qur an teaches that animals have feelings and purpose in their lives so some Muslims are against animal testing. Muhammad said that animals should be respected Some Muslims believe that scientific experiments should not involve cruelty and should only be done for important medical research Muslims believe in animal testing as long as suffering is kept to a minimum All religions disagree with cosmetic testing on animals they should be respected and not abused for this purpose 3) Religious believers should not but clothes made from real fur. 3 Marks Christianity teaches that animals are part of God s creation and should be respected so many would disagree with slaughtering animals for fashion Some Christians may agree with using fur from animals if they were killed for meat or if it was needed for survival such as in the artic Muslims believe that humans are responsible for looking after the animals for Allah Muhammad forbade using animals in a disrespectful way In the Qur an it states animals are important and they must be treated with respect Religious believers think that we are stewards of the planet ad have a responsibility to look after the animals many would say that in these modern times animal fur is unnecessary and we should wear man made clothes
4) Describe what some religious believers do to protect the rights of animals 3 Marks Christians view animals as part of God s creation. They believe part of their duty to protect animals, therefore some Christians may peacefully campaign against animal testing or the destruction of animal habitats Christians may decide to eat free range products because they respect the animals welfare more than factory farming Muslims may become involved in charities that try to protect the extinction of animals or work in conservation to help the species Religious believers may write to local MPs to raise their concern about animal rights Working for charities such as the RSPCA would help show stewardship towards animals and follow God s teaching of respecting his creation 5) Caring for people is more important than looking after wildlife. Refer to religious teaching 6 Marks Christians believe that Humans were made in God's image and were put in charge of all creation so therefore they are more important than the wildlife Humans are more evolved than animals and can make decisions based on morals; animals cannot produce music, art, poetry or make advances in technology. This means that humans are more important to look after as a species, it is considered wrong to eat other humans or use them for experiments However it is our responsibility as stewards to look after the planet and the animals that exist here. Muslims believe that humans must look after and protect Allah s creation Religious believers think that animals should be respected and are needed for our world to exist so we should look after the wildlife as well as people Animals are needed for food and are also used for work, entertainment and as pets. They are important as it makes our world diverse, this means they should also be cared for Jesus said Not one Sparrow is forgotten by God implying that we should care for all the wildlife, animals as well as humans In conclusion I think that humans are more important than animals as a species but we have a responsibility to treat them with respect and to care for them rather than abuse them
Planet Earth 6) Explain two modern ways that are harming the planet? 2 Marks Pollution from factories and cars Destruction of natural habitats Climate Change and the Greenhouse effect 7) Explain the religious views about the nature and wonder of Planet Earth 4 Marks Christians believe that the world was created by God In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1.1) therefore it was designed with beauty in mind Christians believe that the earth is amazing and the way that it all links together shows great design, meaning it must have been created by a higher being Religious people point to areas of beauty such as the grand canyon, amazon rainforest and species of animals as evidence the world was created by God Muslims believe that Allah is responsible for the universe, they believe that beautiful places on our planet reflect the wonder of Allah 8) All religious believers should be concerned about climate change. 3 Marks Christians believe that the planet is God s creation and that humans have a duty to protect it as his stewards. This means they should be concerned about climate change Humans are responsible for climate change, as good stewards we should stop any damage to the environment Muslims believe that Allah created the universe and the Qur an encourages people to look after his creation, this means they should stop climate change Muslims believe that they will be judged on how they have looked after the environment so they encourage people to limit the pollution that damages Allah s creation It is the responsibility of ALL people not just religious people to look after the planet for future generations and reduce the impact of climate change
9) Describe what some religious believers might do to protect the planet 3 Marks Christians may decide to work in an area or have a career that helps protect the planet Christians may donate money or work for a charity that helps look after the environment Christian Aid does a lot of work raising concerns about climate change They may write a letter to a local MP or campaign against deforestation Muslims will encourage others to recycle, catch the bus and reduce the impact that they have on the planet 10) It is up to God to look after the world. 6 Marks Some people believe that there is no higher being to instruct humans on our behaviour and it is our responsibility to look after the world as we see fit. A lot of people believe that we have a responsibility to look after the planet for future generations rather than exploit and abuse the earth Christians believe that the world belongs to God and we should look after the planet for him as stewards Christians believe that although God created the planet he made humans stewards of his creation, giving them the responsibility to look after the world and the species here Muslims believe in Khalifah that Allah created the universe and it is humanity's responsibility to conserve the planet Some people believe that if we abuse the planet there will be problems with pollution and climate change that will damage human life so it is important to look after our world In conclusion if there is a God, most religions believe that he has encouraged humans to be responsible for the world if was his gift to humanity. If there is no God then certainly it is down to the human race to protect and look after Planet Earth
Religion and Prejudice 11) Give two reasons why some people are racially prejudiced 2 Marks Lack of education or understanding about a certain race causes prejudice Influenced by parents or carers being brought up with racist views will affect your opinion Media the media influence the way people see certain cultures Muslim Bombers or immigrants put pressure on schools Blaming groups or races for social problems such as immigration or unemployment 12) Explain the religious attitudes towards prejudice Marks Christians believe that God created everyone equal so prejudice and discrimination are wrong Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan where he said we should help people of all races and love your neighbour The Muslim holy book (Qur'an) states that prejudice and discrimination are wrong Muhammad said that race is no grounds for unjust treatment so Muslims must avoid being prejudiced Famous Christians such as Martin Luther King and Desmond Tutu fought against prejudice because they believed that God saw it as wrong Muslims believe that they should all wear white when they go on Hajj to show they are equal Religious believers think that discrimination can cause great suffering so it should not be allowed 13) Religious believers should always treat people the same. 3 Marks Christianity is sometimes considered as prejudiced as Catholics do not allow woman priests so therefore they do not treat people the same Muslim countries are often criticised for not treating woman fairly or equally Both religions however state that all people were created equally in the eyes of God and therefore they should be treated with respect Christianity encourages people not to be prejudice and to follow Jesus teaching however there are times when it can be kinder to treat people differently for example if they are elderly or ill Islam would allow positive prejudice if it was for helping other people such as the disabled as Allah encourages Muslims to look after everyone Although both religions agree that people should be treated equally there are occasions where this is not possible or not the right thing to do
14) Explain how the law tries to prevent discrimination 3 Marks There have been several laws put in place to try to help fight against prejudice and discrimination The race relations act this made it illegal to be racist towards other people and you could face prosecution The sex discrimination act this tried to stop discrimination on grounds of gender (male / female) The disability act this was aimed at disabled people having equal rights The Equality act to prevent prejudice on grounds of religion or age All these laws were put in place to so people would have equal opportunity in jobs, education and pay. 15) There is no point in trying to stop prejudice and discrimination. 6 Marks Some people agree with this because there will always be discrimination, even in football there have been recent cases of racism Some would say were are better off focusing on issues such as unemployment poverty before we try and stop discrimination Until we stop wars and misunderstandings between races then we cannot stop discrimination s say that we should do all we can to stop discrimination and that it is our duty towards each other to ensure this happens Christianity believes that we should love our neighbour and they encourage people to do what they can to stop discrimination Martin Luther King dedicated his life to stopping discrimination and as a result he change our world and we now have certain laws that prevent discrimination Muslims believe that Allah created all life and we should respect and value all people therefore we should not allow discrimination. Muhammad said racial discrimination was wrong I think that we should do more work in schools and educating people that discrimination is wrong. We need to do this to ensure that the world is a better place for future generations.
Religion and Early life 16) Children are a blessing from God What do you think? 3 Marks Christians believe in the sanctity of life - meaning that all life is sacred and a gift from god Muslims believe that Allah is responsible for all life and that they are blessed to have children Many couples are unable to have children so it is seen as a special occasion It is amazing that a tiny sperm and egg can combine to make a unique human being I think that human life is amazing but it can be explained by evolution, genetics and DNA rather than a God or deity who is responsible 17) Explain the difference between the Quality of Life and the Sanctity of life 4 Marks The sanctity of life - means that all life is sacred and it should be protected at all costs Christians believe that all life is a gift from God and it should be respected this is also referred to as the sanctity of life The quality of life is related to how good a person s mental or physical well being is Someone who has a severe disability may have a very poor quality of life For some people the quality of life out weights the sanctity of life if a foetus was badly disabled some people would choose to have an abortion despite the sanctity of life 18) Give two situations where the law in the UK allows abortion 2 Marks If there is a risk to the mother s life If there is a risk to the mother s mental or physical health (including rape) If there is a risk to any existing children If the foetus is severely disabled
19) Explain the rights of the unborn child when abortion is being considered 3 Marks Catholics believe in the sanctity of life - life is a gift from God and should be treated as such. They therefore think that all abortion is murder and that the foetus should have the same rights as a human being a right to life Muslims believe that all life is given by Allah and should be seen as a blessing, therefore they disagree with abortion unless there are extreme circumstances The unborn child is unique and should be protected it cannot look after itself so we should protect it Muslims believe that the rights of the mother are more important than the foetus' until 120 days when the soul is implanted The law does protect the rights of the foetus for example there are only certain conditions where you are allowed to have an abortion and it must be before 24 weeks Some people would say that the rights of the mother are more important than that of the foetus 20) A woman should be allowed an abortion anytime during her pregnancy 6 Marks The law in the UK currently allows women to have an abortion up to 24 weeks People have campaigned for the number of weeks to be brought down to 20 or even 12 weeks however this was defeated in a vote in the house of commons Although it is a small percentage of people who have an abortion this late, and it is usually because the mother s life is in danger. However some people would say that the foetus is well developed at this stage and could survive from 20 weeks with increasingly better medical care so the time limit should be reduced. Catholic Christians would say that all abortion should be banned and at the moment the sperm meets the egg a right to life should be installed Muslims believe that an abortion should take place only in extreme circumstances and before 120 days when the soul is implanted I think that abortions should take place as soon as possible and before the foetus starts to become developed, this would also make it easier for the mother as a late abortion is a complicated procedure. However if the circumstances are such that she might die if the pregnancy continues then late abortions should be allowed
Religion, War and Peace 20) Give two reasons why a country might go to war 2 Marks A country may go to war to defend itself - World War II A country may go to war to stop the threat of Nuclear Attack - Iraq War A country may go to war to protect itself against terrorism - Afghanistan A country may go to war to protect other countries or people - Gulf War Some countries go to war over religion - Crusades 21) Explain why some religious believers are pacifist 4 Marks A pacifist is someone who believes all violence is wrong and we should not kill other people in any situation Christians may be pacifists because they believe that all life is a gift from God and it should be respected They believe in the Sanctity of life, all life is sacred and special so it should not be taken away Muslims believe that Allah created all life and only he has the right to take life away Some pacifist may support a war by becoming a first aider they will die for their beliefs but will not kill for them Jesus said to love your neighbour and blessed are the peacemakers implying that we should not use violence to solve problems
c) Religious believers should never support terrorism. 3 Marks Religion teaches that killing is morally wrong so terrorist do not follow religious beliefs as they target innocent civilians Terrorism goes against the teachings of God so people who commit these acts cannot be defined as religious Do not Kill is one of the main teachings in Christianity Religion teaches that peace and harmony are better than suffering and chaos Some extremists think that they are defending their religion and doing God's will - they consider themselves as religious and believe that they will go to heaven for their actions 24) Describe the work of one peace keeping force 3 marks The united nations are made up of over 100 different countries, its main aim is to establish world peace The UN will go into war zones and try to protect the civilians there from the conflict, they often provide military support The UN will also help with humanitarian issues such as refugee camps, disease and famine They have helped all over the world in parts of Africa and the Middle East 25) A religious person should be prepared to fight in a just war 6 Marks A religious person may be prepared to fight as Christianity believes in the Just War Theory which are 7 conditions that must be met to consider a war to be fair or just The conditions of the Just War Theory include - that there must be a just cause, the intention must be for good, innocent people must be protected, war must be a last resort, there needs to be a good chance of success, it needs to be declared by the head of state and the overall good gained must be better than the evil before. Christianity believes in justice and that war is sometimes necessary to promote peace. Islam states that war can be justified if it is in self-defence, the defence of innocent people or the defence of Islam Muslims believe that Allah gives them permission to fight to help oppressed people as long as suffering is kept to a minimum Religious believers think that war must be a last resort with peace talks taking place first However some religious people are pacifists and they believe that they should not kill others they will die for their beliefs but they will not kill for them Some pacifist may support a war by becoming a first aider they will die for their beliefs but will not kill for them Jesus said to love your neighbour and blessed are the peacemakers implying that we should not use violence to solve problems