Name Component 1 : Religious, Philosophical and Ethical Studies

1. Name Component 1 : Religious, Philosophical and Ethical Studies Exam Monday the 14th of May (PM)

2. Booklet Contents:

3. Issues of Relationships Contents:

7. Christian Marriage Ceremony • Beginning the service: the priest welcomes the congregation and then reads out what Christians believe in marriage. • Any impediment: when the priests asks if anyone knows why the two should not marry. • Declarations: the couple make their promises in front of God that they will love, comfort, honour and protect their partner as long as they both shall live. • Vows: The couple then make their vows to one another. • Rings: The couple exchange rings • Proclamation: the priest tells the couple that they are now husband and wife. • Prayers: prayers are said for the couple. They may include a prayer for the gift of children, but this is optional. • Readings and sermon: there will be some readings from the Bible and the minister gives a sermon. • Signing of the register: the bride and groom, along with two witnesses, sign the register, which is a legal requirement. • Muslim Marriage Ceremony • The Wali or woman's guardian in marriage offers the bride to the groom. • There must be two witnesses who are adults and good Muslims. • There is payment of the mahr by the groom to the bride. • The marriage contract is signed by the bride, groom and witness. For the nikah there must be consent of both parties. • A sermon is given to bless the marriage. • Vows are not necessary but can be exchanged if the couple wish to. Traditionally the wife vows to be honest, obedient and faithful and the husband would vow to be helpful and faithful. • The ceremony ends with prayers for the couple and the ummah. • The walima is held by the groom to share in the happiness of the occasion.

11. For • Men and women were both created in the ‘image of God’. • Jesus had both male and female followers. Only men were apostles because of the culture at the time. • There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28) • Against • St Paul taught ‘women should remain silent in churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission’ (1 Corinthians 14:34). • A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet (1 Timothy 2:11-12) • St Paul taught women should submit to their husbands: ‘Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord’ (Ephesians 5:22). • Jesus only chose men to be his apostles. If he had wanted women leaders he would have gone against the custom of the time as he did with other things.

12. Divorce Humanists believe that couples should work on their difficulties and avoid divorce if possible especially when children are involved. They do accept that sometimes this may not be able to be done so do accept divorce. They believe we only have one life so it should be lived to the full not trapped in an unhappy marriage. Marriage Humanists view marriage as a significant part of human life and understand people may want a special occasion to show their love and commitment to each other. The ceremony may show how important marriage is to the couple and society but would not contain any religious aspect. The vows that are said are said to each other not God and the rings show their never ending love to each other. It is important to note there is no set order the wedding must follow. Same Sex Relationships Humanists view same sex relationships acceptable. They argue that human beings should find happiness in this lifetime and same sex relations are one example of this. Contraception Humanists believe sex has no religious or sacred aspect it is it an expression of love an affection between two people. Therefore contraception is acceptable to allow people to enjoy their life and limit the size of families.

13. Issues of Life and Death Contents:

25. Sanctity of Life Humanists do not believe in an afterlife or a soul. They believe t]life is special as this is our only one and it ends forever when we die. They also believe that the central purpose it to make others around us as happy as possible. Creation Humanists believe that we can understand our world through science and there is no good reason to believe in God when there is plenty of evidence to suggest the world gradually developed over billions of years. Evolution can help us understand the world today rather than believing in is all a ‘mystery’ Humanist for a better world is a group set up in 2011. Its aim is to create networks for humanists to get involved in campaigning on issues such as: peace, global justice, climate change and the environment. Just as their logo suggests the future is in our hands and we need to act to prevent irreversible damage to our planet. Abortion Humanists believe in situation ethics. This means they try to include all the factors affecting the decision before making a choice that is the kindest or will do the least harm. They value happiness and personal choice. They argue as life is not scared the debate hinges on when a foetus becomes a human being (therefore has the right to life). They see abortion as a morally acceptable choice is all factors have been taken into consideration. Stewardship Humanists agree with stewardship but not because God gave us this responsibility. They agree because it simply makes sense. We should be responsible, create a sustainable world and do as little harm to the environment as possible.

26. Euthanasia Humanists have supported many attempts to legalise assisted dying, assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia. They do not think that assistance should only be given to terminally ill people and want to change the law to include others such as permanently paralysed. They uphold the right to life but do not believe that life should be prolonged if people will suffer. The humanist ‘Dignity in dying movement’ seeks to change the law so that assisted dying is legal for terminally ill and mentally competent adults in the UK. They want to change the law to the following: • limited to terminally ill and mentally competent adults • requires the dying person to end their own life and does not permit another person to do it for them • has a waiting period to give dying people time to reflect on their decision • requires assessment by doctors and a high-court judge • allows the dying person to die at home They believe the person dying should have the choice in any matter of euthanasia not the law. Death and the Afterlife Humanists are materialist. There is no such thing as a soul and we will not go on to an afterlife. Funeral A humanist funeral reflects on the life of the person and their contribution to the world without suggesting they are going to a better place. They want to be remembered for their unique qualities and life time achievements they made. The service itself may include: Music Poetry A eulogy Moments of quiet reflection Reminiscences about the person It is important to remember it is up to the family what they want to happen at the service and they can choose whatever they wish. Heaven and Hell Humanists do not believe in a heaven and hell and do not feel persuaded to be God because of a day when we will be judged. They argue we should live moral lives because we should make the most of our existence now as we only get one life and try to make as many people as possible as happy as they can be.

27. Issues of Good and Evil Contents:

41. Suffering Humanists believe humans have a degree of control over actions in their life and must accept how things turn out. Some evils such as war, famine or poverty have been made worse by human greed or error and some evils such as flooding or hurricanes happen because that is just the way the world is. Often those who suffer the most are not to blame and it is everyone's responsibility to fight evil and suffering in the world. Capital Punishment Humanists disagree with capital punishment as killing is wrong even by the state. They argue that you may not always get the correct person and there is no way to reverse the decision once they are dead. They believe criminals should be treated fairly to help ensure innocent suspects are treated fairly. Forgiveness Humanists argues forgiveness is crucial for human relationships and that we all make mistakes that should be forgiven. The existence of human compassion and common sense forces us to forgive in most circumstances. Humanists do recognise that sometimes behaviour is so inhumane it cannot be forgiven and the best we can do is make sure that action that cannot be forgiven is never done again.

42. Issues of Human Rights Contents: