Name:. Form:. OCR Philosophy and Applied Ethics J621 Full Course J121 Short Course Topic Revision Book Philosophy 2 Module B602 Good and Evil
Module B602 : Good and Evil You will need to show knowledge and understanding of Christian beliefs, teachings and attitudes on: Good and Evil The problem of evil Concepts of Good and evil God and the Devil (Satan) The Fall, Original Sin and Redemption Concepts of Moral and Natural Evil Approaches to why there is evil and suffering In the world Responses to the problem of evil Coping with suffering Understanding ways of coping with suffering Sources and reasons for moral behaviour The Bible The conscience Faith in Christ Remember Beliefs - this is what Christians believe about their religions based on the teachings in the Bible and/or from the Church; for instance, ideas about God and Jesus; the events of the creation or crucifixion, etc. Teachings - refers to rules/quotes/sayings from the Bible (such as do not murder or love thy neighbour ) or it could refer to what the different Churches teach. Attitudes - are the ways in which a believer interprets those beliefs and teachings. Note this is a trigger word for you to realise that some Christians believe one thing and other Christians believe another. For example, some Christians think that there is no physical devil because... On the other hand, others believe that there is a physical devil because. Support this means you cannot just make a statement and leave it there. You need to explain why that statement is being used. Christians think Satan is evil because he tempted Jesus in the desert. Respond this word is asking you to think about what Christians would do when faced with a particular situation. 2
The Exam Paper Each Module paper will be divided into three sections. Module B602 (Philosophy 2) will contain questions on the topics of: Religion and Science; Religion, Reason and Revelation; and also Good and Evil. You must choose to do TWO topics out of the three you have studied in this module. In each section on the exam paper, you will find that there are six questions from six different religious viewpoints. Ignore the religions you have not studied. You need to answer the Christianity question, which comes after the Buddhism question. Each question is in five parts. All the questions are in the following form: (a) 1 mark for knowledge (b) 2 marks for knowledge, (c) 3 marks for knowledge, (d) 6 marks for understanding, and (e) 12 marks for evaluation. Total: 24 marks. Remember! You have to do a complete question this means you must attempt to answer all the parts (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e) from the same question. Do not mix up the religions or the topics. The Part (a) Questions These are questions which are testing your knowledge, for example, What is meant by the word good? Answer: The word good means to do something which is not bad or harmful to other people. The Part (b) Questions These questions are again testing your knowledge but your answer will need to contain more information than the part (a) questions. Question: Name two types of suffering. Answer: You can have physical suffering such as a broken leg and also religious suffering which is a feeling that God has deserted you. The Part (c) Questions These may ask for three pieces of information or ask for a description. If you are asked to describe do not just put a list of points but elaborate on them. For instant, if you were asked to answer the question: Describe Christian beliefs about moral evil you must not just say: they believe it is bad; it is a sin; and it is doing wrong. You would need to say: Christians believe that moral evil is a wrong action committed by a person against another person such as murder. This is 3
considered to be a sin and is against the Ten Commandments do not murder. So since you will be asked what words mean make sure you have learnt all the words in the Dictionary. The Part (d) Questions These questions are asking you to show your understanding you will need to show how and why things happen because of Christian beliefs or teachings. These questions will probably begin with the word explain. So, remember to use the word because in your answer. For example: (d) Explain what Christians believe about Original Sin. [6 marks] Christians believe that Original Sin entered the world when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. It is called Original Sin because it was the first sin to happen in God s good world. Some Christians say that the Devil disguised as a snake tempted Eve in eating from the Tree of knowledge of good and evil. This was a sin because she was going against God s command not to eat from this tree. God had given Adam and Eve the gift of freewill which means they had a choice to obey him or not. God gave them freewill because he wanted them to love him freely and not be robots. Some Christians believe that babies should be baptised because everyone when they are born are tainted with Original Sin. The Part (e) Questions These questions are asking you to present an argument and to evaluate. You will need to show differing points of view and you must support the views with examples. So if you say Christians say moral evil is wrong you need to say why they believe it is wrong and give an example. You MUST refer to a Christian point of view somewhere in your answer otherwise you will not achieve full marks and also you MUST give your own viewpoint otherwise again you will not achieve full marks. For instance: (e) If God was all good he would not allow people to suffer. Discuss this statement. You should include different, supported points of view and a personal viewpoint. You must refer to Christianity in your answer. Evaluation formula: Some people might agree because 4
Other people might disagree because However some Christians might say because Yet other Christians might argue because BUT I think because So in conclusion Some people might agree that if God was all good he would not allow people to suffer because you cannot be good and then allow evil to happen. Many children die each day in the Third World due to poverty and disease so surely, if God has created everyone he would not allow innocent babies to suffer and die. Other people might disagree that if God was all good he would not allow people to suffer because they do not believe in God. Therefore it is wrong to blame something that does not exist for suffering in the world. Suffering just happens and we should recognise this and stop moaning about it and either do something ourselves to stop it or don t. It is a matter of choice. However some Christians might say that God is all good and that it was not God who let evil into the world. It was Adam and Eve who misused their gift of freewill and chose to disobey God s command. Other Christians might argue that even though God is all good he has to allow suffering to happen because we can only know the difference between good and evil if we can have something to measure it against. Also God wants us to help other people; this is what Jesus did when he came to earth and taught Christians to love thy neighbour. When disasters such as the Tsunami 2004 Boxing Day happened, many people in the world rushed to help those who were so badly affected by this event and this is what God wants us to do. I think that if God was to help out everyone all the time and did not allow suffering then the balance between good and evil would not exist. It would be as the Book of Revelation says: a time when there are no more tears or suffering. However since this is to happen at the end of time I am not sure I want it to happen just yet. I think that suffering is the price to pay for the gift of freewill. In conclusion although it seems as though it is wrong for God to allow suffering there are reasons for it and we as mere humans cannot understand the plans of God anyway. 5
DICTIONARY The starred words here are found in the OCR specification and so can appear as part of an exam question. A few more have been added but it is important you learn most of them in order to impress the examiners AGAPE BIBLE* This is Christian love it is love shown to another person no matter who they are, what they have done or whether or not the love is returned. Jesus gave the example of Christian love when he died on the cross for all people This is the book of God s word. It contains the history of the Jews and the life of Christ and the early Church. It has the teachings of God and Jesus to help people to be good Christians. CONSCIENCE* This is the inner voice of a person, which Christians believe to be the voice of God. It tells people what is right and what is wrong. It is a moral compass. DEVIL/SATAN* This is the being who is the opposite of God; the devil or Satan represents evil EVIL* FAITH* FREEWILL GOD* MORAL BEHAVIOUR This word is used to describe something which is very bad or morally wrong. There are two types of evil: Natural evil, which refers to events which happen in nature, such as earthquakes, tornadoes etc. Moral evil, which refers to the evil which people do to each other, such as murder or bullying. This word is the idea of trust and belief in something for which there is no evidence. Christians have faith that God exists. They have faith that Jesus will help them and that he died to save them. This means that people have a choice to follow God or disobey God. This is the supreme being whom Christians believe is all good, all powerful and all loving. Christians worship God because he is good. Someone behave morally when they lead a live without sin when they do not go against the teachings of God and Jesus. 6
MORAL CODE ORIGINAL SIN* ORIGINS This refers to the right way to behave Christians believe it is the rules of God, e.g. the Ten Commandments This refers to the first sin in the world which was done by Adam and Eve when they disobeyed God and took the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Christians believe that everyone is born with original sin and this is why babies are baptised to wash away this sin. This word means the beginnings. In this topic origins of evil describes how evil entered God s good and perfect creation. PROBLEM OF EVIL* This asks the question: why does God not stop evil and suffering when he is supposed to be all loving and all powerful? REDEMPTION* This is the word given to the act of delivering or saving someone from evil. Jesus, by dying on the cross, caused the redemption of humankind because his death conquered evil and washed away human sin. REPENTANCE SUFFERING* THE FALL* This is an act of saying sorry and truly meaning it, while at the same time showing that the wrong action will never be repeated. The person will try and make up for the wrong action committed. This happens because of evil it is the pain, torment and agony which people feel. There are four types: emotional, mental, religious and physical. This refers to original sin when Adam and Eve by disobeying God allowed sin and death to enter God s good world. And so the world fell away from God and good and the door to heaven was closed. Jesus death on the cross re-opened the door. 7
Good and Evil Good Christians believe: God is the Supreme Good he is all loving and all powerful (omnipotent). They believe he is good because: He created the world for people to live in his creation was perfect: it was all good until Adam & Eve disobeyed him and let evil and death in He saved the Israelites (his chosen people) when they were in slavery: the 10 plagues and the parting of the Red Sea He came down to earth in the form of Jesus to die on the cross so that people s sins can be forgiven and they can go to heaven after death He sends miracles to help people in need He is people s strength and comfort in times of trouble Christians believe at the end of time evil will be conquered once and for all by the goodness of God. Evil Christians believe: There are TWO kinds of evil: Moral (which is what people do e.g. murder) and Natural (earthquakes etc.) Evil causes suffering you can have religious; mental, emotional or physical suffering. Original Sin is how evil and suffering and death first entered the world. Adam & Eve disobeyed God and took the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The Devil Some Christians believe Evil can be Satan (there are different views) he brought evil into God s good world Some people see him in physical form (traditional view) the Medieval Church used the Devil as a way to frighten people into behaving as the Church wanted them to (they were threatened with eternal torture in hell if they misbehaved) The Bible says Satan is God s fallen Angel (red horns, tail) & is an actual physical being whose purpose is to lead people away from God (e.g. the snake in Adam and Eve). He also tried to tempt Jesus in the wilderness to obey him not God; to turn stones into bread and jump off a cliff for the angels to catch him. Satan is the ruler of hell Sometimes Satan is seen just as a symbolic character to represent evil within everyone However, Evil does not have to be a person but can be an inner weakness in a person psychological force Evil has been described as an absence of good (Aquinas). 8
Christian responses to the Problem of Evil: The problem of Evil is about the question why, if God is all good and all knowing and all-powerful, does he allow Evil to exist? Possible answers to this question are: Suffering makes us better people & Christians will help others when they see suffering Christians need to ask God for his help when they are suffering & get closer to him Suffering/evil is a test from God (e.g. Job in the Old Testament was tested by Satan to see if he would lose his faith in God) We have to suffer evil because we have God s gift of freewill if we didn t have freewill we would be like puppets or robots There should be a balance between good and evil Original Sin Evil entered the world because Adam & Eve had freewill and so chose to disobey God by eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This was the Original Sin (the first sin) and Christians believe everyone is born with original sin and therefore babies are baptised to take away this sin. Jesus died on the cross to make up for the rest of the sins and he re-opened the door to heaven. Coping with Suffering is also a response to the Problem of Evil because Christians see suffering as a test or punishment and therefore they should be trying to make amends if they have committed a sin, or if it is a test they should trust and have faith in God. They also believe that God is all-loving and forgiving therefore they will use prayer (communicating with God) and repentance (saying sorry) as a way of accepting their suffering. They believe that it is up to people to help other people who are suffering: Love thy neighbour Atonement/Forgiveness Atonement means at-one-with God. This is about humans making up with God for their sins and becoming one with him again. Christians believe: God has not abandoned mankind to evil he came to earth as Jesus to die on the cross so that Adam and Eve s sin (original sin) could be forgiven. Jesus death conquered sin and Jesus resurrection conquered death. So in order to be at-one-with God Christians will: Repent their sins (make sure they don t do the sin again) Pray Confess their sins Follow God s Commandments or Rules in the Bible Look after others/love Thy Neighbour Follow/Listen to their conscience For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16) 9
Moral Behaviour Where Christians look for help about how to behave: Christians believe that they get their sense of right and wrong from God (conscience) so they will listen to that. They would read the Bible because it contains good teachings, such as the Ten Commandments and also the example (WWJD: what would Jesus do?) and teachings of Jesus: Love thy neighbour, or, Turn the other cheek Christians will ask their priest or vicar because he is God s representative on earth. They will go to church and listen to sermons which give advice on what Christians should do. They would look to the examples of good Christians such as Mother Teresa or Martin Luther King. Reasons why Christians follow a moral code (correct rules of behaviour): They believe God is a judge who will look at their actions in their life time to determine whether they go to heaven or hell (the parable of the sheep and the goats) They want to worship God because He is all good so they will follow the example of Christ when he was on earth how he looked after people. They want to follow God s rules because they know those rules were made so that people could live in a world of justice (fairness) FORGIVENESS Parables which show that God forgives: The parable of the Lost Son and the lost Sheep shows that God forgives anyone who repents The Lord s Prayer shows that Christians must forgive others for their wrong doings before they can be forgiven themselves ( forgive us our trespasses as we forgive others ) A parable which shows that if you do not forgive others then God will not forgive you is the Parable of the unforgiving servant REDEMPTION This refers to the idea that God has saved humankind. He has delivered mankind from sin. God came to earth in human form as Jesus. Jesus taught people how to behave morally. He had to die on the cross to make up for original sin and all the other sins in the world. When Adam and Eve did the first sin, this shut the door to heaven. Jesus dying on the cross re-opened that door so that people who believe (have faith) in him and do good things will be able to go to heaven after their death and have eternal life. 10
The Story of Job Job and his wife lived in Uz. They had 7 sons and 3 daughters. Job had lots of land and cattle and men to help him work. Job loved God and was faithful to him. He worshipped Gov every day. One day, the devil said to God, "You have blessed Job and given him everything and this is the only reason Job worships you. If you would take away your blessings, Job would no longer praise you." God said to the devil, Do what you want to all that Job has but do not kill him." The devil left God and began his evil work. Suddenly a messenger came to Job saying, "All your donkeys and the men who helped you are gone. A huge fire has killed all the sheep. Some thieves came and stole all your camels." Then another messenger arrived saying, "All of your sons and daughter were eating together when suddenly there came a huge wind and the house fell on them." Job was so sad. In a single day, he had lost everything. Job fell to his knees and began worshipping God saying, "..the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away, blessed be the name of the LORD." After all those bad things happened to Job, He still praised God. The devil was upset because Job was still praising God. The devil gave Job very painful sores all over his body from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. Job suffered greatly. Job's wife said to him, "Let it go. Curse God and die" Job answered her, "You talk like a foolish woman. Do we only take the good and not the bad?" Still he praised God. Job s friends had heard about what had happened to Job. They decided they would go and be with him and sat with Job for one week. They told Job that he had sinned and that is why all these horrible things had happened. Job insisted that he loved God and he never sinned against him. They would not believe him. All of them told Job he had sinned and he must confess his sin to make things right. Job still insisted that he had not sinned against God. 11
Finally his friends were quiet. They had nothing to say to him because they felt that Job was wrong. They thought Job felt he was better than everyone else. They knew Job had sinned and wouldn't admit it. Finally, God spoke. "Who is this that gives advice without knowledge, where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Answer if you have understanding!" God spoke to Job of all the things he created. Job said "I know that you can do everything, and that no thought can be withheld from you. Therefore, I have spoken things that I did not understand. But now I have heard you and now I understand. " God accepted Job's prayer and was very pleased with Job. As Job prayed for his friends, God returned his fortune that had been taken away by the devil. After all of this, Job lived 140 years and he loved God and praised him every day. ACTIVITY Complete the blanks in the paragraph below to help remember the story of Job. The story is an explanation of why God allows suffering as a test of faith. Job was a devoted.. of God and had a. life. But one day Satan told God that he could make Job lose his in God. God said Job would not and said.. could test Job but Satan was not allowed to kill Job. Satan killed all of Job s..; Job lost all his.. and Job was covered in boils. But although Job did not understand he. lost his faith. God.. him. faith property children rewarded happy never follower Satan 12
ACTIVITY Different ideas about God as the power of Good What are the different ideas about God being good? What has God done to show he is good? What does this image represent? Why might it show that God is good? Why do the Ten Commandments show that God is good? 13
ACTIVITY Different ideas about Evil What form of evil does this image represent? Make a list of the different kinds of this evil:.. Is God responsible for this kind of evil? Explain your answer showing different points of view: What form of evil does this image represent?. Make a list of some of the different kinds of this evil:... Evil causes suffering what are the different types of suffering? 14
ACTIVITY The different ideas about the Devil/Satan There are different ideas about Satan: by the images below explain the different views: (1) Satan is an actual person who looks like:.. (2) Satan is a fallen angel who..... (3) Satan s job is to:... (4) Satan is not an actual person but is:......... 15
ACTIVITY TEMPTATION Some Christians believe evil happens because it is the devil s job to tempt people away from God. When did the devil/satan tempt Jesus? What did he ask him to do?...... Some Christians say evil happens because it is a punishment from God. How did God punish Adam, Eve and the snake? Some Christians say evil happens because people just do evil things (moral evil). Explain why God allows people to do evil things. 16
ACTIVITY The Fall/Original Sin If the world was all good when God created it, then how did evil enter the world? Christians say that evil entered the world when the devil tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Tell the story......... Adam and Eve had freewill. What is free will and why is it important to have it? The snake that tempted Eve was said to be Satan, the fallen Angel. Explain why Satan was cast out of heaven.. 17
ACTIVITY REDEMPTION Why did Jesus have to die on the Cross? Christians believe God came down in human form, in the body of Jesus, for a special reason. Why did Jesus have to suffer and die as he did? What does this show about God? How might the Christian teachings about the suffering of Jesus affect their behaviour? Clue: how would a Christian act if he/she believed that Jesus had died for him or her? What quote would you use to support these ideas of an all-loving God helping his creation? 18
ACTIVITY: REDEMPTION continued Forgiveness Jesus dying on the Cross showed that God forgives people. What must they do to get forgiveness? What parables/teachings show that God forgives?.. Should God forgive everyone? What do you think?... What are the Seven Deadly Sins? Give TWO examples which are against the Ten Commandments. 19
ACTIVITY The Problem of Evil The Problem of Evil is about asking the question why does God allow suffering and evil to happen when he is all powerful and all loving? Why does God not stop it all happening? Christians give many reasons why evil happens. Underline the correct answers below: People suffer because God is punishing them just as he punished Adam and Eve People suffer because they enjoy it People suffer because it makes them a better person People suffer because it is their turn to suffer People suffer because it is a way of testing their faith like in the story of Job If people suffer it is their own fault and so we should not bother about it. People suffer because of natural disasters such as Tsunamis. Some Christians believe this is the work of the devil. God does not care about people on earth because he allows innocent people to suffer. Give a reason why Christians would disagree with this and a reason why some people might agree..... 20
ACTIVITY: How do Christians cope with suffering? What reasons would they give to explain their suffering? What would they do about their own and other people s suffering? 21
ACTIVITY How Christians know how to behave By the pictures which show ways which help Christians find out how to do the right thing explain what they are and why they are helpful:...................... 22
ACTIVITY Why do Christians want to behave in the right way? Why is it important for Christians to do the right thing? What will happen to them if they do not? Look at the images below and then write a few lines explaining why Christians want to be good. The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus and the parable of the Sheep and Goats also explain why Christians want to be good why? 23
ACTIVITY The Conscience There are different views about the source of the conscience: Some people believe it is learnt you know what is right and wrong from your teachers, parents etc. Some people believe that you develop your conscience as you grow up Christians believe the conscience to be the voice of God telling them what is right and what is wrong. It is a moral compass. Questions (1) Why would Christians want to follow their conscience? (2) Do you think punish them if they went against their conscience. Answer showing different points of view using examples. 24
ACTIVITY: Faith in Christ Christians cope with suffering because they have faith in Christ. What does the word faith mean? What do Christians believe Jesus has done for them? Christians show their faith in Christ by following his example and his teachings. They also do something else (often every Sunday). Look at the pictures above and explain what they do to show faith in Christ. 25
ACTIVITY Exam question (a) What is meant by good? [1 mark] (b) Give two examples of evil. [2 marks] (c) Describe how Christians find out the right way to behave? [3 ] (d) Explain Christian responses to the problem of evil. [6 marks] 26
(e) If God was all good he would not allow people to suffer. Discuss this statement. You should include different, supported points of view and a personal viewpoint. You must refer to Christianity in your answer. [12 marks] 27
Dictionary Crossword Across 2. This is the type of evil which is tsunamis etc. 4. This is the type of evil which people do to each other 6. He was a fallen angel who disobeyed God 8. This is communication with God 11. This is God's gift to human kind so that they are not robots 12. This is when someone says sorry and shows they are sorry Down 1. This is trust and belief in something which has no proof 3. This is Christian love which is unconditional - it is given to everyone 5. This is the book which contains God's word 7. This is the name given to the first sin 9. There are four different types of this, one of which is physical 10. This is the act of being saved from sin 13. This is the inner voice of God. 28