Religious Studies Part Two

Topics included: Selfishness, Greed, Ignorance and Sin, Free will, determinism and
predestination, The Problem of Evil, Death and the afterlife, Eschatology

Selfishness, Greed, Ignorance and Sin 1.3

Sin
It is the behavior which is against the law of God (10 Commandments)

Sin can be crime, which is unlawful, including murder and stealing

Sin can also be not crime, which is lawful, including Euthanasia (made legal in some
countries) or cheating on partner

Religious views on sin

Catholic Christianity
Sin makes it difficult to have a relationship with God because sin separates a person from
God

Sin is an offence against reason, truth and right conscience; it is failure in genuine love
for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the
nature of man and injures human solidarity

1. Original sin
It is inherited from the actions of Adam and Eve

All people are born with original sin

This is washed away at baptism

Bible reference:

God told Adam that he was free to eat from any of the trees of the garden, except the
tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve then ate from the tree, and

Religious Studies Part Two 1

 became ashamed of their nakedness. They were scared and hid from God. When God
asked them of their wrongdoings, Adam put the blame on Eve and Eve blamed the
snake.

Awareness of their nakedness signifies the loss of their innocence, they didn’t want
to admit their mistakes so they hid from God. They were afraid of God, whom they
have conceived a distorted image.

Harmony is destroyed when they tried to put the blame on others, the union of man
and woman becomes subject to tensions, and their relations is marked by lust and
domination

Then, God put suffering onto Adam and Eve

For Adam, he needs to work hard to grow crops from the soil

For Eve, God intensified women’s pain in childbearing and for her husband for rule
over her

The punishment also affects the woman’s relationship with her husband. A tension is
set up in which her urge (either sexual urge or dependence for sustenance) is for her
husband but he rules over her

God expelled Adam and Eve (Separation from God, a broken relationship)

Man’s first sin

Tempted by the devil, let his trust in his creator die in his heart, abusing his freedom,
disobey God’s command, Man prefers himself to God and all subsequent sins would
be disobedience towards God

Consequences of original sin

1. Being separated from God

Adam and Eve were driven out of Garden Eden after their fall implied that sins is the
block which broke their relationship with God

2. Deprived of original holiness and grace

Garden Eden symbolized the graces human inherited from God

Sins deprived human from God’s grace

Human was then affected by a weakened human nature

Leads to transmission of original sin

3. Eternal death

Religious Studies Part Two 2

 The consequence of sin is complete separation from God which is hell- death

4. Punishment/Suffering

Men need to toil for life

Woman need to bear severe pain in pregnancy

5. Harmony destroyed

With others, with the creation

Result of original sin- Wounded Human Nature

Weakened in its powers, subject to:

Ignorance, Selfish, Greed

Suffering

Domination of death

Inclined to sin (concupiscence)

Sins weakened our ability to make good moral decisions (eg. misuse of free will,
disobedient to God), and leads to human wrongdoing (Ignorance, Selfishness, Greed and
sin are called the root causes of human wrongdoing)

Human wrongdoing: refers to how we failed to fulfill our responsibility as humans on

earth (for example not being a good steward, not being benevolent, not obeying God…)

2. Personal Sin
It is the misuse of free will and the consequence of a person’s own action

Religious Studies Part Two 3

 >Venial Sin
One doesn’t observe the standard prescribed by the moral law

Instead of acting in a loving way; one chooses to act in a selfish way

In Purgatory, by undergoing purification of venial sins, we can achieve the holiness

necessary to enter the joy of heaven

>Mortal sin
Sins which are graver matters:

Grave matter is specified in the 10 Commandments (eg. don’t kill, don’t commit
adultery, don’t steal, don’t bear false witness, don’t defraud…)

The gravity of sins is more or less great (murder is graver than theft)

One must also take into account who is wronged (violence against parents is in itself
graver than violence against a stranger)

Unintentional ignorance

It can diminish/ remove the moral responsibility of a grave offense

But no one is deemed to be ignorant of the principles of the moral law written in the
conscience of every man

Religious Studies Part Two 4

 The promptings of feelings can also diminish the voluntary and free character of the
offense, as can external pressures or pathological disorders

Sins committed through malice (desire to harm someone) by deliberate choice of

evil, is the gravest

Mortal sin and hell

To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God’s merciful love means
remaining separated from him forever by our own free choice. This state of
definitive self-exclusion from communion with god and the blessed is called hell

The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can
possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs

Responsibility to the sins committed

When we cooperate in them: by participating directly and voluntarily in them; by

ordering, advising, praising or approving them; by not disclosing or not hindering
them when we have an obligation to do so; by protecting evil-doers

The root causes of human wrongdoing

Definition
Selfishness: the personal needs/ wants, not considering those of others

Greed: the excessive desire for things like wealth or food, not bearing relation to actual
needs

Ignorance: Not knowing or understanding the difference between right and wrong, or
what makes actions wrong

Sin: Behavior which is against the law of God

Selfishness
Self-interest and concern with individual needs/wants which excludes considering those
of others

Religious teaching on selfishness

“Golden Rule” → treating others as one wants to be treated

Love your neighbor as you love yourself

Parable of the Good Samaritan (Christians should go out of their way to help others)

Religious Studies Part Two 5

 Parable of the Sheep and Goat (caring for the people left out)

Greed
An excessive desire for things, such as wealth which bears no relation to actual needs

Religious teachings on greed

It’s wrong to love money rather God

The love of money is the root of evil and an obstacle to a relationship with God

Not to trust wealth but to trust God and His providential care (wealth is temporary, no
use after death; more important to gain spiritually than financially)

Ignorance
Not knowing or understanding the difference between the right and wrong, or what
makes actions wrong

A person might be morally ignorance because they have never been taught right from
wrong

They lack the capacity to understand the difference between right and wrong

Religious teachings on ignorance

Everyone has the capacity to tell right from wrong, thus ignorance isn’t a valid excuse for
wrongdoing (Christian duty to avoid being morally ignorant)

According to Saint Thomas Aquinas humans are rational, they can work out whether an
action is right or wrong by thinking about it locally, our conscience. They’re also inclined
to do good naturally, as we are created in God’s image, thus we share his benevolence

You cannot get away with breaking the law because you did not know it was the law; in
the same way, you should not try to get away with acting immorally by refusing to think
about right and wrong

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

However the conscience isn’t infallible, can make mistakes sometimes

Often the conscience might mistaken an apparent good for a real good ( for example a
person might support euthanasia because it seems good as it relieves suffering. However,
(according to Aquinas) one of the primary precepts is to preserve life so it is not an actual
good at all)

Religious Studies Part Two 6

 We could minimise the risk of mistaking an apparent good for real good by educating the
conscience by reading the bible, by reflection and going to church

Why do we still sin against God from time to time?

God has given human beings a free will

our free will has been weakened but not destroyed by sin

God’s grace is necessary to restore and heal our weakened free will

Overcoming our inclination to sin (Roman Catholic view)

1. Baptism and receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession)

Baptism free us from original sin

Both baptism and confession is receiving grace from God and cleanses our sins

2. Train our conscience

Our conscience is an inner guide to determining right from wrong

Must be disciplined and trained through time by studying the church teachings, receiving
religious education/spiritual formation, daily prayers and reflecting on scriptures

There’re also individuals in whom the voice of conscience has become distorted, or even
silenced, because of habitual sin

Non religious Views on sin

Some believed that human nature is sinful
Sinful= wicked by the committing of sins

Choose to do evil

All people at some point sin

Some believed that human nature is good

They can become good

Humans all have the feeling of compassion

Becoming a good person is the result of developing our innate tendencies towards
benevolence, righteousness, wisdom and propriety (conformity to conventionally
accepted standards of behavior or morals)

Religious Studies Part Two 7

 Nature of Salvation in Christianity
Salvation
Being saved from sin → meaning to have eternal life with God (union with god)

Through the death of Jesus (sacrifice)

Death of Jesus on the cross

Was a sacrifice for sin

Shows a victory of light over darkness, of life over death: God was in Christ and
triumphed over death in the resurrection

Shows that God is involved in creation and in the suffering of the world, not being
remote

Shows the love of God by giving himself for others

Importance of salvation from sin

Without salvation, a person’s sin will prevent them from having a relationship with God
in this life and exclude them from God’s presence after death

Salvation from sin was the purpose of life, death and resurrection of Jesus

Jesus is the saviour of the world whose death on the cross brought forgiveness of sins and
the assurance of eternal life

Free will, determinism and predestination 1.4

Catholic Christianity view on Free will and Human
Responsibility
Man is made in image of God

Man is rational and therefore like god; he is created with free will and is master over his
acts

Freedom is the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and
so to perform deliberate actions on one’s own responsibility

Freedom makes man responsible for his acts to the extent that they are voluntary

Religious Studies Part Two 8

 The right to the exercise of freedom, especially in religious and moral matters, in an
inalienable requirement of the dignity of man

But the exercise of freedom doesn’t entail the right to say or do anything

Responsibility for an action can be diminished or even removed by ignorance,

inadvertence (not resulting from or achieved through deliberate planning), duress
(threats, violence used to coerce someone into doing something against their will or
better judgment), fear, habit, inordinate attachments, and other psychological or social
factors.

Non-religious view on Free will and Human responsibility

Some non-religious people believe in complete freedom of the human will, based on
philosophical arguments

Experience confirms that human beings are autonomous

Determinism
Definition
Every event has a cause, which may also involve believing that human beings cannot
have free will, as their choices and actions are caused

All man’s volitions ( the power of using one’s will) are invariably determined by pre-
existing circumstances

In opposition to the doctrine of free will

Non religious views on determinism

A scientific worldview holds the premise that future events can be predicted by past
events

For example: human behavior and characteristics are a result of/ determined by genes
which have the stored inheritance of generations

For example: human personality is shape by physical, psychological or environmental

factors outside their control

Other views on Determinism

There can be no such thing as free will in a world created by an omniscient God who has
infallible foreknowledge of all human actions

Religious Studies Part Two 9

 Everything that happens is predetermined and inevitable, so whatever will be, will be

There’s nothing human beings can do about it

Arguments against determinism

It seems to take away all human responsibility

Predestination
Definition
It’s the doctrine that God has already decided on the eternal destination or fate of human
beings, regardless of what one says or does through life

It implies that God designates each person form damnation (hell) or for salvation
(heaven)

Regardless of what one says or does throughout life, one’s eternal fate has already been
decided by God

Catholics view on Predestination

The Catholic Church doesn’t believe that our eternal salvation or damnation is
predetermined by God

All of us receive the invitation to salvation

Similarly, the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that “God predestines no one
to go to hell” since this requires a definitive turning away from God which is an act of
our free will, for which they are held responsible

The Problem of Evil 1.7

What is evil and suffering?
Evil: a cause of human suffering

Suffering: bearing or undergoing of pain or distress

What is evil?
Evil is the absence of good

Religious Studies Part Two 10

 For example, blindness is a physical evil because it is the absence of the ability to
see, which is proper to a human being

In moral terms, sin is the absence of a particular virtue in a person

As such, evil is not something that exists in itself, it is merely the absence of the good

2 types of evil
1. Moral Evil

The acts of humans which are morally wrong (misuse of freewill), like war or stealing

2. Natural Evil

Suffering caused by natural disasters like Earthquake

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Moral evil can make natural evil worse, for example, drought caused by humans will lead
to a lack of rainfall and lesser crops, which will worsen the problem of food shortages

Sometimes, Christians call the acts of moral evil as sins because they are against what
God wants humans to do, like violating the 10 Commandments

The problem of evil

God is omnipotent: God must be able to remove evil rom the world

God is omnibenevolent: God must want to remove evil as they cause so much
unhappiness

God is omniscient: God must have known all the evil which came from creating the
universe in the wat he did. Thus, he should have created the world differently

Therefore, if God exists, there should be no evil or suffering in this world

As evil does exist, it implies either God isn’t omnipotent, isn’t omnibenevolent, isn't
omniscient or doesn’t exist

How evil and suffering may cause people to reject belief in God
1. Moral Evil

It challenges the all-powerful and all-knowing God

Can’t believe in a God who allows humans to do evil when he couldn’t stopped it, for
example WW2 and the Holocaust

Religious Studies Part Two 11

 2. Natural suffering

It challenges the all-loving God

Can’t believe that a good God would have designed a world with natural evils

Easier to believe that these are the result from the Big Bang when the earth is formed

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
As the nature of God comes from holy books and creeds, it challenges the whole of their
religion

How does it affect the belief of people?

It sometimes only becomes a problem when religious believers come into contact with
the evil or suffering

For example, a catholic has been faithful to God until he experienced earthquake, or
when his child dies from a disease

It will lead believers into rejecting religion, or becoming atheist or agnostic

Biblical Responses to the problem of evil

1. Teaching from Job:

God has a reason for suffering but humans cannot understand it

For example, a baby may not understand why his parents took him for a vaccine (suffer
from pain)

The story: Job was a sinless man who worshipped God faithfully. However Satan argued
that Job only worshipped God because God had given him a good life and if his good life
disappeared he would stop worshipping God. God then allowed Satan to remove his good
life and afflicted him with terrible diseases. Job asked God why this was happening and
demanded that God speak with him directly. However, when Job came face to face with
God and was presented with his greatness and holiness, he realized that god was so great
humans have no right to question him. God must have a reason for allowing evil and
suffering

2. Teaching from Pslams:

Both suffering and joy are an essential part of life. Suffering is a test to our faith, which
brings believers to have deeper knowledge of God

Religious Studies Part Two 12

 For example, through war, we understand the importance of peace; through theft, we
understand Jesus’ teaching of non-materialism and store up treasures in heaven but not
on earth

The Psalms show that suffering is intended to be part of life and many of them tell of
good religious people suffering, but they show that life is more than suffering. The other
side of suffering is joy and in the Psalms suffering and joy go side by side. For example
the Psalms also show that suffering can bring believers to a deeper knowledge of God

3. Others

Others see suffering as a way to share Jesus’ work of saving the world on the cross

Theoretical responses to the problem of evil

Theodicies = philosophical arguments to justify the existence of God

1. Free Will Defense (by St. Augustine)

As God is all-loving, he created human in his likeliness, with free will

Creating free people has brought moral evil to the world when human misuse their free
will (eg. Greed→ Theft)

God cannot create people who always did good, as there will be no free will

Therefore, it is not God’s fault that evil exists

2. Vale of Soul Making (by St. Irenaeus)

Most Christians believe that this life is a preparation for heaven and need to develop their
souls

People need to face evil or suffering in order to improve souls and become good

For example, experiencing cancer can help treasure health; and being desperate for help
can make us learn the beauty of charity

God cannot remove evil, otherwise there’s no chance for people to become good

Therefore, evil exists

God shows his omnipotence and omnibenevolence by rewarding those who suffered to
enter heaven

Practical response to the problem of evil

Religious Studies Part Two 13

 In the New Testament, Jesus regards evil as things to right against, for example curing
the sickness

Christians should follow and fight in the following 2 ways:

1. Intercessory prayers

Refers to the act of asking God to help those who suffer

God will ensure the right type of relief by praying for those who suffer

Power or prayers can be seen in its result, especially at pilgrimage

2. Charity

Follow Jesus’ example of healing, like the blind/ leper

Ease the physical and mental suffering by becoming doctors, nurses etc.

Set up charities (eg. food bank)

Death and the afterlife 2.1.1

What is Afterlife?
It is the continuation of existence after death

Christian views on after life

1. From bible:

Bible Teachings

Gospels Record Jesus’ Resurrection

People have have a resurrection like that of Jesus and will have a spiritual
resurrected body by God
St. Paul
God’s great love has led him to give Christians eternal life in Christ by
saving them from sins

He raised the end of the world

Jesus Told people that they had to face the final judgement, sending people to
Heaven or Hell

2. From Creed:

It teaches that Jesus rose from the dead and there will be afterlife

3. From different Christians churches

Religious Studies Part Two 14

 including Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox

They may have some differences, but all teach their followers that there’ll be life
after death

4. The belief of the concept of body and soul

Human = body + soul

Immortality of the soul refers to the soul living on even after death of the human
body

Non-religious perspective on after life

Paranormal refers to unexplained events that are thought to have spiritual causes like
ghosts and mediums

1. Near-death experience

Those who were clinically dead for a period of time then came back to life

They are said to have experienced bright light, sensation of floating above the body,
entering another world, peace and joy, and meeting dead relatives

2. Evidence of the spirit world

The evidence include ghosts, Ouija boards and mediums

The appearance of these give evidence in communicating with the spirit world

3. Reincarnation

It believed that the soul lives on after the death of the body (soul immortality)

The soul is reborn into another body

Life is a cycle of birth, death and rebirth, governed by Karma

The soul goes through a cycle of lives and that the next life is dependent on how the
previous life was lived

Features of remembered lives include remembering details of previous life, identifying

previous relatives, and memory starting to fade by at 6-7 years old

Buddhism regards rebirth as a flow of life from one to the other, while Hinduism view it
as an actual soul changing the bodies it inhabits → they both believe in a cycle of rebirth

4. Other reasons

It gives meaning and purposes to lives

Religious Studies Part Two 15

 It gives comforts when a loved one dies, they don’t disappear but are now living at a
better place

It’s demanded by the nature justice: it makes sense of people’s belief in justice and fair
place → recent life: evil prosper, good suffer ; afterlife: evil punished, good rewarded

Non- religious arguments against life after death

1. Humanist and atheist

Inconsistency on the idea about after life across different religions (Buddhists:
reincarnation, Christians: one life)

The Resurrection of Jesus isn’t reliable due to contradictions in the bible, the word of
Mark, Matthew, Luke and John differentiate with the details of His Resurrection

Near-death experience is unreliable due to fallible memories

Evidence of mediums is suspected, most of it can be explained

Remember lives is unreliable, as only 11/1111 cases had totally no contact between 2
families

It’s the only a source of comfort to the bereaved with no factual evidence

2. Other personal reasons

Atheists believe that nothing is non-material (non-physical), and space exploration and
physics has shown there’s no non-material world on earth

Scientific evidence shows that the human mind developed as the brain grew more
complex, thus mind cannot exist without the brain

Philosopher and social theorist believe that idea of afterlife is a social control by ruling
class

Christians response against the non-religious arguments against life

after death
Christianity is the one true religion and what the bible has written is reliable

Disciples won’t risk their lives for a lie

A philosopher René Descartes said that mind is separate from the body, can survive
without body

Heaven is a spiritual dimension

Religious Studies Part Two 16

 Christianity made up the core to improve the condition of working class, not social
control

Eschatology 2.1.2
It’s the religious views on death, judgement and after death

Catholics belief in life after death

Catholics believe in the immortality of the soul, which is that when a person dies, the
body dies, but the soul lives forever

Catholics believe that human is made up of physical body and spiritual soul

The Last Four Things

1. Death

Death is the end of current life

It’s the separation between physical body and soul

2. Judgement

God will judge all and determine their eternal destination

Particular judgement: it’s the judgement made immediately after death; Final judgement/
divine judgement: at the end of time when all are judged

It’s not a simple weighing up of all the good deeds or bad deeds you’ve done, but rather a
judgement on how a person responds to God’s offer of salvation

Parable of the sheep and the goat:

Jesus teaches us that deeds not words are what count, the righteous are rewarded
because they helped people in need. We would be judged on our responses to the
weakest in our society, the “least important” of God’s family. Practical and loving
acts of kindness to the weak and suffering are in fact done to Jesus himself. The help
we give is to be natural, uncalculatingly, stemming from hearts of compassion.

In the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, we are looking at man redeemed and
saved, and man condemned and lost.

A casual reading seems to suggest that salvation is the result of good works. The
“sheep” acted charitably, giving food, drink, and clothing to the needy. The “goats”

Religious Studies Part Two 17

 showed no charity. This seems to result in salvation for the sheep and damnation for
the goats

However, Scripture does not contradict itself, and the Bible clearly and repeatedly
teaches that salvation is by faith through the grace of God and not by our good
works

In fact, Jesus Himself makes it clear in the parable that the salvation of the “sheep”
is not based on their works—their inheritance was theirs “since the creation of the
world” (Matthew 25:34), long before they could ever do any good works!

The good works mentioned in the parable are not the cause of salvation but the effect
of salvation.

3. Eternal Destination

Heaven, Hell and Purgatory are states of mind, not physical spaces (for example, heaven
is the state of unending happiness)

It describes a person’s spiritual relationship with God (heaven is union with God, hell is
total separation)

Jesus said Kingdom of Heaven/Hell is within us (for example, a taste of eternity is when
we love God and our neighbor {letting of of self-centeredness} , a taste of hell is when
we reject God and our neighbor {non-forgiving, hatred etc.} )

4. Hope of new earth and new world

The Resurrection of the Body

Roman Catholics believe that at the second coming of Christ, god will create a New
Heaven and a New Earth; all the living and dead will receive a new spiritual resurrected
body, just like Jesus

Saint Paul’s analogy of a seed reflects that resurrected souls from heaven and purgatory
will live, but the souls from hell will return to hell (the seeds must die in order to live as a
new plant)

Eternal destination
1. Heaven

A place of perfection, where all the saints were at with no sin or death

Those who have accepted God’s offer of forgiveness will receive salvation and spend
eternity with God

God invites all people to heaven, but free will allows people to reject God

Religious Studies Part Two 18

 The Church helps people receive salvation by encouraging them to keep faith in God,
share God’s love by performing goods deeds, avoiding mortal sin and to confess our sins
to show reconciliation with God

2. Hell

The condition of complete separation from God

It’s a place of evil and everlasting suffering

It’s a place for the evil doers who willfully reject God completely and don’t seek
reconciliation, those with mortal sins to go after they die

God doesn’t send people to Hell, instead people send themselves by rejecting God’s
forgiveness

The image of burning fire in hell represents the pain of knowing you have rejects God’s
offer of eternal life

Parable of Lazarus and the rich man: wealth made the rich man immune to the needs of
the poor (rejection of God), hell is painful as you’re being aware of your separation from
God. There’s no movement between heaven and hell, as the rich man was unable to
change his eternal destination after he died, there were no second chances. Following
God’s commands will lead to heaven.

3. Purgatory

Many people die with non-mortal sin that they haven’t confessed

There must be a purification before a person can enter heaven, and the purging or
cleansing from sin is called Purgatory

It’s only for those who are on their way to heaven but need to be cleansed before they
enter God’s perfect presence

Religious Studies Part Two 19

 Other Christian beliefs about life after death
1. Resurrection of the body

Protestants believe that when people die, their body and souls will remain in the grave
until the Last Day, followed by the Second Coming of Jesus and the Final Judgement

At that time, the dead will be raised and both the living and the dead will be given
resurrection bodies

2. The final judgement

Catholics and Protestants who believe in resurrection believe that there’ll be a final
judgement at the end of the world

Christians who believe in immorality of the soul believe that each soul will be judged
when they die

Christians belief about judgement are based on Bible teachings such as the Parable of the
sheep and the goats and also St. Paul’s teachings in his letters to the Corinthians

Non-Catholic Christians do not believe in purgatory as it wasn’t taught explicitly in the

Bible

Significance of the teaching of life after death to Christians

Christians believe that what happens to them after death will be determined by how they
have lived in this life

Religious Studies Part Two 20

 They will have incentives to live a good Christian life

Christians will also try to avoid committing sins because sins prevent people from going
to heaven

Beliefs about life after death give Christians’ lives meaning and purpose. They would
treasure their lives more and therefore Christians suffer less from depression and less
likely to commit suicide

Religious Studies Part Two 21