Christianity: Matters of Life and Death | Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B (1RB0)

Christianity: Matters of Life and Death

85 questions
8 subtopics
Christianity, one religion of seven
Paper 1

Christianity: Matters of Life and Death is examined in Paper 1, Area of Study 1: Religion and Ethics, if Christianity is the religion studied for that area.

A student who studies Christianity may not study Catholic Christianity in their other area. It covers Christian responses to the Big Bang and the value of the universe, the sanctity of life in Christian teaching, Christian responses to evolution and the origins of human life, Christian attitudes to abortion, Christian arguments for life after death, Christian responses to non-religious arguments against life after death, Christian attitudes to euthanasia and hospice care and Christian responses to environmental issues and animal rights.

Sample questions from Christianity: Matters of Life and Death

Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.

Christian responses to the Big Bang and the value of the universe

How do many Christians reconcile the Big Bang with belief in God?

Show the answer
Many Christians believe God caused the Big Bang and guided what followed. Science explains how the universe began, and faith explains why.
The sanctity of life in Christian teaching

What does the sixth commandment teach about life?

Show the answer
The sixth commandment says "You shall not murder". Christians see taking innocent life as a serious sin.
Christian responses to evolution and the origins of human life

How does evolution challenge a literal reading of Genesis?

Show the answer
Evolution says humans developed from earlier species over millions of years. Genesis describes God making Adam directly from dust.
Christian attitudes to abortion

What does the Catholic Church teach about abortion?

Show the answer
The Catholic Church teaches that life begins at conception and abortion is always gravely wrong. Pope Paul VI restated this in Humanae Vitae.
Christian arguments for life after death

Why do most Christians not accept remembered lives as evidence?

Show the answer
Remembered lives suggest reincarnation, which Christianity does not teach. Christians believe each person lives once and then faces judgement.
Christian responses to non-religious arguments against life after death

How do Christians respond to the lack of evidence argument?

Show the answer
Christians point to the eyewitness accounts of the risen Jesus. Science cannot test spiritual realities that lie beyond the physical world.
Christian attitudes to euthanasia and hospice care

Why do many Christians accept switching off life support?

Show the answer
Christians need not keep a dying patient alive by extraordinary means. Allowing a natural death is different from deliberately killing.
Christian responses to environmental issues and animal rights

How do Christians respond to the use of natural resources?

Show the answer
Christians believe resources should be used carefully so that future generations have enough. Wasting resources is poor stewardship.

The 8 subtopics

One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.

Subtopic	What it covers	Questions
Christian responses to the Big Bang and the value of the universe	The Big Bang and Georges Lemaître, reconciling it with God or rejecting it, the value of the universe, the world as a commodity, Genesis 1 on dominion, Genesis 2:15, and readings that permit exploitation.	11
The sanctity of life in Christian teaching	Genesis 1:27 and 2:7, the sixth commandment, Psalm 139, 1 Corinthians 6:19, the quality of life argument and how it differs, and why some Christians take a less strict view.	10
Christian responses to evolution and the origins of human life	Natural selection and survival of the fittest, the challenge to a literal Genesis, creationist and accepting responses, the Diocese of Manchester's Special Agenda IV motion, and whether evolution leaves human life without purpose.	10
Christian attitudes to abortion	Pro-life and pro-choice positions, Catholic teaching and double effect, the Church of England's view, Christians who are pro-choice, Humanist arguments, situation ethics, and support for women facing unplanned pregnancies.	11
Christian arguments for life after death	The resurrection of Jesus, Ephesians 2:1 to 10 on new life, remembered lives and why most Christians reject them, paranormal and near-death experiences, the logic and reward arguments, and comfort.	10
Christian responses to non-religious arguments against life after death	The comfort, lack of evidence, fraud and social control arguments against an afterlife, the Christian answer to each, and 1 Peter 3:18 to 22 used against the claim that death is final.	10
Christian attitudes to euthanasia and hospice care	Voluntary and non-voluntary euthanasia, traditional teaching, switching off life support, liberal Christian support, hospices, Job 2:1 to 10 in the debate, non-religious arguments and situation ethics.	12
Christian responses to environmental issues and animal rights	Stewardship, pollution, global warming and natural resources, the 1986 Assisi Declaration on Nature and why Assisi, Christian beliefs about animals, animal experiments, eating meat, and utilitarian arguments.	11

Christianity: Matters of Life and Death is 85 of the 5,266 questions in the guide.Get the guide, £7

How the guide is worked

Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.

Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.

Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.