Creation without God

Professor Stephen Hawking has argued, in his forth coming book The Grand Design, that the creation of the universe did not require God.

He says that the laws of physics are such that the universe could have created itself from nothing. This is a change of stance for Hawking who, in a Brief History of Time, had said that God may have a place in the beginnings of the universe.

Of course this does not constitute proof that there is no God, as some reactionaries have claimed. What it does do however is reignite the debate of the nature of the relationship between religion and science.

One may question why Hawking saw fit to mention God at all in a book about cosmological science. Cynics may suggest it was for publicity to incease the sales of his book. Even if that is the case however it is an interesting and challenging point he has made.

So where does it leave believers in God?

Fundementalist creationists will dismiss this entirely, as it contradicts the account of creation in the Bible.

The majority of Christians do not take a literal view of the Biblical creation stories however. (A discussion of different ways to interpret the Bible can be found here.)

Some may point out that we can still ask where the fundemental laws of physics, that made the universe possible, came from? Maybe God made these. There is a danger of taking a 'God of the Gaps' approach here however.

Some may point out that it has long been a popular view of God that he is not a part of the universe, he is entirley transcendant, so it is only to be expected that no physical/scientific evidence of him can be found.

Others, such as Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sachs, believe science and religion ask different questions and you cannot get answers from one discipline by studying another. "There is a difference between science and religion. Science is about explanation. Religion is about interpretation. The Bible simply isn't interested in how the universe came into being." He also described the hostility between religion and science as the "curse of our age" claiming that it is damaging to both. He suggests our religious faith is about how we interpret what we experience. For many theists the beauty of the universe, that science reveals, and our very ability to appreciate and understand it, makes more sense by believing in God.

Read more about this story here.

How old is too old?

The availability of fertility treatment has led to post menopausal women being able to have children. Stories of women in their 60s giving birth are becoming a regular feature in the news.





However many men require no special medical treatments to be able to father children unitl the day they die.




If we object to older women becoming parents should we also object to older men fathering children?




In June 2010 Dennis Ealam hit the headlines by becoming the Uk's oldest father, aged 76. His wife is 36.
Whether through the use of IVF or naturally, should there be an upper age limit on becoming a parent?
If so how could this be enforced?

For revision materials on the right to a child click here.

AS Theology Essay Competition

Enrich your subject knowledge and understanding
Improve your exam skills
Excellent way to enhance your UCAS personal statement
Essay of no more than 1000 words
‘There are no convincing reasons to believe in God.’ Discuss
Must be handed in/emailed to your Theology teacher by Monday 6th December
1st Prize £30 HMV voucher
Runner up prize £15 HMV vouchers
For more details see Mr Vaughan

A2 Theology Essay Competition

Enrich your subject knowledge and understanding
Improve your exam skills
Excellent way to enhance your UCAS personal statement
Essay of no more than 1000 words
‘There is nothing beyond the physical world.’ Discuss
Must be handed in/emailed to your Theology teacher by Monday 18th October

1st Prize £30 HMV voucher
Runner up prize £15 HMV vouchers
For more details see Mr Vaughan

Should all people have the right to die?

The head of the Swiss euthanasia clinic Dignitas has proposed that the right to die does not only belong to those who have terminal illnesses. Ludwig Minelli has suggested that there are many reasons why someone may feel they do not want to live. I heard him speaking on the radio where he cited the example of a lonley elderly man who had no friends or family. My young daughter, who was with me at the time, remarked, 'If someone called you saying they had no family or friends, shouldn't you offer to be their friend rather than offering to kill them?'.

I was amazed by her instinctive compassion clarity of thought!

So when people are in despair, what is the right thing to do? Is it to attempt to help them, even at times when this may be futile, is it to offer them the opportunity to die?

Read related article here.

Euthanasia resources here.

Hundreds of Urns found in lake could be from euthanasia clinic

The controversial Swiss euthanasia clinic Dignitas is in the spot light again. Hundreds of urns containing cremated human remains have been found dumped in a lake. Not only is this illegal and could bring hefty fines, it is also a distinctly undignified way of treating the remains of people who went there for a 'dignified' death. Read article here.

About 1000 people have had their lives ended at Dignitas, including 115 Britons. Euthanasia is illegal in the UK but there was clarification of when relatives may be prosecuted, earlier this year - see here for details.

With an aging population in the UK there is likey to be far more cases of degenerative diseases that can lead to a scenario where euthanasia is considered.

So, is it absolutely wrong to take a human life, or there situations when it is acceptable?

Is all type of killing the same?
There is also the issue of human remains. Do we have a moral responsibility to treat them with respect? (This links to the previous post)

For revision materials on euthanasia click here.

Aborted Foetus' Found in Rubbish

The remains of 14 aborted foetus' have been found in rubbish bags near a clinic in India. Some will see this as an unfortunate case of mis-managment of medical waste while others will be appalled as it highlights what they see as the legalised murder of unborn people.

It raises another issue that exists within Indian society, and some others. That is aborting foetus' on grounds of gender. Males are more desirable and it is believed that millions of female foetus' have been aborted over the last couple of decades.
If abortion is murder then this is clearly wrong. However, for those who argue that abortion can be acceptable is there anything wrong with this?

How does one decide what is an acceptable reason to have an abortion and what is not?

To read more about this issue click here.