Life & Death
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LIVE Event for students of GCSE Religious Studies
With Dr Peter Vardy
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Dates for 2024-25
● Somerset (Sexey’s School, Bruton) 20th November 2024
● London (Bloomsbury Baptist Church) 26th November 2024
● Manchester (Methodist Central Hall) 27th February 2025
● Coventry (Cathedral) 4th March 2025
● London (Bloomsbury Baptist Church) 18th March 2025
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Building on the success of “Heaven?” in 2023-24, Candle Conferences presents an all-new LIVE event for students of GCSE Religious Studies. “Life & Death” will explore content specified by ALL ENGLISH EXAMINATION BOARDS in relation to the study of Christianity and Ethics, aiming to get students really excited about the subject, enriching and extending their knowledge and understanding as well as supporting them in analysing, evaluating and making informed, well-reasoned academic judgements.
● Tickets to the live event come with FREE access to our GCSE Masterclass for the academic year 2024-25 (worth £5 per student) and providing more than 2 hours of expert online tuition designed to improve writing skills and improve grades.
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Sessions include…
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Life & Death
The event will begin by exploring the concept of the sanctity of human life, which is central to most religious and some non-religious approaches to making moral decisions. Where does the belief that human life is sacred come from? If only human life is sacred, how and why is human life different from animal life… or even advanced AI? Is the value of human life absolute, or should it depend on the quality of life? Dr Vardy will go on to consider how the sanctity of human life influences religious teachings about abortion and euthanasia, while also inspiring some believers to challenge these teachings. This session will conclude with a discussion.
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Love: Life
After coffee, Dr Vardy will turn to the topic of human relationships. How have families and relationships changed in Britain, and what are their purposes from religious and non-religious perspectives? What really is marriage… a sacrament, a holy mystery or a solemn contract? Does marriage itself matter in the 21st Century, or is love and commitment enough? Why is it that Christians promote love as the basis for decision making and Jesus said not to judge and to practice unlimited forgiveness, while the Roman Catholic Church continues to oppose same-sex marriage and divorce? This session will conclude with an activity.
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The Death Penalty
In the next session, Dr Vardy will consider the topic of crime and punishment. What causes people to commit crimes? How do Christians view and try to help offenders? What aims should punishment serve? Christians are united in considering crimes against the person the most serious, yet divided over whether capital punishment is appropriate; why is this? How and why has Roman Catholic teaching on Capital Punishment changed over time? This session will conclude with an activity designed to support students in answering mini-essay style questions.
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A Just War?
The final session of the day will explore the topic of war and peace, ever more relevant given recent events in Ukraine and Gaza. Despite Jesus’ teaching about turning the other cheek and warning “those who live by the sword, die by the sword” relatively few Christians are pacifists today. How then do the Churches justify war… and how do they promote peace? Dr Vardy will outline and explain the traditional conditions for a “Just War” and will then consider how modern warfare challenges these. How has Pope Francis responded to recent events? Is the use of drones and autonomous weapons ever just? How about nuclear weapons? The session will conclude with a debate; students will first develop their own arguments in writing, and can then choose to present these to the whole group before a final vote is taken.
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