GCSE RE Unit Four Religion, Crime And Punishment
GCSE REUnit Four – Religion,Crime andPunishmentKey words (Create your own glossary here)1
Contents:TopicPage numberGlossary of key termsWhat is good and what is evil?Where do Christians think evil comes from?What is the ‘golden rule’ in Christianity?Are criminals’ evil?Christian response to murderChristian response to theftChristian response to hate crimeWhy do people commit crime?The aims of punishmentThe aims of punishment in action – restorativejusticeThe aims of punishment in action – corporalpunishmentThe treatment of criminals in prisonShould we forgive criminals?The victims of crimeThe death penalty - capital punishment234556778910131313151717
Revision guide – GCSE RE – Topic Four – Religion, Crime andPunishmentThe glossary of key termsLaw and Order – rules of our society and how they are enforced. These rules exist to tryto keep society a calm and safe place. They are based on ideas of right or wrong. Mostof the rules are common sense, and we usually agree with them most of the timeEvil – an act which is very wicked or immoral. Many people associate these kinds of actswith an evil being. They are not understandable to ordinary people, going beyond whatmost see as simply wrong or bad, and even sickening peopleForgiveness – a process which a victim goes through changing feelings of resentment,hate or vengefulness towards an offender in order to move on. It is a central attitude inall religionsJustice – a belief in what is right and fair. It is also the main aim of any criminal system,that is to judge, punish the guilty and bring justice to the victimsSuffering – a feeling of pain, harm, distress or hardship which is caused by the actions ofothers when they commit crimeMorality – a person’s or a religion’s belief of what is right and wrong in terms ofbehaviour and actions. Most religious people have had their sense of morality shaped bytheir religionConscience – the voice in our head that tells us right from wrong. It is also seen as thesense of feeling guilty when you have done something wrong. Many religious peoplebelieve it is God’s guidanceSin – an act which goes against God’s will; a religious offence. Many laws are there toenforce against sins, for example, taking a life and stealing. For religious people,committing sin is a great wrong and be punished by God in the afterlife3
What is good and what is evil?EvilSomething that is immoral and wicked and is usuallyseen as depraved and cruelGoodThat which is morally rightAre these people examples of evil?Moors Murderer Ian Brady, who tortured andkilled five children with Myra Hindley incrimes that shocked the nation, died in May2017His violent personality was shaped by anunstable background. His mother neglectedhim and he was raised by foster parents inthe Gorbals, Glasgow's toughest slum.Are these men an example of evil?He was jailed in 1966 - Nineteen years later,in November 1985, Brady was transferredfrom prison to a maximum-security hospitalafter being diagnosed a psychopathBetween 1975 and 1980 Peter Sutcliffepreyed on women across GreaterManchester and Yorkshire. Most weremutilated and beaten to death. In 1981 hewas convicted of 13 murders and sevenattempted murders and given 20 lifesentences.He was transferred to Broadmoor in 1984after he was diagnosed with paranoidschizophrenia.However in 2016, he has been moved toprison after three decades at Broadmoor psychiatrichospital.4
Where do Christians think evil comes from?Remember these theodicies from the Christian beliefs topic – we can use theseto help us describe Christian belief in where they think evil comes from –The Augustine TheodicyWhere did St. Augustine say evil came from?Evil is seen as the abuse of the free will Godgave to humans which allowed them to chooseright from wrongTherefore St. Augustine blamed Adam and Eve (particularlyEve!) for evil entering the worldThe Devil (Satan)Many Christians believe in the existence of an evilforce, which they call the Devil or Satan – this beingtries to tempt human beings into behaving badly anddisobeying God, so evil is the Devil’s workIt is important to remember that not all Christiansbelieve in the Devil thoughThe Irenaean theodicyIn order to be able to see and appreciate good, then evil has to exist – thereforeevil is part of God’s plan so all of us can appreciate the good times – thisviewpoint is contraversial with many Christians thoughWhat is the Golden Rule in Christianity?When it comes to being good, Christians will look to the teachings of Jesus andthe examaple of the life that he led – helpging the poor, the displaced andoutcasts and the sick. Christians belive that we should consider the ‘goldenrule’ that Jesus taught all of us –5
To be good, Jesus taught thisrule – helping others in needThis is called the ‘golden rule’Are criminals evil?This is Myra Hindley – she was the partner and loverof Ian Brady who we discussed above – both wereknown as the Moors MurderersWith Brady, she was responsible for kidnapping,torturing and murdering 5 children – is she anexample of an evil criminal?Criminal definitions –Murder – the deliberate killing of someoneTheft – to permanently deprive someone of something they ownHate crime – any crimes motivated by prejudice in the negative sense6
Crimes against the personOffences causing direct harm to a person, for example, murder, rape, GBH andhate crimesCrimes against propertyOffences that damage or deprive people of their property, for example, arson,burglary, trespassingCrimes against the stateOffences that potentially endanger everyone or affect the smooth running ofsociety, for example, terrorism, selling state secrets, perjuryChristian response to murder –Remember this important teaching from the last topicThis is a central Christian belief that allhuman life is sacred or holy as our lives aregiven to us by God and only God isresponsible for taking lifeChristianity believes that all life is sacred, itshould be protected and cherished. So, anymurder must be wrong by definition.Christians believe that murderers should be severely punishedChristian response to theft –Theft is also against the laws of Christianity, but punishments are less harshthan for murderDepending on what is taken, theft might have a bigger or lesser impact onsomeone’s lifeFor example, to steal an old person’s savings leaves them with only theirpension to live onWhereas to steal a person’s car might only be an inconvenience until theirinsurance replaces it7
Christian response to hate crime –‘Hate crime’ really refers to thereason why the crime is committed,not the type of crime itselfYou could say that because any typeof crime could be a hate crime andbe motivated by prejudice, thenthese are the worst type of crimeRemember when we looked at themurder of Antony Walker in 2005 in the last topic (lesson on forgiveness)? –murdered just because he was blackIt is also true that hate crimes go against fundamental Christian teachings ofequality and love, community and brotherhoodSo is crime linked to evil?Often crimes are so awful and sickening, we often describe the perpetrators asevilThe Moors murders were carried out by Ian Bradyand Myra Hindley between July 1963 and October1965, in and around Manchester, England. Thevictims were five children aged between 10 and17—Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett,Lesley Ann Downey and Edward Evans—at leastfour of whom were sexually assaulted.Are they evil?James Patrick Bulger (16 March 1990 – 12 February1993) was a boy from Kirkby, Merseyside, England,who was murdered on 12 February 1993, at the ageof two.He was abducted, tortured and murdered by twoten-year-old boys, Robert Thompson (born 23August 1982) and Jon Venables (born 13 August1982).Are they evil?Why might some people be evil or behave in ways that are sickening to the restof us?8
Many Christians also believe the devil is at work in the minds of these people,making them do terrible things and that is where evil comes fromWhy do people commit crimes?Upbringing – this mightinclude the environment aperson is brought up in, themorals of thefamily/friends/neighbourhood, whether a person issurrounded by crimes orcriminal activity and the socialand financial status of thefamilyMental illness – the state of mind of aperson may lead them into crime. Theymight have serious psychological issueswith no understanding of right or wrong;might feel no guilt or compassion forothers; might enjoy hurting others; mighthave educational learning issues and beeasily led into crime; or are themselvesvictims of some event which hasdisturbed their minds, for example,depression or an abusive upbringingOpposition to existing laws –some crimes are committed inprotest about laws that exist thatare considered either unfair orfor the benefit of a select few insociety. Sometimes laws have tobe broken to get laws to bechangedGreed/hate – Emotions are oftenresponsible for crime, ourreaction to what goes on aroundus or what others have or do tous. We always want more soinherently we are greedy.People do bad things to us sohate leads us to take revengePoverty – a person might commit acrime because they see no otheralternative way to survive. They mayhave no money, no job or cannotprovide for themselves or theirchildrenAddiction – A person may have anaddiction, for example, to alcohol, drugs,sex or money which leads them into crimeto feed their habit or their cravings. Theymay even be addicted to crime, forexample, stealing9
What would Christians say about this?Christians would argue that the law should be followedSt. Paul in the Bible said: ‘to obey the laws of the land’Christians would argue that if you broke the law, then punishment should followIf all people lived by the teachings of Jesus: ‘love your neighbour’ and ‘treatothers how you want to be treated’ then many causes of crime might disappearThe phrase to ‘hate the sin not the sinner’ can be used here – criminals oftenneed our help rather than our judgementHowever, punishments have to be given or society would be chaotic but at thesame time the causes of crime have to be removedThe aims of punishmentWhat are the aims of punishment?For learning purposes, we shall call them DRRPP:D – DeterrentR – ReformR – RetributionP – ProtectionP – punishmentNumber one aim – deterrentDefinition: the act or process of discouraging or preventingcrimes by instilling fear or doubt by the punishment that theperson could faceA perfect example of this would be the instillation of aspeed camera on a road – this should deter people fromspeeding on this road or they will get caught and face a fineTrying to make people not want to commit crime. If the potential risk ofpunishment outweighs the benefits of crime, then this may make people lesslikely to commit crime in the first place10
Many Christians feel that deterrence is a good reason for punishment, becausethey do not want to live in a dangerous and unstable society full of crime, so theywant to deter people from committing crimeNumber two aim – ReformDefinition: when a person reforms, they make changes to their life andcharacter to make themselves a better person and a benefit to societySome really good examples of how to help acriminal reform would be to give them theopportunity to gain a trade and/or qualificationssuch as GCSEs in prison which will give them achance to do something positive with their liveswhen they come out.Another really good example would be arestorative justice programme. This is where the criminal gets the chance tomeet the victim of their crimes face to face so the criminal can see the damagetheir crimes have had on the victim – more of this later Think back to the Christian beliefs topic – The Parable of the Lost Son (taught byJesus in Luke 15) tells of a man who takes his inheritance and wastes it –however when his money runs out, he regrets his behaviour and returns hometo his family. Because the father (who represents God) accepts him home withopen arms, Christians may believe that they should be open to criminalsreforming, and should want to accept them back into societyNumber three aim – RetributionDefinition: punishment inflicted on someone as vengeance for a wrong orcriminal act.A really good example of retribution as a punishment is someone getting thedeath penalty for murdering someone. The families of the murder victim canfeel that they are getting their retribution on the murderer through the deathpenaltySome Christians would agree that retribution is an important aim of punishmentbecause in the Old Testament it teaches: “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth”(Deuteronomy 19:21)11
However other Christians believe that retribution is not an appropriate aim forpunishment because Jesus taught that we should forgive those that sin and dobad things: “Love your enemies and pray for those that persecute you” (Matthew5:39)Number four aim – ProtectionDangerous criminals should be locked up so they cannot harm anyone else.Society must be protected from dangerous criminals. Christians would believethat this makes us all saferQuestion to consider:Would you feel safer if we didn’t lock up dangerous people – like below?Fred West was an English serial killer who committed at least12 murders between 1967 and 1987 in Gloucestershire,England, the majority with his second wife, Rosemary West.All the victims were young womenPeter Sutcliffe is an English serial killerwho was dubbed the "Yorkshire Ripper"by the press. In 1981, Sutcliffe was convicted of murderingthirteen women and attempting to murder seven othersHarold Shipman was a British GP andone of the most prolific serial killers inrecorded history who may have killedup to 260of his patientsNumber five aim – punishmentPeople must see that laws are upheld and respected. Those who break themshould be punished to show society will uphold justice.This sets an example to others so they will not break the law.12
Christians believe that there would be chaos in society if people were notpunished for their crimesThe aims of punishment in actionWhat is restorative justice? This is an example of the reform aim of punishmentin action:Story one –A young offender and the victim of his crime meet face to face. The offenderdescribes why he committed the crime and the circumstances that led him todo so. The victim has the chance to ask him questions in a setting mediated byrestorative justice workers. The meeting enables the offender to apologise andoffers the chance for the victim to gain some understanding of why hecommitted the crime.Story two –A rape victim has met her attacker in prison to tell him she has forgiven him and called it a "great" experience to seek "peace and forgiveness together". Aspokeswoman for the Restorative Justice Council (RJC) said rape was aparticularly sensitive and complex offence to handle with restorative justice,and that it was quite rare for rape victims to meet their attackers.What is corporal punishment? This is an example of retribution Corporal punishment is to use physical pain as a punishment for a criminal act.It deliberately inflicts pain through whipping, branding or amputation (removalof a body part)“Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves theirchildren is careful to discipline them” (Proverbs 26:3)Because of this quote from the Bible some Christians allow and justify physicalpunishment of childrenThe treatment of criminals in prisonFacts about prison:FACT! It costs 60,000 per year to keepsomeone in a young offender institutionFACT! 47% of prisoners have noqualifications13
FACT! In the UK it is estimated that theannual average cost for each prisonerexceeds 40,000FACT! 52% of young offenders werepermanently excluded from schoolFACT! 54% of women prisoners havechildren under sixteen at homeFACT! Prisons spend on average just 1.96on each inmate’s food dailyFACT! There is one suicide per week inEnglish and Welsh prisonsSome disadvantages and advantages of prisons –ProtectionThe public is protected fromdangerous peopleRetributionCriminals deserved to go to prison andvictims of crimes deserve to get justiceDeterrenceReformBy sending criminals to prison other peoplemight think twice before committing crimePrison might help criminals becomegood people with education, counsellingetcCriminals learn to be bettercriminals in prisons as they canbe seen as ‘schools of crimeOvercrowdingAre there betteralternatives?High suicide ratesFocus on prisons – a Christian response –One Christian response that prisons should work as a deterrent and retributionAn alternative Christian viewpoint that prisons should work as a deterrent butfocus on reform14
The Parable of thesheep and the goatsThe story of Sodom and Gomorrahshows God punishing the wickedThe story of Noah’sArk shows Godpunishing the wickedShould we forgive prisoners?In the last topic – Religion, Peace and Conflict – we learnt about the importanceof forgiveness in ChristianityYou will be expected to use these same teachings and explain why someChristians believe it is important to forgiveJesus once saved a woman’s life – she had broken the lawand was about to be punished to death – with these famouswords –“Those who have not sinned should throw the first stone”The woman’s life was saved because every one of thosethat held a stone and were about to throw it realised thatthey themselves had sinned in their lives. Therefore, theyrealised that it was wrong to judge others as they weren’tperfect! This is a story of giving everyone a second chance,15
not judging others and forgiving people when they do wrong – your job is to inkthis to the treatment of criminalsChristian ideas about forgiveness start with the basic Christian belief that God forgiveshuman beings for things that they have done wrong (called sin), if they ask for forgiveness.The effect of this is that Christians should also forgive others since they try to be like God.Forgiveness can be likened to writing on a white board. When a person is forgiven forsomething it is wiped clean as if it never happened.Jesus taught that Christianshad to “love your enemies andprey for those who persecuteyou”. This cannot be easy foranyone to do but it reallyshows the importance offorgiveness in ChristianityThe Parable of the Unmerciful Servant21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how manytimes shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins againstme? Up to seven times?”22Jesus set an example forforgiving people by hisreaction to the people whoput him onto the cross to die.Some of his last words were“forgive them Father! Theydon’t know what they aredoing.”Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, butseventy times seven times.Jesus had said that a person should be forgiven 77 times,meaning endlessly!The Lord’s Prayer“Our Father in heaven,Hallowed be your name Forgive us our debts,as we also have forgiven our debtors,” Matthew Chapter6This means that Christians ask God to forgive them asmuch as they have forgiven other people16
What about the victims of crime?If you are a victim of a reported crime, then the police may well send you thecontact details for ‘Victim Support’ (www.victimsupport.org.uk). It is offered toovercome the effects of crime. There are six key areas of support available:Emotional and practicalsupportPractical tips to keepsafeSpecific support in certain areas, forexample, abuse or rapeThe rights of a victimHelp for youngvictimsHelp for foreignlanguage speakersThe death penalty – capital punishment140 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice58 countries retain and use the death penaltyThis century 88% of all known executions have taken place in China, Iran, Iraq,Saudi Arabia and the USAIn the USA, since 1973, over 130 prisoners on death row have been releasedafter their convictions were overturnedMethods of executions across the world? Does anybody know?They include: Firing squad Hanging17
Lethal injection Stoning Beheading Gas chamber Electric chair Crucifixion (Sudan)In 1977, the USA allowed individual states to choose whether they wished touse capital punishmentCurrently, 32 states have re-adopted the death penaltyTexas is responsible for over one-third of all executions that take placeRight now there are over 3000 people awaitingexecution in America’s death-row cellsAmnesty International has said that the USA is savage,barbaric, cruel, prejudiced and uncivilised - this isbecause the USA has executed: People who have offended as a child People who have mental illnesses Black people sentenced by all-white juriesArguments for capital punishment –1. An ‘eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth’ means that murderers should paywith their life - retribution2. It is a deterrent, therefore it puts people off committing terrible crimes3. Life sentences do not mean life; murderers walk free on average after 16years – not a proper punishment4. It is a waste of resources housing criminals for their entire life5. It is the only way to totally protect society from the worst criminalsArguments against capital punishment –1. Retribution is wrong – two wrongs do not make a right2. Most murders are done on the spur of the moment, so capitalpunishment is not a good deterrent18
3. Victims’ families still grieve; killing the murderer does not end the pain ofloss4. Legal systems can fail and innocent people can be executed5. All life is sacred and murderers should be given the chance to reformDo you think that Christians will support or be against the death penalty?The United States is the biggest Christian country in the world – yet 32 stateshave the death penalty – so therefore some Christians in the USA must beable to justify using the death penalty on religious and moral groundsWhile other Christians – such as the Quaker Church for example – will becompletely against the death penalty as they believe it is inhumane and woulduse religious and moral arguments to support their opinion19
The Parable of the Lost Son (Luke 15:11-32) – whatdoes this teach Christians about forgiveness andrepentance?This is from the story of the womancaught in adultery (John 8:1-11).What does this story teachChristians about forgiveness andrepentance?“Those who have not sinned shouldthrow the first stone”Forgive them brother 70 x 7 times (Jesus –Matthew 18:22) – meaning that a Christianshould always be prepared to forgive thosewho wrong themChristian believe life in theSanctity of Life and only Godhas the right to take life.Love your Neighbour – Jesus (Mark12:30-31) – Christian love (agape)should be shown to all people20
Important Christian leaderssuch as St Thomas Aquinashave supported capitalpunishment to preserve thepeace of society.Some Christians follow the ‘eye for an eye’ OldTestament teaching which teaches Christiansthat whoever takes a life should lose their ownlifeSome Christians believe that thedeath penalty is the ultimateretribution – we should bethinking of the families of thosethat have lost a loved one tomurder and how we would feel ifwe were themSome Christians believe thatcapital punishment is the ultimatedeterrent and is morally right as itcould prevent future terriblecrimes from being committedThe Old Testament set capital punishment asa penalty for some crimes. ‘Whoever shedsthe blood of man, by man shall his blood beshed.’ Genesis 9:621
Revision guide – GCSE RE – Topic Four – Religion, Crime and Punishment The glossary of key terms Evil – an act which is very wicked or immoral. Many people associate these kinds of acts with an evil being. They are not understandable to ordinary people, going beyond what m
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