Compare And Contrast Catholicism And Euthanasia

1430 Words3 Pages

INTRODUCTION
Both Islam and Catholicism can be considered two major religions in the world. Ninian Smart’s seven dimensions of religion define key element in a religion. Despite the fact that the two religions are different, there are some factors which are similar between the two religions. Catholicism and Islam can be compared and contrasted through Smart’s Doctrinal and Ethical Dimensions, the history of these faith traditions in Australia and a contemporary issue of euthanasia. Through the evaluation of the Doctrinal and Ethical dimensions of religion, history and the perspectives on euthanasia, it will become clear that Catholicism and Islam are able to be compared and contrasted.

DOCTRINAL DIMENSION

Ninian Smart’s doctrinal dimension explores the …show more content…

It is divided into 4 key areas, laws relating to personal acts of worship, laws relating to commercial dealings, laws relating to marriage and divorce and penal laws. Compared to the 10 Commandments which is concise and simple, the Sharia Law is quite extensive and goes into personal matter such as hygiene, diet, dress code and sexual matters, whereas the 10 Commandment primarily cover ways to avoid sin. The 10 Commandments and the Sharia Law both condemn idolatry, murder, adultery, theft, the intentional desire and longing for immoral sexuality and the wanting or taking of someone’s property. The Qur’an has stated multiple punishments for not following the Sharia Law, these include beheading/crucifixion (Qur’an 5:33), flogging (Qur’an 24:2) and hellfire (Qur;an 40:70-72). This is different to the 10 Commandments as there are no punishments for not following the 10 Commandments. Although the 10 Commandments and the Sharia Law are two different aspects of the ethical dimension of Catholicism and Islam, through the evaluation of those ethical rules, there are a number of similarities and difference noted which link the two religions

Open Document