2. SE Strengths and Weaknesses Flashcards
key issues
- IS IT HELPFUL BECAUSE IT HAS A LOVING CONSEQUENCE (IS TELEOLOGICAL)
- IS IT HELPFUL BECAUSE IT IS SUBJECTIVE AND INDIVIDUALISTIC
- IS IT HELPFUL BECAUSE IT HAS LOVE AS ITS GUIDING PRINCIPLE
- IS IT HELPFUL BECAUSE IT IS RELATIVE AND FLEXIBLE
ST: bible is (individualistic) + 2quotes
individuality is often neglected in religious ethics e.g. Divine Command Theory (too absolute)
“We cannot simply read the Bible as a moral rulebook” - Peter Enns
yet it is still consistent with the Gospel representation of Jesus.
The approach of situation ethics reflects Jesus breaking the law when the situation demanded it for reasons of love.
e.g. Jesus rejected pharisaic law - healing (work) on the Sabbath day
St Paul - ‘Christ Jesus.. Abolished the law with it commandments and legal claims’
ST: Practical (flexible) +quote
it takes into account the complexities of human life and can allow tough decisions to be made that NML or Divine Command give no guidance
E.g. Murderer asks you the whereabouts of his next victim
Legalist (NML/Kantian) - must tell the truth
Situation ethicist - can lie -
William Temple ‘ what acts are right may depend on the circumstances. But there is an absolute obligation to will whatever be right’
ST: Temple (agape as ruling norm)
William Temple ‘‘Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself’ this is the whole of moral duty’
ST: St Augustine (agape as ruling norm/ teleological)
St Augustine ‘love and do what you will’
ST: Tillich (agape as ruling norm/ flexible)
Tillich ‘the law of love is the ultimate law because it is the negation of law’
ST: Bishop Robinson (flexible)
Bishop Robison - fletcher begins ‘Situation Ethics’ by quoting him - ‘there is no one ethical system that can claim to be Christian’…
therefore flexible
ST: Matthew (love as ruling norm/ teleological)
One day a Pharisees came to Jesus Christ and said tell me what’s the greatest commandment:
‘love your lord your god with all your heart with all your soul with all your mind, with all your strength’
‘love thy neighbour as thyself’
WE: Unreligious (Too flexible) + 2 quote
There are no clear cut rules, it has a tendency towards vagueness -
Clearly - Fletcher’s moral theory radically differs from traditional Christian ethics.
It embraces relativism as actions are not intrinsically right or wrong. Actions are right depending if they serve love best.
‘Jesus said nothing about birth control… childlessness, homosexuality… abortion… sex… whether any form of sex is good or evil depends on whether love is fully served’ Fletcher
Fletcher wrote that Christians should dare to ‘sin bravely ‘
WE: discredit bible (Agape (christian love) as ruling norm) + 2 quotes
Scriptures were written by multiple authors over centuries, and there are inconsistencies and contradictions in the texts.
Bible is outdated or problematic in contemporary society. Often tell of violence, intolerance, or discriminatory passages that conflict with modern moral values, such as gender equality or LGBTQ+ rights.
Interpretation and translation issues may arise, leading to differing understandings and potential misinterpretations. “To understand scripture, we must first seek to understand the historical and cultural context in which it was written.” - Karen Armstrong
Certain passages conflict with established scientific knowledge or historical evidence, leading to tensions between religious teachings and empirical findings.
ST: Bible is subjective (flexible)
Scripture interpretation is subjective - can lead to disagreements and the potential for misrepresentation of scripture. “Scripture is a living text that speaks to us in different ways.” - Richard Rohr
ST: Karl barth(flexible)
Karl Barth refers to absolute laws as the ‘devil’
ST: Bultmann (based on agape)
Bultmann ‘the love which is based on emotions is self love; for it is love of preference’ - agape on the other hand is not judgemental love / preferential love
ST: St Paul (based on Agape)
you have to will the good even of those you don’t like -‘while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us’
The self takes secondary plea ‘love does not insist on its own way’
ST (Schweitzer) (based on agape/ individualistic)
Albert Schweitzer wrote that the
“good conscience (is) an invention of the Devil”.
By this, he means that people who always adhere to an absolute form of goodness - often refrain from acting in order to do the right thing. However, this is very different from agape which is completely selfless and therefore demands people to undertake high levels of social responsibility.
