Topic 5 - christian moral principles Flashcards
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“is the bible a comprehensive moral guide?”
POINT 1
bible as only source of authority - as inspired by god himself, bible must act as only source of moral decision making
- Morality is therefore determined by God’s scriptural commands only (propositional revelation) – an approach best exemplified (by Protestants in particular) as “sola scripture” Jeremiah 1 “Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me: “I have put my words in your mouth”
- Writers of the Bible are thus scribes of God (amaneuensis); scripture is self-authenticating and infallible. Meaning is set, interpretation is consequently not required 2 Peter 1:20-21 “No prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation”
- Taking Scripture as inerrant offers clear guidance on moral matters – Christians able to trust an objective divine morality.
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“is the bible a comprehensive moral guide?”
POINT 1 - COUNTER ARGUMENT
issues of biblical messages (john mystical depiction of jesus +sermon on mount)
- Biblical writings vary in tone and perspective. John presents a mystical depiction of Jesus while Matthew is concerned with how Jesus’ life fits in with Jewish scripture and culture. Biblical teachings can be contradictory! Divorce shown by Jesus as okay in Mark but not okay in Matthew. Equally, in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus seems to be overturning many Old Testament commandments…
- Furthermore, limited in the sense that Biblical messages lack applicability in today’s society: Arguably not applicable in the 21st century – no mention of democracy, same-sex marriage, IVF, nuclear weapons; limited – reason is required to interpret Biblical teachings in light of ethical and technological developments.
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“is the bible a comprehensive moral guide?”
POINT 1 - COUNTER RESPONSE
ethics illustrated through real life situations and parables (king david relationship with bathsehba)
R: Ethics are illustrated through real life situations and parables e.g. King David and his adulterous relationship with Bathsehba arguably makes the Bible useful and easy to understand.
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“is the bible a comprehensive moral guide?”
POINT 1 - CONCLUSIVE RESPONSE
hermeneutical readings of bible (reuther + schleiermacher)
- An overreliance on biblical ethics arguably contributes to patriarchal influences upon Christianity, due to primacy of male authorship. Ruether would argue the Bible needs re-interpreting via a feminist hermeneutical approach. A commitment to Sola Scripture seems inflexible, and may prohibit sharing of truths between religions…
- Alternative = Friedrich Schleiermacher The Hermeneutical Circle – a person must read a passage within the context of meaning of the Bible, and then within the context of one’s own life. As one’s understanding develops, new meaning and interpretation will be brought to one’s life.
- Overall, reliance upon the infallible nature of the Bible is far too rigid, impractical approach to moral decision making in 21st century.
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“is the bible a comprehensive moral guide?”
POINT 2
heteronomous christian ethic - natural law/human reason (aristotle + aquinas + st paul)
• Purpose of humanity is to be rational; discover what is right by interpreting nature through reason. (Aristotle). God is the author of the natural law, knowable through reason, as God created humans and the world imago dei. (Aquinas) “the requirements of the law are written on their hearts” (St Paul)
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“is the bible a comprehensive moral guide?”
POINT 2 - COUNTER ARGUMENT
primacy of the bible, issue of human reason (luther)
- By placing God’s divine wisdom and authority in the hands of humans, God’s message is susceptible to corruption and distortion. Martin Luther, “reason is a whore”. Humans can never fully understand God’s word.
- During the Enlightenment period, reason was seen as the objective source of information. Modern-day perspectives see reason as culturally conditioned – Richard Hayes, reason un-divorced from vagaries of cultural specifics, “always culturally influenced” poses a problem to Biblicist approach, which sees meaning of texts as objective, not open to interpretation.
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“is the bible a comprehensive moral guide?”
POINT 2 - COUNTER RESPONSE
church authority offers greater sources of wisdom and is more up to date
- Understanding of sacred tradition and texts resides in the wisdom of the Pope, bishops and Church Councils. The conscience/reason is important in informing one’s choices, but declarations of the Magisterium should be seen as important sources of authority in one’s life.
- Collective wisdom and authority of the Church published in encyclicals on contemporary moral issues. “To the Church belongs the right always and everywhere to announce moral principles” (Catechism)
- A Catholic approach, with the Bible’s teachings being adapted and transferred through the authority of the Magisterium (on contemporary topics) allows greater variety of teaching and guidance – sometimes hard to apply Biblical teachings or vague parables to specific matters such as IVF…
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“is the bible a comprehensive moral guide?”
POINT 2 - CONCLUSIVE RESPONSE
limitations of church tradition and authority/blindly following tradition
- In Matthew 15:2-3, Jesus directly equates the Pharisees’ traditions with transgressions against God. Underlines the Protestant suspicion of Church authority, which is sometimes in conflict with Biblical teaching.
- Jesus warns against blindly following tradition, exemplified by the Pharisees. For many, this is an indication that the Bible should not be approached as inerrant, but that one should utilise their own reason to reach their own judgements.
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“is the bible a comprehensive moral guide?”
POINT 3
autonomous ethics respects the capacities and value of human intellect, whilst taking inspiration from jesus (tillich + fletcher)
- Supported by Christ’s presentation in the Gospels as one who rejected legalistic moral thinking of the Pharisees, emphasising an empathetic, loving morality
- Paul Tillich proposed 3 ethical norms: love, justice and wisdom. Beyond traditional puritanical conceptions of Christianity, which focus on rules and authority, moral thinking should instead concern itself with one’s relation to others.
- Indeed Joseph Fletcher’s Situation Ethic puts people, not rules, at the centre of ethical decision-making (personalism). Instead of looking at objective Biblical teachings (which are often out of date or contradictory) moral actions should be teleologically based, with the aim of bringing about most loving outcomes.
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“is the bible a comprehensive moral guide?”
POINT 3 - COUNTER ARGUMENT
vague and indistinctively christian (hauerwas)
• Summarising Christianity in a secular concept such as “love” loses its fundamental truths and principles i.e redemption, the afterlife – any religious or non-religious person could love… “To be sure, Christians may have common moral convictions with non-Christians, but it seems unwise to separate a moral conviction from the story that forms its context or interpretation.”(Stanley Hauerwas)
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“is the bible a comprehensive moral guide?”
POINT 3 - CONCLUSIVE RESPONSE
moral capacity not limited to christianity alone
- Hans Kung, a liberal Catholic, rejected papal infallibility in favour of human autonomy in ethical decision making via the Global Ethic project use collective and fundamental moral attitudes to save humanity from destroying itself.
- Hans Kung, as part of his “global ethic” makes the crucial point – there is nothing in the content of Christian ethics that could not be found elsewhere by “any person of good will”. What makes it a Christian concern is the motivation to love one’s neighbour as someone created in the image of God, and part of the global community.
Agape comes from the CHRISTIAN GOD who demonstrated unconditional, selfless love for humanity through the sacrifice of his son
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“are christian ethics person or communal”
POINT 1
collective wisdom of the church (pope francis)
- Understanding of sacred tradition and texts resides in the wisdom of the Pope, bishops and Church Councils. The conscience/reason is important in informing one’s choices, but declarations of the Magisterium should be seen as important sources of authority in one’s life Collective wisdom and authority of the Church published in encyclicals on contemporary moral issues. “To the Church belongs the right always and everywhere to announce moral principles” (Catechism)
- “Evangelium Vitae” (Pope John Paul II) – Sanctity of Life/ medical Ethics, “culture of death”. “Laudato Si” (Pope Francis) “new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet”
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“are christian ethics person or communal”
POINT 1 - COUNTER ARGUMENT
issue of following authority - lose sight of will of god (matthew 15:2)
- In Matthew 15:2-3, Jesus directly equates the Pharisees’ traditions with transgressions against God. Underlines the Protestant suspicion of Church authority, which is sometimes in conflict with Biblical teaching.
- Jesus warns against blindly following tradition, exemplified by the Pharisees utilise their own reason to reach their own judgements.
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“are christian ethics person or communal”
POINT 1 - COUNTER RESPONSE
act in obedience with state (luther + bonhoeffer)
- Luther had taught it was the duty of a Christian to be obedient to the government, as the government controlled our sinful nature. (Mark 12 “render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s”)
- Bonhoeffer was wrong to break from Lutheran ideals which saw Church and State as two sides of the same coin, Romans 13 “Let everyone be subject to governing authorities, for there is no authority expect that which God has established” ethics MUST be communal as humans MUST be guided by authority/ collective wisdom, and obey the state
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“are christian ethics person or communal”
POINT 1 - CONCLUSIVE RESPONSE
state can pervert god’s will (bonhoeffer)
• Bonhoeffer warned against ideologies such as Nazism – allows humans and the State to justify principles and practise that subordinate justice and God’s will. Critical of autonomous ethics – reduces God to human principles and makes humans slaves to the ideas of others
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“are christian ethics person or communal”
POINT 2
personal experience, individual faith (aristotle + aquinas + st paul)
• Purpose of humanity is to be rational; discover what is right by interpreting nature through reason. (Aristotle). God is the author of the natural law, knowable through reason, as God created humans and the world imago dei. (Aquinas) “the requirements of the law are written on their hearts” (St Paul) Christian ethics are personal as God has given us individual capacities which allow us to act morally and interpret the divine law, such as the conscience/ sensus divintas (Calvin)
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“are christian ethics person or communal”
POINT 2 - COUNTER ARGUMENT
conscience is a habit (aquinas)
• Aquinas argues that conscience is a habit or applying right reason and performing moral acts, which can only be done within the solidarity of the community the conscience is not a purely personal word of God, but a tool given to us by God to develop morality by acting for others
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“are christian ethics person or communal”
POINT 2 - COUNTER RESPONSE
all one requires is the bible - not need for communal ethics
• Bible is the infallible word of God; one’s conscience can be mistaken thus one should look to develop ethical code from the Bible alone no requirement for engagement with the community, develop faith/ pray to God instead
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“are christian ethics person or communal”
POINT 2 - CONCLUSIVE RESPONSE
personal ethics can lead to orthodoxy over overpraise, cheap grace (bonhoeffer)
- Bonhoeffer highlighted that Jesus was a “man for others” thus we must replicate this example and develop a Christian ethic for others – focus on scripture and spirituality without enacting teachings such as helping the poor, is merely a form of cheap grace ethics must be communal as we have to suffer for others
- South American Churches had began to develop a purely personal ethic, no consideration for the poor Christianity must always be focused on helping those in need/ orthopraxis!
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“are christian ethics person or communal”
POINT 3
personal decisions guided by community, ethics for the good of community (aquinas)
- Clearly ethical decisions will be made by the individual, but must be guided and inspired by the community of believers and the Church, working together to build the Kingdom of God
- Aquinas Natural Law theory highlights how ethical decisions look to develop overall human flourishing, but acting in accordance to our human nature/ primary precepts
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“are christian ethics person or communal”
POINT 3 - COUNTER ARGUMENT
overlook indivdiuals for greater good, eudaimonia
- Although human flourishing should indeed be an aim of any moral theory, arguing there is one natural law and thus one way of achieving Eudaimonia, seems to in fact prevent human flourishing insofar as it fails to acknowledge the variety of human lifestyles and preferences arguably has to be personal…
- By basing morality on people/ love instead of laws and purpose, society flourishes far better
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“are christian ethics person or communal”
POINT 3 - CONCLUSIVE RESPONSE
situation ethics (fletcher)
• Joseph Fletcher’s situation ethics offers most successful Christian ethic which looks to bring about the most love (thus replicating Jesus’ example and teachings in accordance to agape), but by putting people before laws (personalism) ethics is communal in the sense that Xns must act for others, but personal in the sense that it is the individual who makes the decisions and must come first in decision making
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“is the principle of love sufficient to live a good life?”
POINT 1
bible inspired by god so source of morality not love (hauerwas)
- Summarising Christianity in a secular concept such as “love” loses its fundamental truths and principles i.e redemption, the afterlife – any religious or non-religious person could love… “To be sure, Christians may have common moral convictions with non-Christians, but it seems unwise to separate a moral conviction from the story that forms its context or interpretation.”(Stanley Hauerwas)
- Morality is therefore determined by God’s scriptural commands only (propositional revelation) – an approach best exemplified (by Protestants in particular) as “sola scripture” Jeremiah 1 “Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me: “I have put my words in your mouth”
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“is the principle of love sufficient to live a good life?”
POINT 1 - COUNTER ARGUMENT
bible is an outdated/contradictory source - better to act with love
• Biblical messages lack applicability in today’s society: Arguably not applicable in the 21st century – no mention of democracy, same-sex marriage, IVF, nuclear weapons; limited – reason is required to interpret Biblical teachings in light of ethical and technological developments.
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“is the principle of love sufficient to live a good life?”
POINT 1 - COUNTER RESPONSE
read bible hermeneutically (schleiermacher)
• Alternative = Friedrich Schleiermacher The Hermeneutical Circle – a person must read a passage within the context of meaning of the Bible, and then within the context of one’s own life. As one’s understanding develops, new meaning and interpretation will be brought to one’s life.
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“is the principle of love sufficient to live a good life?”
POINT 1 - CONCLUSIVE RESPONSE
bible is conditioned by men/patriarchy (reuther)
• An overreliance on biblical ethics arguably contributes to patriarchal influences upon Christianity, due to primacy of male authorship. Ruether would argue the Bible needs re-interpreting via a feminist hermeneutical approach. A commitment to Sola Scripture seems inflexible, and may prohibit sharing of truths between religions Bible written in a time of patriarchal and dogmatic attitudes, reflected in its teachings on women/ homosexuality; Xns must rid themselves of this source and embrace the true message of Xnity, that of loving ones neighbour as oneself
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“is the principle of love sufficient to live a good life?”
POINT 2
flawed, humans incapable, act in accordance with agape/jesus example (fletcher)
- Joseph Flecther, the six propositions, 4 working principles – “Only one thing is intrinsically good; namely love: nothing else at all” “Love never fails” (St Paul 1 Corinthians)
- God given conscience (act of reasoning) as a the source of moral decision making, in accordance to agape , “the law of God is written on their hearts”, thus we do not need any other source
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“is the principle of love sufficient to live a good life?”
POINT 2 - COUNTER ARGUMENT
calvinist notion of sinful human nature unable to act autonomously (calvin)
• By placing God’s divine wisdom and authority in the hands of humans, God’s message is susceptible to corruption and distortion. Martin Luther, “reason is a whore” autonomous ethics fail as humans are sinful and corrupt, we will not be able to follow principle of love
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“is the principle of love sufficient to live a good life?”
POINT 2 - COUNTER RESPONSE
flawed, humans incapable, act in accordance with agape/jesus example (fletcher)
- Understanding of sacred tradition and texts resides in the wisdom of the Pope, bishops and Church Councils. The conscience/reason is important in informing one’s choices, but declarations of the Magisterium should be seen as important sources of authority in one’s life sinful humans have to be guided by Church authority, not love
- Collective wisdom and authority of the Church published in encyclicals on contemporary moral issues. “To the Church belongs the right always and everywhere to announce moral principles” (Catechism)
- “Evangelium Vitae” (Pope John Paul II) – Sanctity of Life/ medical Ethics, “culture of death”
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“is the principle of love sufficient to live a good life?”
POINT 2 - CONCLUSIVE RESPONSE
issues of church tradition (matthew 15:2)
- In Matthew 15:2-3, Jesus directly equates the Pharisees’ traditions with transgressions against God. Underlines the Protestant suspicion of Church authority, which is sometimes in conflict with Biblical teaching.
- Jesus warns against blindly following tradition, exemplified by the Pharisees. For many, this is an indication that the Bible should not be approached as inerrant, but that one should utilise their own reason to reach their own judgements.
- Moreover, one can see the flaws of Church tradition/ morality in Catholic Church’s use of Natural Law to condemn homosexuality as “intrinsically disordered” often tradition is a dogmatic source of morality, and one is better to follow Jesus’ loving example of acceptance and inclusivity
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“is the principle of love sufficient to live a good life?”
POINT 3
respect human intellect/capacities, whilst taking inspiration from jesus (tillich)
- Supported by Christ’s presentation in the Gospels as one who rejected legalistic moral thinking of the Pharisees, emphasising an empathetic, loving morality
- Paul Tillich proposed 3 ethical norms: love, justice and wisdom. Beyond traditional puritanical conceptions of Christianity, which focus on rules and authority, moral thinking should instead concern itself with one’s relation to others.
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“is the principle of love sufficient to live a good life?”
POINT 3 - COUNTER ARGUMENT
many other xn teachings (richard mouw)
• Richard Mouw argues that just focussing on love is a mistake, as there are many other commandments
ESSAY PLAN - MORAL PRINCIPLES
“is the principle of love sufficient to live a good life?”
POINT 3 - CONCLUSIVE RESPONSE
start with love and develop other teaching within context of the community (hans kung)
- Hans Kung, a liberal Catholic, rejected papal infallibility in favour of human autonomy in ethical decision making via the Global Ethic project use collective and fundamental moral attitudes to save humanity from destroying itself.
- Hans Kung, as part of his “global ethic” makes the crucial point – there is nothing in the content of Christian ethics that could not be found elsewhere by “any person of good will”. What makes it a Christian concern is the motivation to love one’s neighbour as someone created in the image of God, and part of the global community other crucial Xn virtues of generosity/ courage/ selflessness can be learnt through acting as part of the community, yet are clearly all founded in the principle of love
what does theonomous mean?
moral principles come directly from God
DCT
BIBLICISM
what does heteronomous mean?
moral principles are derived from somewhere else
ROMAN CATHOLIC HETERONOMY
STANLEY HAUERWAS
what does autonomous mean?
moral principles are self-derived through reason
SITUATION ETHICS
HANS KUNG
