Christian Approaches to Moral decision Making Flashcards
What are the 3 main approaches of christian moral decision making?
-Theonomous ethics
-Heteronomous ethics
-Autonomous ethics
What is the theonomous ethics approach?
-God’s commandments and the bible alone are able to help live a moral life.
-The fall has caused humans to be inclined to sin and so it damaged the possibility of humans living a moral life without God’s guidance.
What is the heteronomous ethics approach about?
-Belief that there are several sources of authority
-The bible is the main source of authority
-However other sources are needed to be able to interpret the bible accurately
-e.g church or reason
What is the autonomous ethics approach?
-Individual is guided by the law of christian love (Agape)
-autonomous as authority is entirely on the individual.
What christian denomination supports the theonomous ethics referring the the bible as Sola Scriptura?
Protestants (Calvinist tradition)
Which protestant denomination supports heteronomous ethics and refer to the bible as prima scriptura?
Anglicans
Why does the Catholic tradition believe the church has equal authority to the bible?
Apostolic Succession- It is believed that the authority of the pope and bishops can be traced back to the apostles.
what are quotes which support Theonomous christian ethics?
-‘i have put words in your mouth’
-‘all scripture is God-breathed’
Why can’t humans live a moral life with there reason alone?
As humans by nature are sinful and ignorant.
(St Paul and Augustine)
What is Propositional revelation?
Theonomous
A set of truth statements that reveal God’s message to the world.
What is non-propositional revelation?
Autonomous + Heteronomous
God does not reveal himself through truth statements so revelation needs interpretations
What did Biblicist believe?
-The writers of the bible were directly inspired by God
-‘All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching’
Why is it believed that God is basically the author of the bible?
As its believed that God spoke to the Prophets and writers.And so this means that the bible is infallible and anything not understood is not due to the the text but us.
What is an example where biblicist would not take the bible at face value?
When Jesus’s said ‘if your right eye has cause sin tear it and throw it away’.
Repentance and change
What is a Covenant?
A sacred agreement between God and humanity.
Who does God make the Five foundational covenants with?
Noah,Abraham,Moses,David and Jesus
Which covenant establishes that the notion of ethics is both social and personal?
The Mosaic Covenant.
What are two examples from the ten commandments that are personal ethics?
-You shall not make idols
-You shall have no other God’s before me
What are two examples from the ten commandments which are social ethics?
-You shall not murder
-You shall not commit adultry
What was the focal point of his moral teachings?
Jesus Sermon on the Mt
What does Jesus teach to be moral?
It is important to have inner purity and correct moral motivation.
What does St Paul describe the moral life of christian like and why?
He describes it as a ‘living Sacrifice’
due to Jesus’s teachings leading to his Crucifixion and Sacrifice.
Gives 3 examples of moral guidance within he bible.
-Sermon on the MT ‘love your neighbours and hate your enemies but i tell you love your enemies’
-Homosexuality ‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman it is e detestable sin’
-Parable of the sheep and the goats,those who lived a good life and believed in God go heaven
Explain the strength of Theonomous ethics that the bible is a moral guide.
-God is omniscient and perfect so has give use everything we need to live a moral life
-Your able to find many examples of how God responded to moral dilemma’s
-Bishop Rowan Willams bible is like a parable
-able to see horrendous acts done by God and by people to recognise bad and good.
What are two more strengths of Theonomous ethics?
-ethics is shown through real life examples for example king david’s affair with Bathsheba and impregnates her and then abuses his kingly powers to murder her husband.
-Using the bible means there are clear guidelines for morality
Explain the disadvantage of Thenomous ethics about contradictions.
-for reconcile there are contradictory commands
-there is a apparent shift of the attitude in the OT and NT
-OT=Permits war and retributive Justice
-NT=Retribution replace with reconciliation
What are two other disadvantages
of Thenomous ethics?
-There are also contradiction within the NT as Jesus says that divorce is not permitted however Mathew says that it is if there is adultry
-Problems with interpretation God words in the Human language
Explain Karl Barth’s Danger of theonomous ethics.
-literalism can give the bible a false divine status that only God possesses
-can become false worship of the bible ‘bibliolatry’
-God’s words have been changed
-Though writers are a witness to him its not God
What are 3 sources of authority that heternomous believers think ethic are governed by?
-Bible teaching
-Church teaching
-Human reason
Why do heteronomous believers think that there are several sources of authority?
-Our understanding of the world and modern science and technology is very different to the biblical times
-so reason must be used to apply it to modern situations
-knowledge of God is gained through reason and experience
How do Catholic Christians respond to authority?
-That Jesus gave the church authority
-The bible and church have equal authority
-Reason is a tool which should develop in moral decision making
What does Aquinas say that the Catholic church agree with?
Conscience is a act of making moral decisions
It is something we must develop through education and phronesis
Where do new interpretations of God’s moral law come from in the Catholic Church?
Magisterium
What is the Protestant approach of authority?
-The church brings bible into modern context
-They believe that the bible is prima scriptura
-The bible is superior
In a protestant church where do new interpretations come from?
Synod
How does the Catholic church in general teach moral decision making?
-through tradition and practise
-there able to recognise humans are weak so therefore cannot rely on themselves
Why do Catholics believe that the church traditions and the bible also have equal authority?
As the spoken tradition was handed down to the apostles and was passed on overtime
What happens during controversy in the catholic church?
The christian teaching is clarified.
What is the Magestrium?
Teaching authority of the Roman Catholic Church.
What are the three levels of Magesterium called?
-ordinary
-concilier
-pontifical
What is Scared tradition in Catholic Church?
Words that the prophets and apostles receive through the inspiration holy spirit.
What is Sacred Scripture in the Catholic church?
-The word of God put into writing through the power of the holy spirit
-DEI VERBUM,written by humans but inspired by God through the holy spirit
What must Sacred tradition and scripture be viewed as?
‘Equal sentiments of devotion and reverance’
What is the Catheism?
Summarises Christian teaching on a wide range of topics.
e.g abortion
Explain the catholic church and it’s relation to Aquinas’s natural law.
-God’s eternal law is knowable through human reason
-As in St Paul’s letter he says that gentiles can live morally when they act in accordance to there conscience.
What did Protestant believe about the church?
-Too much power over people’s lives
-focus if Jesus as the mediator has been lost
-Anywhere can be a church where there are Christians reflecting the word of God
What did Protestant believe about reason?
-reason points back to the bible
-helps us to know the correct and incorrect interpretation within the bible
What are 3 advantages of heternomous ethics?
-Neil Messer, healthy debate is able to reveal a true understanding for example the church of England brings synods together where a complex decision is made.
-J.H Newman says that the conscience has more authority than the pope as it predates the church’s existence
-Acknowledges the complexity of moral decision making.
What are 3 disadvantages of heteromous ethics?
-protestant reformation arose due to the corruption in catholic church
-Jesus himself was skeptical of traditions seen through the pharisees
-Reason is difficult to apply as it can be misplaced
What shapes the mindset of the Christian?
Jesus’s command to love
What is agape according to autonomous ethics?
A motivating factor which human reason decides how best to apply in situations.
What is self ruling?
legalism is too restrictive fails to recognise the complexity of moral decision making.
Why in some ways is autonomous ethics distinctive?
-Jesus’s love was persistent regardless of circumstance
-It the self sacrificing love God has for us
What does Rudolph Bultmen say which argues autonomous ethic is distinctive?
Jesus has no ethics other than ‘love your neighbour as you love yourself’
What does Fletcher say which argues autonomous ethic is distinctive?
‘Only one thing is intrinsically good;love’
What does Autonomous Christian Ethics believe about the bible to be a moral guide?
-comprehensive to an extent
-you derive your moral compass from Jesus’s teachings and use reason to apply
What do Quaker Christians believe about the bible?
it isn’t the word of God but one inspirational book
What do Quakers believe?
-didn’t accept creeds as they believe faith is personal
-they believe religion is still developing and isn’t fixed
What do Quakers believe about morality?
-something of God is in everyone
-everyone is unique
-View all people equally
At the time of Fletcher’s writing on christian theory what was on the rise?
Freedom and Individualism
What does Fletcher believe about agape and what example did use to argue this?
It is the ultimate authority.
e.g Jesus broke Sabbath laws
‘sabbath was made for man not the man made for sabbath’
What are 3 ways Fletcher describes agape?
-intrinsically good
-The Christian ruling norm
-Another way of talking about Jesus
What are the 3 ethical norms Tillich proposed?
Justice, love and wisdom
What was wisdom and Justice describe as?
The backbone
What is moral puritanism?
promotes principles which leads to decisions of this or that.
What did Tillitch believe rules should be?
interpreted using love
What was Tillitch’s thoughts in the bible?
Not meant to operate as a abstract technical force telling us what to do in every situation.
What are 2 strengths of autonomous ethics?
-Jesus always returns to the theme of love so his ethics reflect from this
-Bishop Robinson, following rules unquestioningly is the act of children adults should make decisions using love
What are 2 weaknesses of autonomous ethics?
-oversimplifies Jesus’s teachings as there is more than love for example in sermon on the MT Jesus tries to fulfil the law by building a relationship with God and overcoming sin.
-Pope Frances, love is central but not as a moral guideline it cannot be trusted alone.
