Christian Moral Principles Flashcards

1
Q

Theonomous

A

The Bible as the only authority
-Scripture is inspired by God and thus the only authority for moral instruction
-Bible = infallible, and if misinterpret our own fault
Teaches through e.g. David and Bathsheba to illustrate a moral life
Stories should be read in the context of a covenant (agreement) expressed through Jesus

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2
Q

‘Sola scriptura’

A

By scripture alone

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3
Q

2 Timothy 3:16

A

All scripture is inspired by God, and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness

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4
Q

sources of Christian ethics

A

Ten Commandments (summarises ides of ethics being personal/social) Jesus Sermon on the Mount (focal point of moral teaching, reforming biblical ideas in the OT)

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5
Q

Criticism of Theonomous - symbolism

A

No one can read Bible at face value, ‘if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.’
-Not literal but a metaphor for changing the way one sees thing

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6
Q

Criticism of Theonomous - Barth

A

Christian’s literalism can lead to ‘bibliolatry’ worship of Bible, by giving Divine Status
-Gods work, but worked through many centuries
-Supreme source, but read as inspiration
Passage could be symbolic/ metaphorical/ literal

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7
Q

Contradictions within the Bible

A

OT
- permits war and retributive justice through ‘eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth’
-Capital Punishment used by God for blasphemy
-Deuteronomy – sets out rules of law, including permission to kill foreign woman and children
NT
-Sermon on the Mount
-Reconciliation and love of enemies
-Stress future Kingdom, and war and violence are necessary evils for now – Augustine / promotes pacifism and non-violence

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8
Q

Advantages of Theonomous Ethics

A
  • Clear / easy to follow
  • All the teachings within one place
  • Revealed word of God - Jeramiah 1:9 ‘I have put my words in your mouth’
  • Bible - infallible so there are no errors
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9
Q

Disadvantages of theonomous

A
  • Barth and literalism
  • impossible not to be subjective as will interpret according to culture
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10
Q

Heteronomous - RC

A

Ethics biblical/ accessible through reason, the world, conscience. Church authority – Natural Law
Church authority has a place on informing Catholics of their morality:
- Church Leaders (Magisterium) meet and publish papal encyclical on modern issues

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11
Q

Advantages of Heteronomous - RC

A

-Humans are weak and sinful and need the church as their guide
-Authority as Catechism: ‘the church…has received this solemn command of Christ from the apostles to announce the saving truth…’

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12
Q

How does the modern world differ from Bible e.g.

A

-Changes with the world to reflect modern values i.e. places of men and woman diff from St pail 14:33-35

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13
Q

Disadvantages of Heteronomous - RC

A
  • What sources are greater authority
  • Magisterium (Liberation Theologians) power
  • Radford Ruther: shaped almost exclusively by male experiences of life
  • Reason corrupt
  • Distracts from moral commands: Jesus condemns tradition of the Pharisees as distracts from commandments (Mathew 15:2-9) as interpretations rather than law itself
  • Undermines sorveignity of God
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14
Q

Heteronomous - Protestant

A

Hugo and Grotius:
View the bible not as a single document, but a slowly developed set of books that reflects its own time and contemporary traditions.
- Moral authority always rests with the Bible
- Reason - how to interpret
-More individual than communal

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15
Q

Advantages Heteronomous - Protestant

A

Bible grew out of Church and living source of Gods revelation
- Use reason to interpret what should be taken literally/metaphorically
- Changes with the world, so interpretations fix context of time

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16
Q

Disadvantages Heteronomous - Protestant

A

-Humans fallible, make mistakes
- Original Sin

17
Q

Autonomous

A

Guiding principle: agape - summarised in Jesus’ life and sacrifice, and his teaching on being outwardly, not inwardly, focused.

18
Q

Quotes of Agape NT

A

Love your neighbour as yourself’ Mathew 22:37
‘Be kind to the grateful and forgiving to the wicked’ - Luke 6:35

19
Q

Advantages of NML

A

‘law written on their hearts.’ - St Paul Romans

20
Q

Autonomous - advantages

A

-Flexible
- Agape root of all Jesus’ teachings
- ‘Global ethics’ allows us to save environment - come together as a community
- Advocates a loving world

21
Q

Autonomous - disadvantages

A
  • Jesus teaches more than love alone, does not dispense law but guides us on how to fulfil it
  • Original Sin
  • Undermines Gods sorveignity and biblical teaching
22
Q

Situation Ethics: 4 working Principle

A

-Pragmatism – what should be done to be most loving
-Relativism – No absolute duties
-Positivism – Religious laws not God-given but human
-Personalism – Humans should not be treated as a means to an end

23
Q

Why Bible is the only source for Christian Ethics

A
  • Bible is the only means of knowing how to behave morally
    -human based morality leads to moral confusion and endless debates about what is right and wrong
    -Original Sin, only God’s Word as revealed in the Bible can provide a sound basis for Christian ethics
    -If Christian ethics are not based on the Bible then they cannot be truly Christian and could otherwise simply be the product of human reason and wishes
24
Q

Why Bible is not the only source for Christian Ethics

A
  • Bible contradicts itself and does not offer a clear set of moral principles
    -most important authority for Christian ethics is the Church or Christian community
    -whether biblical commands are literal or symbolic, prescriptive or descriptive
    -the only command which the New Testament prescribes is love or agape;
    -as the writers of the Bible wrote according to their circumstances and were limited in their knowledge of the world