CHRISTIANITY - sexual ethics Flashcards
core ethical teachings
- Christian ethics refer to moral norms that are seen to be distinctive to Christianity
- “moral norms” are guidelines that help Christians to reflect on their moral life and the actions they should take
- Christian Morality is based on many sources of revelation
importance of ethical teachings
- Guide adherents to act in line with beliefs in their everyday lives
- Guide Christians in cases of extraordinary moral dilemma
- Christian “ethical teachings are based on the belief that the human person is an “image of God” (Gen 1:27)
- Christians are expected to place considerable value on the ethical teachings of the tradition in determining their response to a wide range of issues. These teachings provide guidance which enable adherents of Christianity to make informed moral decisions according to the principals of the tradition.
- General ethical guidance is provided by the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:1-17 and Deut 5:6-21), the Beatitudes Mt 5:2-12 and Lk 6:20-26) and the Golden Rule (Mt 7:12 and Lk 6:31).
- The life and ministry of Jesus provides a model for life action of Christians. This is reflected in the Christian ethos of caring for the needy and the vulnerable
- Specific guidance is also provided in relation to contemporary ethical issues such as sexual morality, bioethics, international economics, ecological concerns and the use of force in international conflicts
- Generally speaking, Christian ethical teaching in areas such as sexual morality and bioethics have been in line with conservative forces in society
- Ethical teaching on issues of economic, ecological and military significance are more in line with progressive elements in society
- This diversity makes it difficult to gauge the effect of Christian ethical teaching in an overall sense
differences of ethics between denominations
- Orthodox Christian Churches in general stress the reliance on Biblical authority for example the 10 Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount
- Roman Catholic Ethics are derived from a variety of ethical sources: Bible, Councils of the Church, Decrees of Popes, Code of Canon Law, Works of the Fathers of the Church, Works of moral theologians, Use and practice of the Church
- Protestant Churches have the Biblical concept of ‘love’ as the ethical foundation for morality. Christian love:
- Caring
- Compassion
- Self-giving
They also stress the importance of social justice
Christians hold common ethical ideas based on biblical teaching – however, different variants have some varying ideas in their ethical reasoning and the extent to which they give prominence to sacred stories and texts (the Bible) and authority within religious structures
sources of ethical teachings
- The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament)
- The Christian gospels (New Testament)
- Statements of Church councils (Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox)
- The Pope (Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox)
- Bishops of the Church (Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox)
sources of ethical teaching in scripture
- The Decalogue or Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:1-17 and Deut 5 :6-21)
- The ‘Golden Rule’ (Mt 22: 37- 39)
- The Beatitudes (Mt 5-7)
- Actions based on love (1 Cor 13:1)
- Living a life of service (Lk 22: 26-27)
- Love one another as I have loved you (Jn 13:34)
10 commandments
- Guidelines for living, based on God’s direct revelation to Moses on Mt Sinai (Ex 20:2-17 + Deu 5:6-21)
- First five commandments refer to the relationship between God and the people and the last five are concerned with the relationship between individuals and their community.
- Also known as the decalogue (“ten words from God”)
- Two versions is Exodus and Deuteronomy
- Judaism and Christianity share common elements of scripture – the Tenach/Old Testament
- Heart of the covenant tradition in the Old Testament and provide important background/context for the ethical teachings of Jesus in the New Testament.
- Is the only text understood as being spoken directly by God to the people of Israel and then written directly by God’s hand on two stone tablets.
- The first three commandments of the Decalogue refer to the worship of God, while the rest refer to obligations to one’s neighbor and society
- Worship the Lord who delivers the Commandments
- Forbids worshipping of Idols and have no other Gods before me
- Not use the name of God falsely
- Rest on the Sabbath
- Respect your Mother and Father
- Do not Murder
- Do not commit adultery
- Do not steal
- Do not bear false witness against thy neighbour
- Do not desire another man’s house, belongings, wife.
importance
- Succinct summary of Christian ethics
- Jesus used ten commandments as a backdrop for his own ethical teachings. Not only did he refer to and make use of these commandments in his teaching, he also used them as a means to highlight the requirements of the new covenant.
- This use of the commandments is particularly evident in his sermon on the mount (Mt 5-7) which is a foundational element of New Testament ethical teaching.
- important basis for structuring and living the Christian life.
- It calls Christians back to loving God alone and loving their neighbors as themselves.
- The use of the commandments is particularly evident in Jesus Sermon on the Mount (Mt5-7) which is a foundational element of New Testament ethical teaching.
new testament ethics
- New Testament (NT) ethical teachings are expressed differently from those in the OT.
- The language speaks of what is valued or blessed in our interaction with others.
- NT ethical teachings are those outlined by Jesus in his ministry to the people who heard him and believed in him.
- Jesus and those to whom he was preaching were, of course, well versed in the commandments of the Decalogue.
- The teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (which includes the Golden Rule, Mt 7:12) and the Great Commandment (Jn 13:34) are consistent with those of the Decalogue – keeping the commandments leads to life and eternal happiness
beatitudes
The Beatitudes (Latin ‘blessed’) – one of the foundations of Christian ethics found in the New Testament.
One of Jesus’ most famous Sermons is the Sermon on the Mount, presented in Matthew 5:3-12. Jesus states that certain people will be blessed with happiness.
The list of people are called the ‘Beatitudes’ and is considered a summary of Jesus’ teaching. Some Beatitudes also appear in Luke.
This is the name given to the eight sayings of Jesus in Mt 5:3-12 and the four in Lk 6:20-23, all of which begin with ‘Blessed are….’.
- Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
- Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land
- The social justice message communicated in the Beatitudes is present in many Bible stories including the Good Samaritan which involves helping the weak and suffering despite barriers of social class or particular laws.
- This fundamental teaching assists in Christian life as it provides an impetus to achieve social justice & a greater goal to work towards in terms of reducing suffering & improving the lives of injustice.
- This is still relevant in today’s society as can be seen through Christian organisations such as St Vinnies & Salvo’s
jesus commandment of love
- Jesus’ Commandment of Love – Jesus command to love can be understood as the mystery of love revealed in the person Jesus who ministered, was crucified, died and rose from the dead and also the understanding of the trinity – where the God of love is three persons in one.
- Jesus’ teaching is about God’s love for human beings and their opportunity for salvation through love of God and neighbour.
- These passages underpin our relationships with God and with each other. A central action that Christians have to channel their love of neighbour is through social justice activities.
Three factors are important in order to understand Jesus’ ethics, that are all interrelated.
These are:
- Repentance as the basis of the ethical life
- The radical nature of God’s ethical demand on humanity
- The centrality of the love commandment
- Jesus’ command to love does not stand by itself and must be understood in a two-part context.
christian sexual ethics
Christian sexual ethics: Christian ethical systems explain and regulate moral behaviour of followers and provide a guideline for adherents so that their daily lives can reflect the scriptures and bring about God’s reign. They are focused on maintaining right relationship with God, ones neighbour and ones self.
- Christian approach to sexual ethics are uncovered in scripture, specifically within teachings of Jesus in the Gospel and the writing of St Paul.
- New testament reflection on Jesus’ life and teachings have provided the basis for ethics
- Paul wrote letters to the early communities where he gave guidance, encouraging the valuing of relationship and the importance of modesty and moral actions. (1Cor 6:19-20)
- ALL branches (variants) realise that sex is a gift from God demanding responsibility, commitment and love
- Sex is the deepest expression of a loving, life-long union between two people. Christians are encouraged to enjoy sexual relations within the confines of a loving, adult, heterosexual, married relationship.
sources of ethical teachings
- The Ten Commandments (provide Christians a compendium of moral practices & contain a number of positive values including the need for the respect for the life of others, for family values, for personal integrity, justice and the property of others)
- The Beatitudes (set out in detail Jesus’ own outline of the Christian life – presents a positive image of the way that Christians should live in the world)
- Jesus’ commandments of love:
- “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and the most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as you love yourself.’ Matthew 22:37-39
- ”And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34
a model of christian sexual ethics
Four fundamental beliefs underlie Christian sexual ethics.
1 . Human beings are created in the image and likeness of God.
2 . Human nature is wounded by sin.
3 . Human beings are to co-operate with God’s divine plan.
4 . Human beings are co-creators with God.
The first two are common across the churches; the second two are not and provide points of difference between them. In addition, a number of principles give practical expression to Christian sexual ethics. These include:
1 . the exclusivity of marriage
2 . the heterosexuality of marriage
3 . fidelity in the marriage relationship
4 . the procreative purpose of sexual intercourse
5 . the unitive purpose of sexual intercourse
6 . personal integrity
7 . human dignity
8 . mutual self-giving in sexual intercourse
9 . sexual satisfaction.
foundations of christian ethical teachings
- faith and recon
- philosophy and natural law
- tradition
other sources of ethical teachings
• Conscience – informed by scripture and prayer.
Understood as the whole self trying to make judgements about who one ought to be and what on ought to do or not do when faced with an ethical dilemma- the Catholic Church teaches that God speaks through a person’s conscience.
An important aspect of the Christian decision-making process
Primary role of conscience is to uphold the individual’s integrity and moral goodness
• Teaching authority/tradition – Papal & Magisterium (Roman Catholic); bishop (Anglican); pastor (Pentecostal); Divine Tradition (Orthodox)
Tends to be exercised in a different way through a synod, presbytery or assembly of leaders or consensus of a congregation giving advice and guidance
• Situation ethics (strongly taught in 20th C by Joseph Fletcher) – moral judgments dependent on the context in which they are made. Decisions about sex are based on the importance of love and the idea that some actions are not right or wrong in themselves, but depend on the circumstance or context of the situation.
Goes with the idea that Jesus did away with the legalistic approach to religion in favour of the law of love.
Some Christian traditions with a strong focus on autonomy and the practice of compassion may develop more liberal interpretations of sexual ethics in areas including premarital sex, homosexual relationships and contraception.
Love’s decisions are made as the situation dictates, not according to some moral system.
Only the end of an action justifies the means, nothing else.
Founded on love
- Christian ethics are based on love and centred on the idea of love, concern and respect for all humans
- ethics must be modelled on the ultimate love of Christ
- Agape love = love in the highest form, the love of god for man and man for god
Writings of Paul
- St Paul gave guidance in his letters and encouraged the valuing of relationship and the importance of modesty and moral actions.
- In a world where the Parousia (the return of the Messiah) was believed to be immanent, Paul had concerns about preparing Christians for the next life:
“Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and who was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourselves but to God; he bought you for a price. So use your bodies for God’s glory.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
natural law
- Natural Law – (innate in humans). Our own sense of right and wrong reflecting the balance evident in nature. Used mainly in Catholic and Orthodox churches.
- Natural law theory is the most important philosophical defense of traditional sexual practices. Its basic position is that the natural purpose of sex is reproduction, and non-traditional sexual activity is morally wrong since it conflicts with that aim.
- Aquinas posed the question after presuming that reproduction is one of the primary purposes of humanity, “What is the natural purpose of the sex organs?” – therefore any other means for them is wrong
- According to Aquinas’ theory, God implanted within human nature a set of instincts that define our purpose as human beings and establish what is morally right.
- We also have an instinct to care for our young, and this tells us that we are to nurture and educate our children and and instinct to procreate.
- For Aquinas, this rules out adultery, fornication, and homosexuality, each of which involves sexual relations that are not for purposes of reproduction.
- Such sexual misconduct, according to Aquinas, is a serious sin, second only to murder since, while murder destroys life, sexual misconduct prevents the creation of life.
