Good conduct Flashcards
Define salvation
Being saved (and therefore going to Heaven).
The Catholic Church teaches there is a need for salvation as a result of The Fall, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden.
All of humanity is implicated in their Original Sin – we are all born with a
predisposition to sin, and there is disharmony between heaven and earth. St Paul: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
There is therefore a need for salvation – we need to be saved from sin, in order to be reconciled with God and have eternal life in heaven after death.
Define justification
To be counted as righteous before God.
The word ‘justify’ is the translation of a Greek word that had legal
connotations.
In the thinking of St Paul and Luther, to be ‘justified’ means to be counted by
God as righteous and so able to have a relationship with God.
It is an eschatological term, which means it is concerned with the ultimate fate
of humanity (it refers to events at the end of time).
Three different understandings: justification by faith / justification by works
/ justification by faith and works.
Define grace (in reference to ‘God’s grace’)
Grace refers to the generous and freely given love of God to the sinful
(undeserving) humanity.
Seen through God’s sacrifice of his Son in order to save humanity.
‘For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only son’ (John 3:16).
Augustine and Calvin link this to the Atonement (Jesus’ death on the cross).
Pelagius linked it to God’s gift of free will.
Define predestination
Belief that all events – including the destination of humans after death - have already been decided and decreed by God.
Single predestination: God has already decided who is going to Heaven (‘the elect’).
Double predestination: God has already decided who is going to Heaven and who is going to Hell.
John Calvin: “All are not created on equal terms, but some are preordained to eternal life, others to eternal damnation” (Institutes).
- Give one strength and one criticism of justification by faith
Strength
Consistent with Pauline scripture: “A person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law” (St Paul, Romans 3:28).
Reaffirms the centrality / importance of Jesus and his crucifixion. Demonstrates why Jesus had to die on the cross. ‘If righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing’ (St Paul, Galatians).
Recognises that humans are fallible and imperfect – gives hope you wil still be saved despite your imperfections.
Criticism
It is too passive. Epistle of James teaches that faith alone is not enough – ‘faith without works is dead’
Not consistent with Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, in which Jesus teaches justification is based on good works.
Jesus: Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven’ (Matthew 7:21) – could be understood as following God’s laws, performing good works.
Depends on a fundamentalist / literalist understanding of Genesis – that The Fall event literally happened after a talking snake tempted Eve to eat from a tree, and that we are all then fundamentally affected by it. There is absolutely no empirical evidence for this whatsoever.
It seems unfair to condemn all of humanity because a man and woman ate from a tree in the Garden of Eden.
Leads to an exclusivist view of salvation (synoptic link: religious pluralism).
What does the Parable of the Sheep and
the Goats (Matthew 25) teach about
justification by works? Include a direct quote
Key ethical teaching delivered by Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Matthew.
Teaches that you will be judged by God based on your good works.
Outlines the six good works you need to perform in order to enter heaven:
- Feed the hungry
- Give drink to the thirsty
- Invite strangers in
- Clothe the naked
- Look after the sick
- Visit those in prison
“Whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me”
Those who have not performed these good works to help others will “go away to eternal punishment, but the
righteous to eternal life”
Those counted as righteous (justified) are those who have performed good works to help others.
Suggests you will be judged and justified based on your performance of good works.
What does the Epistle of James
mean by ‘Faith without deeds is
dead’ (James 2)?
‘As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead’. It is works that give faith meaning. You cannot just have faith alone.
Having faith but not performing good deeds as well is pointless / futile.
You cannot be saved just by having faith. Faith alone is not enough – you have to perform good works as well.
Jesus: Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven’ (Matthew 7:21).
What is the difference between
single and double predestination?
Single – God decides / elects who will go to heaven.
Double – God decides / elects who will go to heaven AND who will go to hell.
Augustine: God decides / elects who will go to heaven (single). However, the logical conclusion of this is that the rest of humanity, born in a state of sinfulness, will then inevitably go to hell.
Calvin: “Some are preordained to eternal life, others to eternal damnation” double).
What does belief in
predestination suggest about the
nature of God?
Omnipotence – God has power over absolutely everything and everyone
Omniscience – God knows absolutely everything: past, present and future
Omnibenevolence? Can God be all loving if He has predestined people to eternal punishment in Hell?
Just judge? Can God be a just judge if He has decided people’s fate before he has seen their actions/behaviours?
Counter-argument: God is outside of space/time. The idea of ‘before’ and ‘after’ don’t apply to God. He sees past, present, future all in one simultaneous present. A ‘fourth dimension’. This is a way of reconciling belief in free will with predestination – God’s foreknowledge of your destination does not compromise your freedom.
Synoptic link: God. Boethius. Anselm.
Give three reasons some
Christians reject belief in
predestination
Pelagius: Raises questions about free will.
Raises questions about omnibenevolence if some people have been
condemned to hell.
Contradicts key New Testament teaching about Judgement, for example the Parable of the Sheep & the Goats.
Could be based on a misunderstanding of scripture – God could have
foreknowledge instead.
Suggests good deeds are futile if your destination has been decided anyway.
Explain the Christian concept of
the sanctity of life
Sanctity = sacred.
All life is sacred and holy.
It has intrinsic worth and value because it has been created by God.
All life is created by God and belongs to God.
The sanctity of your life is fixed – it is an absolutist principle.
‘Imago dei’ – humans are made in the image of God (Genesis).
‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you’ (Jeremiah 1:5)
‘Do not kill’ (10 Commandments, Exodus).
Ending life would always be wrong – it belongs to God, who is sovereign over life and death.
What is the strong version of the
sanctity of life principle?
According to the STRONG Sanctity of Life principle, all humans have an
absolute right to life that must never be taken away.
Abortion is always wrong.
Euthanasia is always wrong.
Life must always be preserved: this would mean the omission / withdrawal of
treatment would be wrong.
What is the weak version of the
sanctity of life principle?
According to the weak version of the principle, all human life is sacred…but not ABSOLUTELY so.
In EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES, potentially life-saving or preserving
treatment may be OMITTED or WITHDRAWN.
The foetus is seen as a POTENTIAL PERSON rather than an actual one. The ‘right to life’ become stronger as it develops.
This is therefore a slightly weaker version, as there is the potential for
exceptions to be made – life does not have to be preserved at absolutely all costs.
This is often combined with the secular Quality of Life principle, which takes into account a person’s capacity for self-fulfilment and dignity of living, etc.
What is the difference between sanctity of life and quality fo life
Sanctity of life – religious concept. Absolutist concept. All life is always sacred because it is created by God. In strongest form, sanctity of life is fixed from the moment of conception – it is always wrong to take life. It is 100% sacred at all times.
Quality of life – secular concept. Subjective concept. Your self-assessment of the quality of your life. Changes over time based on level of health, contentment, fulfilment, happiness. It is therefore flexible and subject to change.
What is embryo research? What are the current laws around this?
Synoptic link: Paper 1 ethics – application of ethical theories.
Synoptic link: Paper 2 religion and science.
Embryo research is used to understand more about genetic conditions, causes of infertility etc.
Embryos can be sourced from surplus IVF embryos that are donated (with consent) or created using
stem cell (therapeutic) cloning.
Licence for research on embryos is obtained from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
(HFEA).
Licences are granted only if research is ‘absolutely essential’
The embryo must have been created in vitro (a petri dish)
Research is permitted for up to 14 days, after which the embryo must be destroyed. This is because
the primitive streak appears at 14 days and this is seen by some as marking the beginning of the
individual.
Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is permitted for medical conditions only. Sex-selection is
only allowed to prevent sex-linked genetic conditions.
