good conduct and key moral principles Flashcards
Justification by faith
The belief that a person can achieve salvation only through faith and reliance on God’s grace, not through good deeds
Justification by faith in the thinking of Paul
Individuals are made righteous before God solely through their faith in Jesus Christ, rather than by observing the requirements of the Jewish law
Justification by faith in the thinking of Martin Luther
- He proclaimed the doctrine of sola fide
- For Luther, good conduct was the expression of a person’s faith, but it had no saving value whatsoever
Sola fide is…
a Latin term meaning “by faith alone”
Justification by works
The Biblical basis for this belief is the New Testament letter of James. The author pointed out that:
- faith on its own is useless
- faith is expressed through works
Why do many Christians accept the need for works?
Jesus’ teaching in the parable of the sheep and the goats
Justification by faith and works
Individuals are justified, or declared righteous before God, thorough a combination of their faith in Jesus Christ and their obedience fo God’s commands, demonstrating good works as a fruit of their faith
Justification by faith and works is a position taken by…
the Catholic Church at the Counter-Reformation, which was it’s response to the Protestant Reformation
Predestination
The doctrine that God has decided who will be justified (and saved) and who will not
Predestination in the teaching of Paul
Paul’s letter to the Romans seems to imply that God chose and predestined certain individuals to receive salvation based on His sovereign will and not on any human merit or effort
Predestination in the teaching of Augustine
Augustine believed that God infallible knows who will be saved:
- Predestination is an act of grace; human goodness is the result and not the cause of election
Election in relation to Calvin’s teaching refers to…
God’s choice of some for salvation
Predestination in the teaching of Calvin
- God decided before creation who would be saved and who would be damned to hell
- Because of original sin, all humanity deserves damnation, so God’s act of electing some is entirely an act of grace
Double predestination refers to…
the Calvinist belief that God chose some humans for salvation and condemned others to eternal damnation
Catechism of the Catholic Church predestination quote
“God predestines no one to go to hell”
Sanctity of life refers to the belief that…
life is holy and infinitely precious
What is the sanctity of life based on?
Genesis 1:26-27
What does Genesis 1:26-27 state?
Humans are created in the image of God
In Christianity, the sanctity of life principle takes two forms - what are these two forms?
The strong principle and the weak
The strong sanctity of life principle
All humans have an absolute right to life that must never be taken away, e.g. by abortion or euthanasia
The weak sanctity of life principle
All human life is indeed sacred, but it is not absolutely so
Strong sanctity of life principle is held by _________ and some ___________
In this view, personhood begins at ___________
From conception, there is an absolute right to ____ and __________
Catholics
Protestants
conception
life
protection
Catechism of the Catholic Church 2270
“Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from … conception”
What does direct abortion refer to?
The deliberate termination of a pregnancy, where the death of the embryo/foetus is the intended result
Weak sanctity of life principle
- This view is held by the Church of England and many Protestants
- From fertilisation, the newly conceived being is a potential person rather than an actual one
- The Church of England views abortion as a great moral evil, but states that sometimes it might be the lesser of two evils
Positives of the sanctity of life principle
- it promotes respect for human life
- it encourages protection of the vulnerable
- it is true to the teaching of Jesus on agape and compassion
Negatives of the sanctity of life principle
- it ignores modern science which states that humans are simply evolved animals
- it promotes an anthropocentric view of the universe, which devalues animals, etc.
The Just War theory is…
a doctrine of military ethics that aims to ensure that a war is morally justifiable through a series of criteria
Proportionality in relation to war
The expected benefits must be proportional to expected harm and that the means used in war must be proportionate to the ends required
The effects of exploding a nuclear warhead can be assessed from…
the dropping oc atomic bombs in 1945 on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion in 1986
Chernobyl disaster 26 April 1986 - death toll
The official death toll directly attributed to Chernobyl that is recognized by the international community is just31 peoplewith the UN saying it could be 50
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The aerial bombings together killedbetween 129,000 and 226,000people, most of whom were civilians, and remain the only use of nuclear weapons in an armed conflict
What did Agent Orange do to humans?
Agent Orange was a toxic, plant-killing chemical (herbicide) that the U.S. military used to clear foliage during the Vietnam conflict
- Exposure to Agent Orange led to cancer, congenital (birth) disorders and life-threatening health complications
Pope Francis on nuclear weapons
He has urged the abolition of nuclear weapons, as did the two previous Popes
Joseph Fletcher on nuclear weapons
Fletcher’s book Situation Ethics implied that the 1945 nuclear attack was the most loving action in that particular situation
What are the five principles of the just war theory?
- just cause
- legitimate authority
- right intention
- probability of success
- proportionality
Why is the Afghanistan war controversial?
The attack on Afghanistan was illegal under international law and constituted unjustified aggression - leading to the deaths of many civilians through the bombing campaign
Dominion
Humans having power over the rest of the created world - power-based approach
Stewardship
Responsible care for the rest of the created world; humans are God’s agents
What is Laudable Si?
The encyclopedia written by Pope Francis, urging responsible care for the environment
The role of Christians as stewards of animals and the natural environment
Christians have a duty to do what they can to ensure they are environmentally responsible, emphasising the intrinsic value of animals and the natural environment
What is the Christian organisation for climate change?
Operation Noah
Operation Noah believes that…
the likelihood of runaway global warming raises questions that go to the heart of Christian faith - God’s creation is a gift that we have a duty to care for, and that the wellbeing of creation matters to God
