good conduct and key moral principles

Question 1

why does good conduct matter to christians

Answer 1

• christians should obey the teachings contained in the Bible which is the word of God
• the kingdom of god will be realised on earth through the way in which Christians care for others
• christians give glory for god by the way in which they live
• individual good conduct will be rewarded with eternal life in heaven

Question 2

what are the three ways christians could get into heaven

Answer 2

• justification by faith
• justification by works
• predestination

Question 3

what does it mean to be justified

Answer 3

• to be counted by god as righteous and so able to have a relationship with god

Question 4

what is pauls interpretation of justification by faith

Answer 4

• original sin = impossible for humans to have a good relationship w god
• only gods grace makes this possible
• faith doesnt justify, faith is a response to the gift of grace
• this is a new relationship with god, not a way of earning that relationship
• this has been the case forever

Question 5

what does martin luther think about justification by faith

Answer 5

• proclaimed the doctrine of sola fide (faith alone)
• taught that faith is passive; justification comes from what god achieves through the atoning death of christ
• good conduct was the expression of a persons faith but had no saving value whatsoever

Question 6

how can justification come about through works

Answer 6

• the biblical basis for this belief is the NT letter of James
• the author pointed out that:
  
  • faith on its own is useless
    - doesnt keep a poor person warm
    - even demons believe in god
  • faith is expressed through works
    - seen in Abrahams willingness to sacrifice his son

Question 7

why do christians accept the needs for works with justification

Answer 7

• Jesus’ teaching in the parable of the sheep and goats
  
  • judgment will be based on the individual human’s help for or failure to help those in need
  • no mention is made of faith

Question 8

what is the belief that justification comes about through faith and works

Answer 8

• catholic church belief taken by the catholic church at the counter reformation
• stated that some human effort was needed
• justification is gods gift to humanity
• given through the atonement of jesus and through baptism
• the power of the holy spirit enables us to live good lives
• living in the way god wants is an integral part of salvation

Question 9

what does predestination mean for salvation

Answer 9

• god has decided who will be justified and who will not

Question 10

what does paul say about predestination

Answer 10

• pauls letter to the romans implied that god had already decided who would go where
• many christians think this a distortion
• for paul, gods purposes cant be known by ppl
• paul might have been trying to say that because god is omniscient god knows what people would freely choose

Question 11

what did augustine teach about predestination

Answer 11

• god infallibly knows who will be saved
• predestination is an act of grace: human goodness is the result and not the cause of election (gods choice of someone for salvation)
• humans cant understand why he saves some and not others
• god predestines some to heaven whilst leaving others in their sinful state

Question 12

what does calvin teach about predestination

Answer 12

• calvin took augustines thinking to its logical conclusion in his teaching about double predestination
• before creation god decided who would be saved and who would go to hell
• because of original sin, all humans deserve damnation so gods act of election is entirely an act of grace

Question 13

why do catholics reject calvins teaching

Answer 13

• god predestines noone to hell; for this, wilful turning away from god (a mortal sin) is necessary, and persistence in it until the end

Question 14

why do other christians reject predestination

Answer 14

• it makes god unjust
• it isnt compatible with Jesus’ portrayal of God as unconditionally merciful, forgiving and loving
• it isnt compatible with free will

Question 15

what are the three comebacks to the christian problems with predestination

Answer 15

• calvin – humans cant understand gods will and the evil actions of the damned show gods decision was just
• calvinists – noone merits salvation so god saving anyone is a display of mercy
• gods omniscience is not a causative

Question 16

what are the two forms of the sanctity of life principle

Answer 16

• strong principle – all humans have absolute right to life that must never be taken away
• weak principle – all human life is sacred but it is not absolutely so
  
  • in exceptional circumstances, life saving treatment maybe omitted or withdrawn

Question 17

what is the strong sanctity of life principle

Answer 17

• the view held by catholics and some protestants
• personhood begins at conception
• theres an absolute right to life and conception
• this view is supported by scripture when God told Jeremiah he knew him before he was born

Question 18

what is the weak sanctity of life principle

Answer 18

• held by the church of england and many protestants
• a foetus has the right to respect because it will potentially become a person
• embryo research is ok before the 14 day cutoff
• cofE sees abortion as a moral evil but states it might be the lesser of two evils

Question 19

positives of the sanctity of life principle

Answer 19

• promotes respect for human life
• encourages protection of the vulnerable
• true to the teaching of jesus and agape

Question 20

weaknesses of the sanctity of life principle

Answer 20

• its views on abortion promote the patriarchal view of society in which women dont have equal rights to men
• in the strong form it can seen unloving and lacking in compassion

Question 21

what is the just war theory

Answer 21

• in its early history the church was pacifist
• over the centuries just war theory was developed largely by augustine and aquinas
• there are two main parts:
  
  • lus ad bellum – addresses the conditions when going to war might be justifiable
  • lus in bello – addresses the way war must be fought

Question 22

what are the five criteria for lus ad bellum

Answer 22

• just cause
• proportionality
• probability of success
• right intention
• legitimate authority

Question 23

what are the two criteria for lus ad bello

Answer 23

• discrimination
• proportionality of means to ends

Question 24

do weapons of mass destruction fit into the just war theory

Answer 24

• they could never fit the criteria of discrimination, proportionality and probability of success

Question 25

what are christian oppositions to the application of just war theory to weapons of mass destruction

Answer 25

• many christians view such weapons as intrinsically evil
• pope francis urged the abolition of nuclear weapons

Question 26

christian views accepting of the application of just war theory to weapons of mass destruction

Answer 26

• they cannot be uninvented
• situation ethics
• modern conventional warfare is just as bad

Question 27

why do some christians believe humans hold dominion

Answer 27

• the environmental damage caused by the pursuit wealth at any cost from the time of the industrial revolution
• it can also be seen in the practices of intensive farming

Question 28

why do some christians believe humans are stewards

Answer 28

• they are the guardians of creation, caring for it on behalf of god
• the role entails responsibility rather than privilege
• andrew linzey sees the world as theocentric (god centered) rather than anthropocentric