Good conduct and key moral principles

Question 1

Why is good moral conduct important to Christians?

Answer 1

-Brings reward of earning a place in heaven and avoids being sent to hell.
-Faith in Jesus is the basis for good conduct
-St Paul urges Christians to abandon bad conduct(deceitful lust) and adopt a new moral nature that befits what they learnt in Christ.

Question 2

What did Jesus say act good conduct on his Sermon on the Mount?

Answer 2

“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your father who is in heaven”- Good conduct therefore glorifies God

Question 3

What is Christian morality largely based on?

Answer 3

The view that God is Omnipotent and Omniscient so is the lawgiver and controller of all things- must be controller of morality

Question 4

What is justification by faith

Answer 4

Theological concept that emphasises that belief that FAITH in JC is the means by which individuals are justified or declared righteous in the eyes of God.

-Concept often associated w teachings of Martin Luther in Prot Ref

Question 5

What are the three types of weapons of mass destruction ?

Answer 5

1)Nuclear weapons: effects inc heat, blast and radiation, can reach 7million degrees- third degree burns. April 1986 explosion at Chernobyl power plant released cloud of radioactive dust. Effects of global nuclear war are incalculable esp in terms of environmental damage.

2)Chemical weapons: Effects inc injury, incapacitation or death. WW1 Mustard gas caused blindness, lung damage and death. Phosgene responsible for 85% of 100,000 deaths by chem weapons.

3)Biological weapons: Inc bacteria and viruses- most feared form of warfare. Entomological warfare uses insects to deliver biological agents such as plague. Botulinum toxin- one gram can kill 1 mill ppl if inhaled.

Question 6

What boundaries of the JWTH do weapons of mass destruction break?

Answer 6

1. Discrimination- Weapons of mass destruction cannot discriminate as equally as likely to kill non-combatants as they are to destroy military targets so breach principle of discrimination.
2. Proportionality- Principle 6 in lus ad bellum , harm done by such weapons can never be proportionate to good that you are aiming for. Principle 2 Lus in bello- weapons of mass destruction can never be proportionate to ends desired- v true for nuclear weapons where their use is likely to render any affected area contaminated and unusable for decades.
3. Probability of success- Fighting an unwindable war would be futile. E.g fighting w airburst nuclear weapons would be as deadly to aggressors as intended victims. A full-scale nuclear confrontation would result in massive casualties and environmental destruction for all sides. Principle 4 in lus ad vellum- such wars have no probability of success

Question 7

Why do Christians argue the JWTH can’t be applied to weapons of mass destruction?

Answer 7

The evil threatened or caused by them would be out of proportion to any hoped for good effects and could never be just. Many Christians describe nuclear weapons as intrinsically evil.

Question 8

What did Pope Francis say about nuclear weapons?

Answer 8

He urged for abolition of nuclear weapons and many prot churches take on a similar view e.g they recommended the ‘Trident’ (UK’s submarine based nuclear detergent) shouldn’t be renewed.

Question 9

Why do some Christians see the rejection of nuclear weapons as unrealistic and unworkable?

Answer 9

• Chemical, biological and nuclear weapons cannot be uninvented and it would be naive e.g to imagine countries will voluntarily give up their nuclear weapons, how would they A. dispose of them and B. protect their country.

-Smaller nations can use nuclear weapons to deter larger and more powerful countries- would be suicidal for them to give up a nut deterrent- what would they have left to stop large countries from mounting a full scale attack?

-If Czech had a nuclear deterrent in 1939, Hitler wouldn’t have been able to invade them w/out retaliation that would obliterate most of Germany.

-Fletcher implied the 1945 nuclear attack was the most loving action in that pitch.

Question 10

Compare nuc weapons w physical ones. Are they equally as bad?

Answer 10

For some, invasion and conquest by another country is worse than nuclear weapons. The abolition of nuclear weapons would merely return us to conventional forms of warfare which are becoming a lot deadlier.

Question 11

What does dominion mean?

Answer 11

Humans having power over the rest of the created world.
Christians believe they have dominion over animals - to some this means virtually unrestricted power over animals/environment.

Question 12

What does it mean in Pslam 8:3-8 when it says ‘thou hast made him little less than God’?

Answer 12

It means we are just below God so we have dominion and power over God’s creation. God is the top ranking but humans closely follow. Because of this the bible places no ‘intrinsic value’ on lives of animals, only instrumental.

Question 13

Explain the quote from Genesis: ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea’

‘Fill the Earth and subdue it’

Answer 13

We are made in imago dei- human power over creation is reinforced.

Link to creation of Adam and Michelangelo.

Question 14

What is significant about the Jewish word ‘selem’?

Answer 14

Means a physical copy/image , was used to reference various God’s that shouldn’t be worshipped.

Question 15

Give a quote to do w Noah’s ark art the world fearing humans

Answer 15

‘Fill the earth. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth’ (Genesis 9)

‘Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you’

Question 16

How can we see societally that humans have dominion over animals?

Answer 16

Pursuit of wealth from Industrial Revolution to modern times at the terrible cost of animal suffering. Seen in intensive farming

Question 17

Give quotes to support caring towards animals

Answer 17

Peter singer- “their suffering isn’t just for one day but for all their lives’

PETA- “Animals aren’t tool sheds to be raided but complex intelligent beings”

Question 18

Discuss the anthropocentric view of the environment that humans have?

Answer 18

Humans see themselves as pinnacle of creation against which everything else is measured then found to be of lesser value.

A mindset that can be understood from perspective of ancient Israelite culture but no relevance in terms of modern cosmology. - Encourages human arrogance.

Question 19

Discuss anthropomorphism in relation to dominion and stewardship.

Answer 19

It means representing God as having human form, personality or attributes or ascribing human characteristics to what is not human. Animals and God given human characteristics shows human intellectual arrogance- animals not valued for what they are but for how human they might be( we value a dog more than a snail). E.g of posters of smiling chickens delighted to be served up at a fast food restaurant?.

The world is plundered for raw materials to increase wealth, world only a means to an end. If Bible encourages anthropocentricity and anthropomorphism then it encourages environmental destruction.

Question 20

Link the ‘doctrine of the fall’ to dominion and stewardship

Answer 20

World was corrupted by satan, and by sin of Adam and Eve- some believe role of humans after this was to control an environment that had already been damaged by sin and had to be kept in submission.

Question 21

How does St Thomas Aquinas link to humans having dominion over animals?

Answer 21

He ascertains that humans only have indirect duties to animals. He followed Aristotles theology of ‘hierarchy of souls’ - animals just part of human food chain. He rejected to cruelty to animals but only bc he believed it would lead to cruelty in humans themselves.

Question 22

What do Descartes and Aquinas believe about animals and souls?

Answer 22

Christians don’t believe animals have souls in general. Aq and Des believed without souls animals were not rational, self-aware beings so couldn’t feel pain.

Question 23

Examine the role of Christians as stewards of the natural environment and animals.

Answer 23

Most Christians today reject dominion in sense of power based relationship instead interpreting Genesis 1 and Psalm 8 in terms of stewardship. Humans are guardians of creation, caring for it on behalf of God and their role entails responsibility rather than privilege.

Question 24

Where in the Bible does it support humans as caring Stewards?

Answer 24

‘God saw all he had created and it was good’ - Beauty of environment and intrinsic value of animals

‘How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures’ Psalm 104

Question 25

What do Christians think of the global environmental crisis?

Answer 25

Many ascertain we need to take action about the burning of fossil fuels, global warming and pollution of the land, sea and space.

Many churches being urged to promote eco-theology and use eco-friendly practises.

A Rocha is an international Christian environmental organisation w projects in many different countries.

Question 26

What did Pope Francis say in his encyclical Laudato si?

Answer 26

He addresses environmental crisis, rejecting an anthropocentric attitude and urging responsible care.

“We are not God. The earth was here before us and it has been given to us”

“We must forcefully reject the notion that our being created in God’s image and given dominion over the earth justifies absolute dominion over other creatures”