Making moral decision. Flashcards
Some Christians use only the Bible because…
•It is the word of God (absolute authority)
•Has God’s teachings on how to behave e.g. the Decalogue
•Has Jesus’ teachings on how to live e.g. Sermon on the Mount
•Records Jesus’ actions which Christians want to follow
BUT others do not think it is overly important because it was written by humans, inspired by God. “All scripture is inspired by God” (2 Timothy 3:16)
The Church explains the Bible for today. It can do this because…
- The Church is the ‘Body of Christ’
- God speaks to the world today through the Church
- By following the Church all believe the same thing
- Church authority for RCs comes from the Magisterium
Why do Christians use conscience to make moral decisions?
- Believe it is God speaking to them
- Church says they should follow their conscience
- St Paul said the conscience should be the last part of the decision making process
Why don’t Christians use conscience to make moral decisions?
- Could be mistaken e.g. Yorkshire Ripper
- Follow the Church or the Bible means all do the same
- Life would be chaotic if everyone did their own thing and not what the Law said
Who came up with situation ethics?
Joseph Fletcher
Why do Christians use situation ethics to make moral decisions?
- Jesus acted in a similar way
- Should only do things that lead to good results
- Jesus’ said ‘love thy neighbour’
- Christianity is a religion based on love
Some christians do not use situation ethics because…
- Bible is the word of God which should not over ruled
- Christians should all do the same thing
- Church knows what is best
- Can never know all of the facts
Why use a variety of sources to make decisions?
Protestants might use the Bible for things like adultery. It is hard to do this with modern issues like contraception. They may then turn to the Church or their own conscience.
