Moral Principles Revision Guide A02

Question 1

the Bible alone is sufficient for Christians to lead a moral life

Answer 1

• Church tradition has sometimes been corrupt
• e.g. Protestant reformers argued the Church was too interested in wealth/power
• the bible is needed to form judgements about whether Church teaching is sound
• human reason is faulty as a result of the Fall, the Bible is needed to override human reason
• Bible stories of Jesus and his teaching are the full and final revelation of God
• the Bible gives commandments, moral exemplars, wisdom literature and advice that is timeless and transcends culture

Question 2

the Bible alone is not sufficient for Christians to lead a moral life

Answer 2

• cannot be read without interpretation
• interpretation needs guidance from the Church and from reason
• The Bible was written long ago and there needs to be Church teaching and moral reasoning to see how to apply its teachings to the modern world
• some biblical teaching not applicable to the modern world at all like witches
• has contradictions and inaccuracies which make it an unreliable source
• people who rely on Biblical teaching tend to cherry pick certain verses and ignore others - there needs to be a further source of authority to keep a check on this
• biblical teaching can be interpreted in too many different ways

Question 3

Christiane ethics are distinctive

Answer 3

• Bible is a distinctive text which perhaps marks Christians apart from others
• sets Christians apart from Utilitarian approaches which begins with human desire
• Kantian ethics has no place for the Bible

Question 4

christian ethics are not distinctive

Answer 4

natural law has no place for the Bible but does not require it to interpret the moral messages available through reasoned reflection on creation

Question 5

christians ethics are personal

Answer 5

• morals should be about the individual
• if Jesus is a model for Christians they should be willing to look at the situation they are in as individuals and look to respond in a loving way rather than prescriptive or legalistic - he broke laws to keep his own ethical code

Question 6

christian ethics are communal

Answer 6

• bible is a book for the people not person of God
• you cannot examine scripture in a vacuum
• interpret it through particular traditions
• community of faith has claim over particular individuals

Question 7

the principle of love is sufficient to live a good life

Answer 7

• hard to imagine a good life without love
• communities have traditionally agreed to cooperate on agreed rules- where Church tradition and community come in to help everyone have a voice

Question 8

the principle of love is not sufficient to live a good life

Answer 8

• even Tillich thought love needed careful explanation
• love is a complex idea
• perhaps to reduce justice and honesty etc to love is to simplify them unreasonably and misses the point of what love is
• different interpretations of love
• love could motivate people to be individualistic and selfish - dangerous precedent in allowing rules to broken for loving reasons
• how would I know when i am been tempted bu sin when I use love to justify an illicit relationship
• Mouv just because there is one biblical commandment of love doesn’t meant there isn’t other commandments