Section 8.1 Rights and Responsibilities Flashcards
Should Christians only use the Bible?
FOR (4)
P: Fundamental Christians believe that it’s the literal word of God
E: God speaks directly to them through the Bible
E: It’s therefore completely right and following God’s will
P: It contains rules accepted in society
E: The Decalogue e.g Do not kill
E: It’s filled with God’s laws on how people should act
P: It contains the teachings of Jesus
E: The Good Samaritan
E: It shows how Jesus would act in moral situations
P: It’s easily available for Christians
E: Most Christians own a Bible
E: They can get answers themselves
Should Christians only use a Bible?
AGAINST (4)
P: Although inspired by God, it was written by humans
E: Liberal Christians don’t think that it’s the literal word of God
E: It needs to be seen through the context of history as it was written hundreds of years ago
P: It does not contain information on all moral issues
E: Stem cell research, organ transplant surgery
E: In order to find an answer you need to look somewhere else
P: Other moral authorities should be used
E: The Church, Priests
E: These can give you a more rounded and specific moral view
P: It can be long and difficult to understand
E: There is around 700,000 words in the Bible
E: So you might not find what you’re looking for
Should Christians only use Church teachings?
FOR (4)
P: The Church is the body of Christ
E: ‘Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it’ (1 Corinthians)
E: Through the Church, Jesus continues to act in the world today
P: The current leaders of Church have divine authority
E : Authority to teach was given by Jesus to Apostles and has been passed down in the Bible
E: This means they know God’s will
P: Church teachings come from Jesus
E: In the New Testament, Christ is called ‘the head of the body, the Church’
E: Jesus is the Messiah and every Christian should follow his teachings
P: Clear guidance can given
E: The Synod is a gathering of C of E members to discuss important moral issues. Their decisions are passed on to Priests who pass it on to the congregation
E: No way of getting it wrong
Should Christians only use Church teachings?
AGAINST (4)
P: Situation ethics
P: Conscience says something different
P: Some may not have access to the clergy
E: Therefore cannot seek the Church’s guidance
P: Not all Priests agree on all matters
E: Beliefs on abortion and the death penalty varies
E: Sometimes the answer is not clear
Should Christians use the conscience?
FOR (4)
P: It’s a natural guide
E: Joseph Butler says ‘Had it strength as it had right, it would absolutely govern the world’
E: The conscience is a supreme authority of human nature given by God
P: God made man in his image
E: Bible - ‘So God created them in his own image’
E: God would have a perfect and moral conscience and therefore so do we
P: The RCC says you should always trust and use your conscience
E: Catechism - ‘He is not forced to act in a manner contrary to his conscience’
E: The Church and Catechism holds the word of God so God agrees with using your conscience
P: Readily available - always there
E: No need to rely on going to Church
E: You would always know what to do
Should Christians use their conscience?
AGAINST (4)
P: The conscience could be biased towards personal preference
E: Decisions could be made from conscience based on false facts and selfishness
P: Your conscience may be wrong
E: Peter Sutcliffe murdered because his conscience told him to
E: Christians should look at the Bible and Church teachings before using their conscience
P: Conscience not from God, but environment
E: Freud says that conscience is created to stop ourselves from carrying out desires which may be considered wrong in our society
E: Our conscience depends on our upbringing, meaning it doesn’t tell us what God wants us to do
P: We may understand other sources better
E: The Bible or the Church
E: We can know God’s will clearly through those sources, whereas conscience is more difficult
Should Christians use Situation Ethics?
FOR (4)
P: Jesus’ teaching
E: Agape, unconditional love
E: This is what Jesus said and he is the messiah so you should follow his teachings
P: Jesus is a role model for this approach
E: He healed a paralysed man on Sabbath
E: He overruled the Old Testament
P: It’s based on the well being of others
E: Divorce
E: Sometimes breaking the rule is the most loving thing to do
P: It’s more useful than rigidly following commandments in the Bible
E: ‘Sabbath was made for man, not man for Sabbath’
E: Following laws for law’s sake doesn’t make any sense
Should Christians use situation ethics?
AGAINST (4)
P: It goes against fundamental commandments in the Bible
E: Decalogue ‘thou shall not kill’
E: It might be kinder to kill someone who is suffering
P: Rules are put in place for the wellbeing of the followers
E: It’s difficult to think rationally when you are directly affected e.g getting an abortion
E: Rules were put in place because humans are likely to be selfish and sinful if they try to decide for themselves
P: It might lead to evil acts
E: Many disagree on the most loving thing to do as it’s subjective. The Yorkshire Ripper believed murder was good.
E: Could allow terrible things to happen
P: Difficult to predict consequences
E: Abortion- a baby could improve someone’s life even if the mother does not want it herself
E: It’s difficult to predict whether the consequences will be the most loving thing even if the action is
What do Christians think about Human Rights?
P: Imago Dei
E: Genesis: ‘God created man in his own image’
E: Every human is created by God in his image so we are all equal in his eyes
P: The teachings of the Bible uphold human rights
E: 10 Commands support most human rights
E: The Bible is the word of God, therefore God values human rights
P: The teachings of the Church uphold many human rights
E: Desmond TuTu campaigned for human rights, using his position to fight against the apartheid
E: The Church is the body of Christ on earth, therefore Jesus value human rights
P: Jesus is a role model for the protection of people’s human rights
E: He defended outcasts such as tax collectors and prostitutes
E: This shows Jesus value human rights and therefore Christians should too
Why do Christians use a variety of sources when making a moral decision?
P: To see what the majority says
E: Both the Bible and the RCC think abortion is immoral
E: Finding out what the majority says makes the decision easier
P: It’s an important decision
E: Abortion
E: Christians will want to make the right choice so they will look at it from all angles
P: Some sources have more divine power than others
E: The Bible has a lot more divine power than Situation Ethics
E: Important for Christians to acknowledge the word of God whilst making a moral decision
P: Specific situation
E: Stem cell research not included in the Bible
E: Not every source will include your specific situation so you have to use others to evaluate
Why is it important to take part in electoral processes?
P: You can have your say in how the country is run
E: By electing political parties into power, you are choosing policies by which the country is run
P: Your chance to have a voice
P: You can change things
E: Voting in referendums
P: One vote can make all the difference
E: April 17 1999, Atal Bihari Vajpayee lost his Prime Ministership by one vote
P: Everyone is affected by decisions decided in votes
E: e.g. everyone will have to Brexit, not just those who voted Leave
Should humans experiment with genetic engineering?
FOR (4)
P: Genetic engineering offers a cure for many diseases
E: Genetically modified mosquitoes could help cure Dengue Fever
E: This could help save millions of lives
P: Pros of GM crops
E: Making food more disease resistant so more food survives
E: This could help feed more people and end malnutrition
P: Renewable fuel
E: This could help solve many problems, like global warming
E: Could benefit environment greatly
P: Medicine
E: It could help cure genetic diseases like cystic fibrosis
E: Many lives could be saved
Should humans experiment with genetic engineering?
AGAINST (4)
P: There are long-term consequences
E: Dolly the Sheep, the first mammal to be cloned,died at age 6, half the life expectancy for a sheep
E: If we tried to genetically engineer humans, we could end up shortening lives rather than prolonging them
- P: For stem cell research, an embryo is a potential human life.
E: UK used to see it that way with the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act
E: It can be seen as murder. - P: Technologies could be used for evil.
E: Creating biological weapons.
E: It could do more harm than good. - P: Could it be a slippery slope?
E: We could end up with designer babies.
E: We could end up doing immoral things.
B) Do you think voting is important?
AGAINST (2)
P: It does not represent your views
E: Proportional representation in UK
E: If you live a borough that is predominantly a view that s different from your own, your own view won’t be accounted for
P: In certain countries voting is only a front
E: African countries
E: Important decisions are decided by a circle of elites, and not by voting
B) Do you think voting is important?
FOR (2)
P: You can have your say in how the country is run
E: By electing political parties into power, you are choosing policies by which the country is run
P: One vote can make all the difference
E: April 17 1999, Atal Bihari Vajpayee lost his Prime Ministership by one vote
