mock essays

Seite 1

(A) Examine the religious principles involved in the teaching of one religion about marriage.

Intro:

Christianity follow the bible therefore believe marriage is mainly between a man and a woman.

1st paragraph - old Christianity teachings

sex out side of marriage was deemed a sin and evil

marriage was only between one man and one woman only

Jesus said that if a woman's husband dies, she cannot re-marry as it can be seen as spiritual adultery.

marriage is a gift from God and no less

you cannot brake a vow.

2nd paragraph

these days, although the teachings are still strict, but there is more flexibility.

The Catholic church is still against divorce but has said that it is acceptable if there is abuse or miss use of trust.

Marriage is no long the only purpose to re produce it, is also must be consist of love, commitment and honesty.

(B) 'The traditional religious attitudes that gay and lesbian couples should not be able to marry is unfair' Assess this view

most religions have always been un-accepting of homosexuals marring.

Sikhism, Judaism, and many other old religions have always condemned homosexuality as unnatural, and therefore many still do not allow gay marriages with in their religion.

Traditionally in Christianity homosexuality marriages and activity has been seen as a sin, this is possibly down the the OT in the bible Leviticus 18:22 'thou shall not lie with a man, as one lies with a woman. This is detest-full.

2nd paragraph

Although traditionally in Christianity the attitude towards gay and lesbian couples have not been able to marry, in 2009 the Quaker church meet in York and declared that any relationship that is a loving and commented one is "equal and worthy"

Also since the 30th of march 2013 gay and lesbian couples can get married in a church in England and Wales. Therefore traditionally religious attitudes towards gay and lesbian marriage in the past has been unfair but in recent years there has been a brake through with some religions being more accepting.

3rd Paragraph

In the early centuries, homosexuals were deemed evil and unnatural, many thought this because in Genesis 2 it says that the purpose of a man and woman was to reproduce, this was one of the main issues that Christianity and Judaism deemed homosexuality as going against god and therefore had to be punished.

This agrees with the statement that traditional religious attitudes were unfair to gay and lesbian couples and strongly disagreed with them being able to get married.

4th Paragraph

Many agree with this statement because even today, some people are still against homosexuals getting married and even the fact it is not deemed as a sin as in becoming more accepted across the world.

Strong traditional Christians use the world of the Bible against gay and lesbian couples getting married, but more liberal Christians have take an accepting view and said it is more loving to accept them because they did not choose who they are and who they love.

Conclusion

Gay and Lesbian couples, because of traditional religious attitudes not being able to get married, Is unfair because homosexuals haven't changed over the years, religion and society has and the fact that tradition has stopped homosexuals from getting married is unfair, because religion and law are too different things and we are governed by the law not religion and the fact that it was religion that was stopping them getting married is unfair and unjust.

(A) Explain, with examples, Aquinas' natural law ethical theory.

Intro:

Aquinas was a 13th centenary Italian philosopher who developed Aristotle's' idea of natural Law.

NL is deontological which means a theory concerned with the action its self meaning the motivation and purpose of the action and its out come and consequence are irrelevant according Aquinas NL

1st paragraph

Aquinas provide rules to help people understand NL. The primary precepts, this being 5 rules that you must follow in order to live up to gods ideal human: (W.O.R.L.D) Worship god, keep an Ordered society, Reproduce, Learn and educate, Defend and protect the innocent.

the PP are inflexible and cannot be changed

the secondary precepts are there to uphold the primary precepts: for example going to school upholds Learn and educate, also caring for the elderly upholds defend and protect the innocent.

2nd Paragraph

Aquinas also developed the virtues to bring people closer to God's idea human. Aquinas split the virtues into to two categories, the Cardinal Virtues. These are Prudence - being able to judge between actions, courage - confronting fear, justice - moderating between self interest and the needs of others and restraint - self control.

The second set of virtues are only given as a gift from god and can been reviles through the Bible, Corinthians 1:13 these are, charity, hope and faith.

3rd Paragraph

For Aquinas's NL the intention and and the act its self are important, for an act to be good both the intention and the act have to be good. For example, the act would be walking an old lady across the road, but for it to be a good act the intention has to be good, so if the intention is to impress someone by helping the old lady across the road, then is its not a good act.

Aquinas also developed the idea of real and apparent goods. A real good being something that educates us and is genuinely good for us and a apparent good being something we mistakenly think is good for us like, watching TV.

4th Paragraph

Aquinas believed that NL had four laws with in its self, these being Divine (the mind of god, we cannot understand) , Eternal(the word of god reveled through the bible), Natural (humans know that good is to be done and bad avoided) and Human (that everyday laws are governed by our legal system), Aquinas advised that through reason we should follow NL as it is a code that stretches between god & us.

Aquinas believed that the instructions of NL combined would lead to unity with god.

(B) "Natural Law does not provide an adequate basis for morality" Discuss how far this is true.

Intro:

Many would agree with this because it is a deontological theory which means a theory that is concerned with the actions rather than the intention or the out come. Many would think this is not an adequate basis for morality because you can have good intention and have a good out come by a bad actions, for example stealing a loaf of bread in order to feed a starving child. NL says this is morally wrong because stealing goes against an ordered society which is one of the PP that Aquinas developed to help people understand NL.

1st paragraph

Others would say that it is an adequate basis for morality because it treats everyone equal, because it is an absolutism theory which says that every situation is the same, for example abortion is always wrong because it goes against the PP of depending and protect the innocent.

2nd paragraph

On the other hand, many disagree because that it isn't an adequate basis for morality because