Rights and Responsibilities

Rights and Responsibilities

1. Xians and the Bible

   • Why moral authority?
     • Word of God
       • God is omniscient, therefore true
     • Laws of God
       • Xians follow Decalogue from God
     • Leaders of early Church
       • Xians follow those teachings
     • Teachings of Jesus
       • Xians follow Jesus, contains parables
   • What believe?
     • literal word of God, God speaks through
     • literal word of God, needs interpretation
     • inspired by God, needs adaptation

2. Xians and the Church

   • Why moral authority?
     • God guides Church in teachings
     • Body of Christ; teachings are Jesus'
     • Trust leaders of Church
     • Teachings inspired by God

3. Xians and the conscience

   • DO follow
     • *Voice of God
     • *St Paul taught to follow
     • Always with you
     • Deals with every situation
   • DON'T follow
     • *Alternative options; deffo done right thing
     • *Not necessarily voice of God
     • Can lead to personal harm
     • Can lead to breaking the law

4. Xians and Situation Ethics

   • DO follow
     • Alternative to other sources
     • Xianity about love
     • Jesus overruled OT when unloving
     • Xians believe only do what produces good results
   • DON'T follow
     • No definite right/wrong
     • Leads to disobeying Church/Bible
     • Church knows better than individuals
     • Never know full context

5. Human Rights always right?

   • Yes
     • Improved gender equality + voting
     • No corporal punishment in schools
     • Helped victims of child prostitution
     • More able to stand up against oppression
   • No
     • Your rights can take others' away
     • National security- terrorists get same rights?
     • Terrorism act- police can arrest suspects for long time

6. Xians and Human Rights

   • Made in God's image; respect His creation
   • God loves all equally; treated equally too
   • Compatible with Bible
   • Xian values in Decalogue basis Human Rights

7. Electoral processes

   • Importance of voting
     • Affects taxes paid
     • When rubbish collected
     • Money spent on NHS
     • Curriculum in schools
   • Other ways to take part
     • Write to MP
     • Lobbying- petitions, demonstrations
     • Work for MPs
     • Stand for election yourself

8. Xian teachings moral responsibilities

   • Decalogue
   • Brother's keeper
     • Example is warning- must actively care for others
   • Sheep and Goats parable
     • Sheep welcomed for being loving, unloving went to hell
     • Importance for Xians
       • Shows moral duties
       • Right/wrong things to do e.g. food, water, sick
       • Teaches God's judgement
       • Shows how important to help others
   • Golden Rule

9. Genetic Engineering

   • Nature of..and cloning
     • Advantages
       • Modify humans to give other traits
       • Create army of soldiers/workers
       • Remove negative/defective traits
       • GM food grow in other climates
     • Disadvantages
       • Devalues life of clone
       • Prejudice against those who can't afford
       • Hugely expensive
       • No-one know the effects
   • Xian views
     • FOR
       • God gave "dominion over all"
       • Golden Rule- acceptable with painful diseases
       • Jesus example with healing
       • God gave the ability
     • AGAINST
       • Playing God
       • Research involving embryos= murder
       • God designs purposefully- defeats it
       • Created in God's image- don't alter