Making moral decisions (Christianity)

Making moral decisions (Christianity)

1. Bible

   • Why they do use it
     • It contains the teachings of Jesus
     • It contains rules accepted in society, for example the DECALOGUE
     • The bible is not influenced by present culture and society
     • The church says to use the bible
     • The bible is God's word
     • It shows what Jesus would do in situations
     • It shows how the apostles dealt with moral issues in the early Church
   • Why they don't use it
     • The bible was affected by the society and culture the writers lived in
     • The bible was written by people who had a particular message to spread
     • The bible was written by people who are only human and may make mistakes
     • The bible has been translated from the original language it was written in, so it might not be accurate
     • The bible does not contain information about all moral issues

2. Church

   • Why the Church has authority for some
     • The church is the Body of Christ on earth and so it is able to teach as Jesus would
     • Authority to teach was given to the apostles by Jesus, and this authority has been passed down through the leaders of the Church
     • God is able to speak through the leaders of the Church
     • Christ is called the Head of the Church in the New Testament so Church teaching comes from Jesus
     • The Holy Spirit is present in the Church today
   • Why they do use it
     • They believe Church leaders have been appointed by God
     • They respect the tradition of the Church
     • The bible says "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up" (Ephesians 4:11-12)
     • "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God" (Romans 13:1-2)
     • The bible teaches "And he is the head of the body, the church" (Colossians 1:18)
     • The belief that Christ is head of the Church

3. Conscience

   • Description of conscience
     • "Conscience is a man's compass" (Vincent van Gogh, 1853-90)
     • "Your conscience is the measure of the honesty of your selfishness. Listen to it carefully" (Richard Bach 1936-)
     • "The application of knowledge to activity" (Thomas Aquinas 1225-74)
     • "A principle planted within us, before we have had any training" (John Henry Newman 1801-90)
   • The role of conscience
     • It makes you feel guilty if you do wrong
     • It helps a person make a decision
     • It encourages a person to do good
     • It reminds a person of their duties to other people
     • It is easy to use
     • It makes you think about what would make others happy

4. Situation ethics

   • Why they should use
     • It is based on Jesus' teaching
     • It is personal, so can take into account culture and the particular time in history the decision is being made
     • It is based on the well-being of other people; it is not selfish
     • Doing the loving thing is doing what God wants
   • Why the should not use
     • All religions have religious rules that are put in place for the well-being of their followers
     • St Paul points out that the law was put in place because humans are likely to be selfish and sinful if they try to decide themselves
     • It might lead to evil acts being regarded as acceptable
     • The idea of love could be difficult to apply if a person is personally involved