Component 1: Religious, Philosophical and Ethical Studies in the Modern World Theme 3: Good and Evil

Good

good - that which is considered morally right, beneficial and to our advantage

* "those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of god”

Evil

evil - that which is considered extremely immoral, wicked and wrong

* love does no wrong to a neighbour

\

Forgiveness

to grant pardon for a wrongdoing; to give up resentment and the desire seek revenge against a wrongdoer

* forgive not seven times but 77

Free will

the ability to make choices voluntarily and independently. The belief that nothing is pre-determined

* the fall- eve eating the fruit

Justice

fairness; where everyone has equal provisions and opportunity

* the day of judgement

Morality

principles and standards determining which actions are right or wrong

* I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in

Punishment

a penalty given to someone for a crime or wrong they have done

* you will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life

Sin

deliberate immoral action, breaking a religious or moral law

* I have sinned against heaven and against you

Suffering

pain or distress caused by injury, illness or loss. Suffering can be physical, emotional/psychological or spiritual.

* when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

how do people make moral decisions?

* we use our conscionce
* free will
* past experiences
* the law
* and the consequences of breaking the law
* consultations with religious leaders or community elders
* moral exemplers- Martin Luther King Jr
* situation ethics

what is wrong?

any act or pattern of behaviour that goes against accepted moral, religious or ethical codes is considered to be wrong

it can be situational or relative - e.g. stealing

what is absolute morality?

* this is when a person has a principle or moral rule, such as do not kill, and believes that it is wrong to kill in all situations, no matter what the context or circumstance is.
* e.g. killing is wrong always
* roman catholics
* quakers

what is relative morality?

* moral principles can be adapted in certain situations
* e.g do not kill well maybe in self defence
* protestants
* humanists
* What would Jesus do? - evangelicals

what are the seven heavenly virtues?

* chastity - no sex until marriage
* temperance - not drinking alcohol
* charity - volunteering time and effort
* diligence - careful and persistent effort
* patience - acceptance or tolerance of problems
* kindness - compassion towards others
* humility- modest view of your own importance

\

practicing these virtues is believed to keep people safe from the temptation to commit sin. Thomas aquinas came up with these

crime vs sin

* some sins are not considered crimes in our society, e.g adultery or working on a sunday
* unlike crime, which can lead to punishment, sin can lead to personal sufferings, offending god or excommunication or even exclusion from heaven.

what are some causes of crime?

* peer pressure
* media
* violence on tv and in video games
* poor education
* poor mental health
* exclusion from school
* drugs/alchohol
* poor parenting
* abusive/violent family
* broken homes
* unemployment
* poverty

what are different types of punishment (they all have different aims)

PROTECTION

* to protect society from being victims of crime
* prison sentence removes a criminal from society

REPARATION/RESTORATIVE

* repairing damage done through crime
* community service for vandals

VINDICATION

* effective punishment that shows that the law and government deserve respect and should be followed. This allows people to have confidence in the law and government and respect the roles they play in creating order

RETRIBUTION

* revenge an eye for an eye
* e.g. death penalty

DETERRENCE

* to put others off crime
* crime isn’t cool its cringe and has consequences
* death penalty

REFORMATION

* attempts to address the cause of crime by rehabilitating or reforming offenders so that they can understand why their action was an offence. Reform can take the shape of therapy, counselling, education or traing

What is Justice?

* fairness, fair trial and punishment that fits the crime
* key feature of a moral sociuety
* the punishment should reflect the severity of the crime

prisons in Britain

* number of inmates too high
* high reoffending number
* some prionsers get training to get back into society
* some can learn more crimes - if you put a bunch of criminals together they can just learn more ways to stab someone with a butter knife

christian attitudes to punishment and justice

* christians teach forgiveness, so they do not agree with retribution as a punishment
* believe in justice so forgiveness and punishment should go together
* Jesus forgave judas also father forgive them they don’t know what they are doing
* christians tend to support punishment practices that lead to forgiveness, for example restorative justice programmes in prisons
* Jesus taught compassion and not revenge and because of this, many christians have been actively involved in prison reform to ensure that people are treated humanely in prison.
* they believe that it is important to recognise and addresses the causes of crime in order to restore social justice and prevent crime.
* let justice roll open like a river, righteousness like a never- failing stream
* give people a second chance

Describe the role of Prison Chaplains

* a chaplain is a minister or priest etc.
* they are attached to non religious institutions such as prisons, schools, hospitals
* their job is to provide pastoral care
* they provide counselling and support especially but not limited to their spiritual needs
* help prisoners renter the community
* families of inmates can receive help
* 32% aren’t religious
* follow in Jesus footsteps
* chaplains are not there to judge

describe the role of prison reformers - Elizabeth Fry

* Reduce the use of prison. Improve conditions for prisoners. Promote equality and human rights in the criminal justice system.
* quaker
* helped female prisoners
* helped hygiene and comfort in prisons
* helped to get fairer trials

The death penalty quotes

“Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death.” 

**Exodus 21:12**

 

 

“you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth…” 

**Exodus 21:23-25**

 

 

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.”

**Jesus – Matthew 5:38-39**

 

 

“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. **2** Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. **3** For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. **4** For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.”

**St Paul – Romans 13:1-4**

 

 

“The common good of the whole society is greater and better than the good of any particular person. "The life of certain pestiferous men is an impediment to the common good which is the concord of human society. Therefore, certain men must be removed by death from the society of men." This is likened to the physician who must amputate a diseased limb, or a cancer, for the good of the whole person.”

**St Thomas Aquinas – Summa Theologica**

 

 

“Today… there is an increasing awareness that the dignity of the person is not lost even after the commission of very serious crimes. In addition, a new understanding has emerged of the significance of penal sanctions imposed by the state. Lastly, more effective systems of detention have been developed, which ensure the due protection of citizens but, at the same time, do not definitively deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption. Consequently, the Church teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person and she works with determination for its abolition worldwide.”

**Catechism of the Catholic Church**

where is capital punishment used?

94 countries

america

china

iran

saudi arabia

some countries you can be executed not just for murder e.g. homosexuality

Arguments for the death penalty

* follows the old testaments - an eye for an eye
* whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed
* the Old Testament species 36 capital offences that can be punished by death e.g murder and blasphemy
* some christians believe that the death penalty was not only approved but created by God
* upholds the commandment of do not kill by showing the severity of the crime of murder
* some crimes are severe and the people cannot be reformed like rapists
* Catholic Church in 1997 issued a statement saying that execution was acceptable where the identity of the person was confirmed and it was necessary to protect the public
* we need a deterrent
* m thatcher said murders should be prepared to be murdered
* jail is expensive

\

arguments against the death penalty

* only god has the right to take a life
* goes against sanctity of life
* all life is precious and only God should end it
* thou shall not kill
* Jesus taught us to be compassionate and forgiving
* Jesus forgave a woman for adultery and pleaded the forgiveness of his executioners
* favour reform over execution - chaplains
* turn the other cheek
* never enough evidence- sometimes innocent people are executed
* quakers have campaigned against it for ages
* do not repay anyone evil for evil
* humanists think premeditated killing is wrong
* raises the possibility of error - cannot be reversed
* amnesty international

Does true forgiveness exist?

* forgiveness is essential, it enables wrongs to be acknowledged and relationships to be rebuilt
* to forgive properly we need to remember the wrongs done, analyse them , understand them, accept them and then continue to live our lives.
* some people believe that there are some things that cannot be forgiven. e.g. murder
* humanists say forgiveness is crucial

christian attitudes to forgiveness

* forgive and you will be forgiven
* forgive us our sins as we forgive those who trespass against us
* blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy.
* forgiving the adulterous woman - he who has not sinned can throw the first stone
* the lost son
* forgive not seven times but seven fold
* how to get forgiveness: confession, atonement, faith in God

ray and vi donovan - forgive sons murderor

example of not being able to forgive

* Julie nicholson
* was an anglican priest
* daughter was killed
* quit job
* couldn’t forgive bomber
* suggests Jesus didn’t forgive on the cross but asked his father to forgive for him

what are the two types of evil?

* Natural evil: causes of

suffering within the natural

world.
*  Moral evil: intentional human action or inaction that results in suffering.

what are the two ways of presenting the problem of evil?

* The evidential problem of evil:

Whereas the logical problem is concerned with the existence of any amount of evil, the evidential problem of evil is concerned with why an all-loving, all-powerful God would allow so much evil in the world. The more evidence we can find of evil in the world, the less likely it becomes that an all-powerful all-loving God exists.

* The Logical Problem of Evil:

the inconsistent triad

^^The logical problem of evil argues that the existence of evil is logically incompatible with the existence of an all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good God.^^

god is omnipotent

god is omnibenevolent

evil exists

responses to the problem of evil

* Human beings have been given free will. If we are truly free then we need

to be able to choose between both good and evil acts and sometimes people will choose to do evil.
*  Evil entered the world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve. They were told not to eat form the tree of knowledge but they disobeyed God. This was an act of moral evil form their own free will. Since they disobeyed God, they deserved to be punished for their actions.
*  Humans were created in a state of development. We have to become morally perfect through making the right choices. However, if we are never tested, then our choices are meaningless. Bad things that happen, like natural disasters or ideas give us the opportunity to develop moral virtues.

John Hick

argued that the process of soul making is a response to evil in the world. if evil did not exist then we would not be able to develop ourselves spiritually

we can’t understand gods plan

St Irenacus

By creating imperfect humans, individuals are given the chance to develop and grow through a soul-making process into children of God. Irenaeus stated that eventually good will overcome evil and suffering.

st augustine

evil is the absence of good

satan

evil is because of a force a temptation

Predestination

the idea that god has already chosen who gets to reach salvation