Good Conduct and Key Moral Principles

why is good conduct important? scriptures

why is good conduct important? scriptures

• ‘love thy neighbour’ - Christ’s instruction

• ‘blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy’ - helps receive reward in judgement

• ‘let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father’ - good example

disagreements on good conduct

• Bible has seemingly immoral teachings - Paul’s letter to Titus, slaves must be ‘submissive’

• some Christians believe you shouldn’t do good deeds for reward of heaven, but because it is right

• liberal Christians who believe in psychological realities - good conduct can bring about God’s kingdom on earth

Atonement meaning

Christ’s sacrifice that reconciles the relationship between God and His creation

Justification meaning

to be made righteous

Justification by Faith

• Martin Luther - ‘Sola Fide’

• Abraham’s FAITH drove him to his works

• Thief on the Cross granted ‘paradise’ not for good deeds but for showing faith in repenting

Justification by Works

• ‘faith without works is dead’

• Sheep & Goats - judgement is on deeds

• Abraham was justified in his WORK that was led by faith

• Jesus’ teachings emphasised good works eg, sermon on the mount

Predestination definition

• God has already decided who will be justified

• Romans 8:28-30, Paul suggests God ‘predestined’ some to ‘conform to the image of His son’

Predestination scholars

• Augustine - double predestination, God chooses to save an elect and leaves the rest immersed in sin, they can be redeemed through good works, though. Holiness is the result of election

• Calvin - God has chosen an ‘elect’ and the ‘reprobates’ who will be damned to Hell

Criticisms of predestination

• Pelagius - predestination is moral nonsense, everything god creates is good

• Aquinas - God is outside time, so does not will everything to happen

• Problem of Evil - how can a loving God predestine his creation to damnation

Sanctity of life

the belief that all life is intrinsically valuable and a god-given gift

Sanctity of life scriptures

‘the Lord breathed into his nostrils the breath of life’

‘so God created man in His image’ - human life is a reflection of god, any damage to it is an offence to God

Strong/Weak sanctity of life

strong - ALL life is sacred, no damage to it is EVER permissible

weak - circumstance must also be considered, some damage to human life is permissible

Quality of life principle

the quality of life a person has should also be taken into account in conversations on abortion/contraception/euthanasia

humans have a god-given right to autonomy and self-determination, they can make the choice

abortion/sanctity of life scripture

‘thou didst knit me together in my mother’s womb’

‘before I formed you in the womb I knew you’

• leads traditional denominations (Catholic) to believe life begins at conception

UK law on embryos

embryos are given special status under UK law only after 14 days when a rudimentary nervous system forms

Church of England permits abortion if…

• the mother’s life is in danger

• she is pregnant due to rape

• the child could suffer abuse

Just War Theory origins

proposed by Augustine, developed by Aquinas

early Christian theory developed before the invention of mechanical warfare and WMDs

Lus Ad Bellum meaning

conditions under which going into war would be permitted

Lus In Bello meaning

conditions under which a war must be fought when it has begun

Lus Ad Bellum principles

• just cause

• legitimate authority

• right intention

• probability of success

• last resort

• proportionality (benefits outweigh harm)

Lus In Bello principles

• principle of discrimination - non-combatants not directly attacked

• proportionality of means to ends - means to fight a war must be proportional to ends

nuclear weapons

thermonuclear bombs that gives of heat, a blast and radiation. Cause both immediate and long-term damage both to people and the environment. Large impact

Chemical weapons

chemical substances that can injure, incapacitate or kill, eg mustard gas in ww2

Biological weapons

bacteria and viruses, entomological warfare that causes illness

WMDs can be used under JWT

• can be the only option

• less loss of life than invading armies

• Fletcher implies Hiroshima was ‘most loving thing’

• cannot be uninvented

• conventional weapons are quickly becoming as destructive

WMDs cannot be used under JWT

• threat of future WMD uses, no probability of true success

• cannot discriminate and so harm civillians

• not proportional

• not available to all, unfair

• Pope Francis - ‘WMDs are intrinsically evil’

Stewardship definition

the belief that humans have the responsibility to look after God’s creation and care for it, as opposed to using it carelessly and how they see fit

Stewardship scripture

‘ the Earth is the Lord’s and everything in it’

‘and God saw that it was good’

Stewardship scholars

St. Francis of Assissi - we are all part of God’s creation

Sallie McFague/ecotheology - Christian attitudes of dominion cause the ecological crisis, we must change our language to focus on how God IS the earth to prevent this

Dominion definition

humans have the ability and authority to rule over God’s creation as it was given to them to use as they see fit

Dominion scripture

‘ rule over…’

‘everything that moves shall be meet to you’

‘you have put everything under their feet’

Dominion scholars

Descartes - animals are only automata, incapable of reason, therefore only humans are worthy of compassion

Aquinas - God gave humans animals and plants to use as they see fit