AS Ethics: Religious Ethics

a) Explain the ethical teachings of the religion you have studied. (25)

For Christians, morality is generally determined by the will of God, as they believe that anything God commands is right, therefore we should follow his commands and laws, as stated by the Divine Command Theory. There are a variety of sources from which Christians can turn to for moral guidance, including the Bible, God's law (such as the 10 Commandments), scriptures, parables and Jesus' teachings. However there is some variety within Christianity regarding how much importance should be given to each of these sources, as some believe that we should follow God's laws exactly as these tell us how he intended for us to live, whereas others reject legalism and turn to antinomianism, the belief that there are no fixed moral laws, and instead morality is the result of individual spontaneous acts. There is also some debate as to whether ethics based on religion should be absolute or relative. Some may believe they are absolute as God' will is universal and should therefore apply to everyone in all situations, whereas others argue that there are some situations in which God's will may not be clear, and therefore there is the possibility of leniency under certain circumstances where religious laws do not always have to be followed to the letter.

Firstly, Christians derive many of their religious ethics from the Jewish roots of Christianity, many of which are included in the Bible. This includes the belief that all humans were made in 'imago dei'. This implies that humanity was given a special status, especially when God 'breathed life into [Adam's] nostrils', which is symbolic of the special relationship between God and man. This suggests that the sanctity of life should always be the most important factor to consider when making ethical decisions. Therefore, anything that goes against this is wrong, including abortion and euthanasia, as they are disrespectful of the God-given gift of life. Christians also believe we have a duty to look after the world, as in the creation story, God gave us 'dominion over all the earth', which is interpreted to mean the concept of stewardship. This means that not only should we protect current life, but also look after the world to care for future generations as well.

Jesus' teachings are also one of the main sources that Christians turn to for moral guidance, as many of his parables and teachings contain messages and guidelines for how we should act and treat others. The message underlying the majority of all of Jesus' teachings is agape, the Christian concept of unconditional and universal love that is frequently emphasised and referred to in the Bible, especially in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus' teachings often suggest that while God's laws are obviously important, agape love should be the main factor we consider, and this will guide us to making the right moral decisions.

This concept of 'disinterested compassionate love' also forms the foundation for Joseph Fletcher's theory of Situation Ethics, which is another form of Christianity-based religious ethics. Fletcher developed this idea in the 1960s as the midpoint between legalism and antinomianism, and stated that as each individual circumstance is different, there should only be one fixed moral law that can be easily applied to all situations to determine the right thing to do. This moral law should be agape, as this is God's intention so must be intrinsically right. If we use agape to guide us in decision-making, we will always make the right and moral decision.

I didn't plan this essay very well, ran out of time before I could talk about Aquinas. But you should definitely mention how Aquinas developed Natural Moral Law, which is now the foundation of the Roman Catholic position, and we can make decisions based on the Primary Precepts, which will allow us to fulfil our God-given purpose.

Mark: 23/25