Christian moral principle Flashcards
Why do conservative and fundamental christians believe the Bible is literal and should not be interpreted? (Biblical evidence)
In 2 Timothy 3:16, Christians are clearly taught that the Bible is ‘God-Breathed’ - God is the author of all that is in scripture and the Bible therefore cannot be wrong
Reasons why the Bible does need interpreting
-It was written over the course of around 1000 years, in vastly different cultural, linguistic and historical settings
-The Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, and every translation involves interpretation. Some words and phrases have no exact equivalent in modern languages, requiring translators to make interpretive decisions
-for example:
The Hebrew word “yom” (translated as “day” in Genesis 1) can mean a 24-hour day, but it can also refer to a longer, indeterminate period of time.
-Contradictions in the Bible, for example, Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 describe the order of creation differently. Interpreting these texts with an emphasis on their theological meaning rather than exact historical or scientific accuracy resolves these tensions.
Define Heteronomy
Moral authority comes from the combination of Church, Bible and reason. this is mainly a Catholic view
This topic is about the theological debate over what is the source of moral principles for Christians. There are three main views:
1)Heteronomy
2)Theonomy
3)Autonomy
Define Theonomy
Moral authority comes from God, which we access through God’s revelation in the Bible. This often involves suggesting the Church has less authority than the Bible. This is typically a protestant view.
Define Autonomy
Individual people have to figure out for themselves what is right or wrong. E.g. situation ethics.
The Bible cannot be the only source of Christian authority
-conscience and learning can allow us to know what is good/bad/right/wrong
-the Bible cannot be said to be comprehensive and so reason allows Christians to consider biblical ideas and develop them according to what is known about the contemporary world
-moral authority can also be found in teachings of Church tradition where theologians have continued to develop Christian principles in new circumstances
-some Christian scholars argue that the Bible is descriptive and not prescriptive; it is not the word of God as such but a collection of different experiences which are very diverse and offer no definitive set of commands.
-Conscience is often seen as God-given, allowing individuals to discern right from wrong (e.g., Aquinas’ view of conscience as the application of reason to moral decision-making).
The catholic teaching of moral principles
encyclicals are published by the pope which explain the relevance of Biblical teachings for the current day. For example, pope Francis has published on environmental issues
Define sola scriptura
(Latin for ‘ by scripture alone ‘) is a Christian theological doctrine held by most Protestant Christian denominations, in particular the Lutheran and Reformed traditions, that posits the Bible as the sole infallible source of authority for Christian faith and practice
Fletchers view on relying on the Bible for authority
we have three options with the bible:
Take it literally (which is impossible)
View it as needing interpretation (which leads to everyone having their own interpretation).
Fletcher’s option is that he concludes that we can’t follow the Bible as a perfect set list of ‘legalistic’ commands. The best Christians can do is follow the most important theme of the bible – which is Agape.
What is conscience often defined as?
An inner voice -perhaps of God - which helps a person know right from wrong both before and after they make an ethical decision. For Catholic’s, the conscience is reason in action, making right decisions. Conscience needs to be developed for Catholics, therefore, so that it is easier to make right decisions.
Distinguish the two forms of revelation
1)Propositional revelation: the idea that the way God reveals himself to the world is through truth statements - statements that can be followed directly. If this is true, and the Bible is a set of truth statements, then the arguably, ethics does not need to go beyond what’s in the Bible.
2)Non-propositional revelation: the idea that God does not reveal himself through truth statements. This would mean that the Bible requires interpretation - by human reason, the Church or both
