good conduct and key moral principles

Question 1

Justification by faith

Answer 1

The belief that a person can achieve salvation only through faith and reliance on God’s grace, not through good deeds

Question 2

Justification by faith in the thinking of Paul

Answer 2

Individuals are made righteous before God solely through their faith in Jesus Christ, rather than by observing the requirements of the Jewish law

Question 3

Justification by faith in the thinking of Martin Luther

Answer 3

• He proclaimed the doctrine of sola fide
• For Luther, good conduct was the expression of a person’s faith, but it had no saving value whatsoever

Question 4

Sola fide is…

Answer 4

a Latin term meaning “by faith alone”

Question 5

Justification by works

Answer 5

The Biblical basis for this belief is the New Testament letter of James. The author pointed out that:
- faith on its own is useless
- faith is expressed through works

Question 6

Why do many Christians accept the need for works?

Answer 6

Jesus’ teaching in the parable of the sheep and the goats

Question 7

Justification by faith and works

Answer 7

Individuals are justified, or declared righteous before God, thorough a combination of their faith in Jesus Christ and their obedience fo God’s commands, demonstrating good works as a fruit of their faith

Question 8

Justification by faith and works is a position taken by…

Answer 8

the Catholic Church at the Counter-Reformation, which was it’s response to the Protestant Reformation

Question 9

Predestination

Answer 9

The doctrine that God has decided who will be justified (and saved) and who will not

Question 10

Predestination in the teaching of Paul

Answer 10

Paul’s letter to the Romans seems to imply that God chose and predestined certain individuals to receive salvation based on His sovereign will and not on any human merit or effort

Question 11

Predestination in the teaching of Augustine

Answer 11

Augustine believed that God infallible knows who will be saved:
- Predestination is an act of grace; human goodness is the result and not the cause of election

Question 12

Election in relation to Calvin’s teaching refers to…

Answer 12

God’s choice of some for salvation

Question 13

Predestination in the teaching of Calvin

Answer 13

• God decided before creation who would be saved and who would be damned to hell
• Because of original sin, all humanity deserves damnation, so God’s act of electing some is entirely an act of grace

Question 14

Double predestination refers to…

Answer 14

the Calvinist belief that God chose some humans for salvation and condemned others to eternal damnation

Question 15

Catechism of the Catholic Church predestination quote

Answer 15

“God predestines no one to go to hell”

Question 16

Sanctity of life refers to the belief that…

Answer 16

life is holy and infinitely precious

Question 17

What is the sanctity of life based on?

Answer 17

Genesis 1:26-27

Question 18

What does Genesis 1:26-27 state?

Answer 18

Humans are created in the image of God

Question 19

In Christianity, the sanctity of life principle takes two forms - what are these two forms?

Answer 19

The strong principle and the weak

Question 20

The strong sanctity of life principle

Answer 20

All humans have an absolute right to life that must never be taken away, e.g. by abortion or euthanasia

Question 21

The weak sanctity of life principle

Answer 21

All human life is indeed sacred, but it is not absolutely so

Question 22

Strong sanctity of life principle is held by _________ and some ___________

In this view, personhood begins at ___________

From conception, there is an absolute right to ____ and __________

Answer 22

Catholics
Protestants
conception
life
protection

Question 23

Catechism of the Catholic Church 2270

Answer 23

“Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from … conception”

Question 24

What does direct abortion refer to?

Answer 24

The deliberate termination of a pregnancy, where the death of the embryo/foetus is the intended result

Question 25

Weak sanctity of life principle

Answer 25

- This view is held by the Church of England and many Protestants - From fertilisation, the newly conceived being is a potential person rather than an actual one - The Church of England views abortion as a great moral evil, but states that sometimes it might be the lesser of two evils

Question 26

Positives of the sanctity of life principle

Answer 26

- it promotes respect for human life - it encourages protection of the vulnerable - it is true to the teaching of Jesus on agape and compassion

Question 27

Negatives of the sanctity of life principle

Answer 27

- it ignores modern science which states that humans are simply evolved animals - it promotes an anthropocentric view of the universe, which devalues animals, etc.

Question 28

The Just War theory is...

Answer 28

a doctrine of military ethics that aims to ensure that a war is morally justifiable through a series of criteria

Question 29

Proportionality in relation to war

Answer 29

The expected benefits must be proportional to expected harm and that the means used in war must be proportionate to the ends required

Question 30

The effects of exploding a nuclear warhead can be assessed from...

Answer 30

the dropping oc atomic bombs in 1945 on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion in 1986

Question 31

Chernobyl disaster 26 April 1986 - death toll

Answer 31

The official death toll directly attributed to Chernobyl that is recognized by the international community is just 31 people with the UN saying it could be 50

Question 32

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Answer 32

The aerial bombings together killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians, and remain the only use of nuclear weapons in an armed conflict

Question 33

What did Agent Orange do to humans?

Answer 33

Agent Orange was a toxic, plant-killing chemical (herbicide) that the U.S. military used to clear foliage during the Vietnam conflict - Exposure to Agent Orange led to cancer, congenital (birth) disorders and life-threatening health complications

Question 34

Pope Francis on nuclear weapons

Answer 34

He has urged the abolition of nuclear weapons, as did the two previous Popes

Question 35

Joseph Fletcher on nuclear weapons

Answer 35

Fletcher's book Situation Ethics implied that the 1945 nuclear attack was the most loving action in that particular situation

Question 36

What are the five principles of the just war theory?

Answer 36

- just cause - legitimate authority - right intention - probability of success - proportionality

Question 37

Why is the Afghanistan war controversial?

Answer 37

The attack on Afghanistan was illegal under international law and constituted unjustified aggression - leading to the deaths of many civilians through the bombing campaign

Question 38

Dominion

Answer 38

Humans having power over the rest of the created world - power-based approach

Question 39

Stewardship

Answer 39

Responsible care for the rest of the created world; humans are God's agents

Question 40

What is Laudable Si?

Answer 40

The encyclopedia written by Pope Francis, urging responsible care for the environment

Question 41

The role of Christians as stewards of animals and the natural environment

Answer 41

Christians have a duty to do what they can to ensure they are environmentally responsible, emphasising the intrinsic value of animals and the natural environment

Question 42

What is the Christian organisation for climate change?

Answer 42

Operation Noah

Question 43

Operation Noah believes that...

Answer 43

the likelihood of runaway global warming raises questions that go to the heart of Christian faith - God's creation is a gift that we have a duty to care for, and that the wellbeing of creation matters to God