Good conduct and key moral principles

• God is seen as omniscient and omnipotent that gives him the authority to be the law giver and the controller of morality 


  Protestants - Divine command theory - the action is good if God morally commands it

  Catholic - NML - part of God's eternal law which humans can simply understand through the creation of reason

  Situation ethics - morality is linked to one law - agape love

  Process theology - God has left the governance of the world to humans
• Christians are agreed about the need for good conduct, even if they don't agree on where the guidance can be found and how it can be interpreted
• Justification by faith 


  Developes by St Paul. Appears in his letters fo the Romans, (3:20-26) 'simply obeying the Jewish Law cannot justify humanity; only God can justify humanity'
• Justification by works

  What is the point of faith without works? Rather, faith can be shown by works. Abraham had faith, and it was reckoned to him, but he also showed works: he was going to sacrifice Isaac. So, man is justified by works, and not faith alone
• The sanctity of life

  The belief that all life is sacred and belongs to God
• Strong forms of the SOLP

  All life is sacred to God; it is therefore morally impermissible to even allow contraception abortion or euthanasia for any reason
• Weak forms of the SOLP

  Although human life is sacred to God, the situation must also be taken into account when deciding what to do
• Christian beliefs on moral conduct

  If Christians follow the DCT, an action is morally good if God commands it

  If Christians follow NML, if humans apply reason, they will understand.

  If Christians follow SE, they should focus on the law of agape

  Some Christians believe God has left the governance of the world to humans

  Those who follow Process Theodicy will reject any ideas which separate humans and its environment
• The importance of good moral conduct for Christians

  Reward of Heaven and punishment of Hell

  Faith in Jesus is the basis of good conduct - follow Jesus' example of good behaviour

  The Sermon on the Mount and Matthew 5:16 - 'Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your father' = good conduct glorifies God

  In Matthew 22:35-40 - Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul and mind and to love they neighbour
• Christian disagreements over what good conduct is and why it is important


  Some moral commands in the Bible are seen as immoral - e.g Paul's letter to Titus about slaves

  Some Christians who believe that Jesus' authority were only human will question the command to 'turn the other cheek'

  Other Christians argue that good conduct isn't about following rules and it is instead about doing it because its the right thing to do
• There is a disagreement in Christianity on whether or not you can be justified by faith alone or justification by faith and works
• St Paul argued his case for justification through faith alone

  Appears in his letters to the Romans. Only God can justify humanity. Paul argues that righteousness can't be earned by following the law because all humans have sinned because of original sin. Justification only comes through faith in Jesus
• Justification by works


  Faith without works is stupid. James 2:14-18 details a situation whereby there is a starving man - if you have the chance to feed them, but instead leave them to die because you tell them to have faith that isn't morally good. Faith without works is pointless, as even demons believe in God
• Some Christians accept the letter of James - 'faith without works is dead'
• The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats also shows the importance of good works
• Those who prioritise faith rely on Ephesians 2:8 - "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing ...'
• Martin Luther advocated for faith alone - Romans 1:16 - 'It is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes' - Sola Fide = faith alone
• Some Christians advocate the need for both faith and works - The Catholic Church believe that faith and works are equally important - The Protestant Church believe that faith is more important and this caused conflict between the two.
• Predestination 


  All events have been willed by God, and he's already chosen his 'elect'
• The Just War Theory 


  Relates to the Sanctity of Life principle - backed by Augustine and Aquinas. The Just War theory specifies conditions for judging if it is just to go to war, and conditions for how the war should be fought.
• The Just War Theory 


  There are 2 parts to the just war theory - Lus ad bellum - conditions under which it is legitimate to go to war - a just cause. The conditions are right intention, reasonable success, last resort and the proportionality between harm caused and benefits.
• The Just War Theory

  There are two parts to the Just War theory - Lus in bello - rules during the war. These rules are discrimination and proportionality of means to an ends must be proportional to the ends required. All conditions should aim for peace
• Just war theory and Nuclear weapons 


  No - Heat blasts would effect both people and the environment - people would be left with burns and soil, crops and water supplies would be effected. The effects of a global nuclear are incalculable - e.g. Chernobyl
• Just war theory and chemical weapons 


  No - Can cause injury, incapititation and even death. For example, mustard gas being used in WW1 caused 100,000 deaths and caused both lung damage and blindness.
• Just War theory and biological weapons 


  No - Include bacteria and viruses that can be transmitted by insects
• All these weapons do not comply with the Just War Theory

  Discrimination - the use of weapons of mass destruction can never be discriminate as they are likely to destroy more than military targets

  Proportionality - The harm done by such weapons can never be proportionate to the good that is aimed

  Probability of success - A full-scale nuclear confrontation would result in massive casualities and environment destruction for all sides of the war