How do ethical teachings of Christianity guide adherents to live lives that are not selfish, but that are based on God’s wisdom PDF

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HSC essay covering syllabus dotpoints for Studies of religion (1 unit)...

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‘For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s king of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic’ James 3:15 New Living Translation How do ethical teachings of Christianity guide adherents to live lives that are not selfish, but that are based on God’s wisdom? In your response, refer to ONE of the following -

Bioethics Environmental ethics Sexual ethics

Christianity guides followers to go through life in a state that is deemed ethical, as asserted through the Bible verse ‘For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s king of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic’ (James 3:15). While Bible teachings can guide Christians in determining their responses to ethical problems and there is no direct reference to them in the Bible, for example, bioethical issues such as genetic engineering, euthanasia and suicide, stem cell research and abortion. The teachings of Jesus, however, are general and his overarching fundamental response of love can be applied to solving all present-day problems. The teachings of Jesus, however, are general and his overarching fundamental response of love can be applied to solving all presentday problems. Christianity is the “God’s king of wisdom,” the Bible as a major text providing a basic framework to ethical guidance, but as time progresses the authority of church leaders, inspiration of the Holy spirit and individual reason finds answers to.

Christians draw heavily from the sacred writings for their guidance in “God’s king of wisdom” as well as Jesus as a morally perfect being. The fundamental source of ethical guidance for Christians is the New Testament. The New Testament contains some of Jesus’ most significant ethical statements, that is, the requirement to love God with all your heart, soul and strength and to love your neighbour as yourself, and the requirement that love is the basic condition of the Christian life. The voluminous mass of Christian ethical can be distilled into these core principles. Furthermore, the Sermon on the Mount provides other important guidance for Christian ethics. For example, Luke 6:31 asks us to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This passage, known as the golden rule, is the key concept which underpins all Christian ethical teachings. The controversial issue of euthanasia is heavily debated by Christians who take the Bible as the infallible truth, pointing towards the quote “no one has power over the day of his death” (Ecclesiastes 8:8). Christians through this quote stress that human life is sacred and a gift from god and should not be diminished. Christians take sacred writings and scripture such as the Bible and various other texts as a source to lead an ethical and moral life.

Many Christians look towards the Church for guidance, especially to modern issues that are not discussed within out-dated sacred texts. The Christian Churches provide teachings and guidelines on how Christians should live their lives individually and as members of a community. Historically the leaders of the Christians churches have presented responses to various problems they have confronted their congregations. They develop these responses through considered interpretations of

how God has spoken to them through the Scriptures and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The church has made pronouncements on ethical issues that are authoritative. Perhaps the most controversial in recent time has been the ban of abortion. Although the Bible completely refuses and rejects any murder and killing is encapsulated in the fifth commandment “Thou shalt not kill.” Other Christians, such as those in the Uniting Church, allow an abortion where the health of the mother would be affected, the child was the product of rape, or where there may be deformities in the foetus. The Church plays a detrimental role in directing adherents to a live that is considered following the “God’s king of wisdom.”

A direct communication to God is a means for adherents to live lives that are not selfish and is based on God’s wisdom. Prayer is the talking to and the listening to the word of God. The act of prayer is seen as being a help to Christians in understanding how they should live their lives. Christians believe that prayer can guide them in dealing the with decisions and choice they have to make about their lives. It is believed that conscience is one-way God communicated with humanity. A prayer to God is another method in following a moral life as described by James 3:15

God creates perfection and God created the ability to be critical and to develop logical arguments and procedures. From this, logically, the use of reason is a God-given gift which can be used in the development of responses to life’s questions. The conscience is the part of human being’s hat develops and idea of what is right and wrong. It is a part of being true to oneself. Many Christians support the right of the mother to choose, but when the choice to proceed with an abortion is accepted is usually seen as the lesser of two evils and an occasion for grief. Generally, in Protestant churches, there is suspicion of edicts passed by the church councils or the Pope and the role of individual conscience is emphasised. The role of an individual and their logic often overmines some sacred texts but these Christian scriptures still provide some guidance ethically.

Christianity guides adherents throughout life and provides moral guidelines through “God’s king of wisdom.” While the Bible provides a basic viewpoint upon the ethics, it is often outdated when determining modern problems specifically in the medical space, such as genetic engineering, euthanasia and suicide, stem cell research and abortion. As a result, the Church can serve as authority, inspiration of the Holy spirit and individual reason can be used to guide adherents in issues in the modern 21st century world....