50 Key Concepts in Theology
The Rationality of Theism
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50 Key Concepts in Theology - Rayment-Pickard
The Rationality of Theism
(Routledge, 2003) Theological Ethics Ethics worked out from theological principles or revealed truths. Religious people of all kinds have believed that they are in receipt of special insights about how to live an ethical life. God is seen to impart laws, wisdom, ethical principles, conscience or God’s own Spirit to enable us to behave righteously. A central dilemma in all ethics is how to reconcile the need ‘to do the right thing’ (deontological ethics – see below) with the need ‘to bring about the right consequences’ (consequentialist ethics – see below). On the one hand, we would say, as a matter of principle, that it is not right to hurt another human being. On the other hand, the surgeon who refused ever to hurt his patients would cause more harm than good. So on one side we have the application of principles, the need to fulfil duties, the requirements of law, and the importance of proper motivation. And on the other side we have the need to bring about good outcomes. In the modern period Christian ethics has come under three main influences. The first is the consequentialist ethics of the Enlightenment, which had as its goal the creation of a better (or even a perfect) world-order. Christian socialists, philanthropists, and social reformers argued that the task of ethics was to be effective in building the New Jerusalem on earth. Good intentions were all very well, but they believed that the churches had a leading role to play in the improvement of society. The second influence is the individualism of modern and post-modern culture. This has produced an increasingly subjective and personalised ethical vision, based upon the satisfaction of individual needs, preferences and judgements. We now think of society in terms of individuals pursuing their ends, rather than communities working out the rules and ethos of their common life. Thirdly, the modern period has been increasingly dominated by ethical reasoning based on individual ‘rights’. The traditional Christian ethic of responsibility for one’s neighbour has been largely replaced in public ethical discussion by the question of how we fulfil our neighbour’s rights. So the ethic of the Good Samaritan who was ‘moved’ to act by the plight of his neighbour has evolved into a functional ethic that requires no real compassion for others, so long as our neighbour’s entitlements to food, shelter and medical care are met. There have been a range of reactions to these cultural shifts. Liberal theologians have tended to see what is implicitly Christian in the ethics of secular modernity, and have affirmed that. Karl Barth argued that all ethics must be the application of divinely revealed principles, values and laws. Alasdair MacIntyre, for example, has argued that we need to return to a distinctively Christian ethic of virtue. We cannot base our ethics upon calculations of the probable consequences of our actions. Rather, we should strive after the virtues that St Paul lists in the New Testament: ‘The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’ (Gal. 5:22–23). More radical voices have urged us to move beyond theological ethics altogether. Bishop Richard Holloway has advocated ‘godless morality’: ‘it is better to leave God out of the moral debate’ and find ‘good human reasons’ for supporting our ethical viewpoints. Holloway argues that ethics is like musical improvisation – we take the traditional Christian ethical tunes and make new music out of them. THINKERS Aristotle (384–322 bc) was concerned with how to live a good life (eudaimonia, the way of living leading to excellence). The good life depends Download 0.85 Mb. Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |
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