What is Christian ethics Research Paper Example

What is Christian ethics Paper The term ethics deals with what is morally right or wrong. Christian ethics therefore, deals with what is morally right or wrong for a Christian. There are several distinguishing characteristics of Christian ethics, each of which play a vital role to its analysis. Some Christians will base their ethics solely on the Bible and its teachings, others will base their ethics on the biblical teachings but also on Church tradition and Natural Law, others will follow a Situation or virtue ethics approach and others will look to their conscience as a guide. Christian ethics is based on Gods will and is a form of divine command position. However, God never wills anything contrary to his unchanging moral character. The ethical imperatives that God gives are in accord with his unchangeable moral character. That is, God wills what is right in accordance with his own morals Be Holy because I am Holy. Christians believe the scriptures transmit the Word of God: this gives them authority. The weight of authority given to the Bible is dependent on what exactly a Christian believes about the books. Some Christians believe that humans were inspired by God to write down the scriptures which means the writings are related to the time and culture when they were recorded and may contain human errors. This makes them a useful source of guidance to people but does not make their contents absolute. Others believe the Bible contains Gods words handed down directly to humans. This makes these writings divine and makes them the highest authority their rules and codes are absolute. We will write a custom essay sample on What is Christian ethics specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on What is Christian ethics specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on What is Christian ethics specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The New Testament has particular importance for Christians because it records the teachings of Jesus, whom Christians regard as Gods Son sent to earth to save humanity. They also believe it is essential to follow Jesus teachings if they are to be saved. The Divine Command theory is a strong part of Christian ethics as it poses a vital belief the argument is that something is good simply because God commands it and for no other reason. This is one side of Euthyphros dilemma and states that we cannot apply reason or verify it in any way. For example, if God were to command a cruel dishonest action such as murdering an innocent man then it would be right simply because he commanded it. Many Christian thinkers, including Aquinas and more recently William Temple, have rejected the Divine Command Theory because they say some things are innately good or bad. Temple said, In its nature, the moral judgement is quite wholly independent of religion. The Roman Catholic Church accounts for the majority of Christians in the world, and is the largest religious organisation of any religion. Within Catholic theology, Natural Law holds a dominant position. Aquinas has emphasised reason as a tool for showing that certain acts are intrinsically right or wrong, as they go against true purpose; certain absolutes, such as sanctity of life, cannot be changed by the circumstances. The Church encourages a range of different approaches, but when it comes to official church teaching, the vast majority of statements, encyclicals etc. are strongly in-line with Natural Law. Within other denominations, Natural Law theology still has a significant impact. Many Christians adopt deontological positions and think we should act according to Gods design or purpose for our lives. They may be less influenced by Aquinas in this, and Protestants tend to be less sure about moral absolutes. However, there is still a strong sense of following rules within most Christian denominations. Christians believe Natural Law is God-given and as such has authority in the formulation of an ethical code. Catholics also consider that conscience plays an important part in Christian ethical decision-making. Here conscience is not seen as some inner voice which will point us in the right direction but something of reason and judgement. Christians regard their conscience as the ultimate guide for making moral decisions because it was given to them by God and represents the voice of the Holy Spirit within them. Prayer worship and the teaching of the Church also assist the conscience, which Aquinas described as reason-making moral decisions. Very liberal Protestants may have a situationist approach to Christian ethics. Situation ethics presumes it is not necessary to abandon moral autonomy, nor is it necessary to act in an antinomianistic or legalistic way. In any situation people need to avoid subjectivism and individualism, and to use the moral rules of the community, but they should set these aside if love is better served by doing so, therefore being based on the Christian principle of agape unconditional love. Joseph Fletcher explained this theory in his book about situation ethics and it became apparent that he believed that love always takes the priority, even over laws against lying, stealing, adultery and murder. For example, this could be applied in a situation where it would be wrong to use someone for sexual pleasure as there was no love involved. Virtue ethics is also an important source for Christian ethics. Instead of focusing on acts or ends, virtue theory holds that people should think about becoming better people, and prescribes qualities which constitute goodness. So while a utilitarian seeks to bring about the end with the greatest good for the greatest number, and Aquinas encouraged people to do actions which accorded with the natural law and avoid those which didnt, virtue theorists encourage people to look to self-improvement. This links to love as being the highest of all virtues and also the rationale for all virtues but just in different circumstances. The virtues, for Christian ethics point towards the goal for which we aim, even if we do not achieve it in life. In conclusion, it is evident that Christians set out to follow the Will of God. They use various sources of authority to discover what the Will of God is and I have mentioned these different types of foundations of the religion in my essay which has proved that whilst most Christians would recognise them as sources of authority, they are likely to place a different emphasis on their relative importance.

75 Synonyms for Talk

75 Synonyms for Talk 75 Synonyms for â€Å"Talk† 75 Synonyms for â€Å"Talk† By Mark Nichol Talk, talk, talk it’s all the same. Or is it? There are many ways to talk, and each has its own word (or words) for it. Here’s a noncomprehensive roster of many synonyms for the noun and verb forms of talk (I had to stop somewhere): 1. Babble: enthusiastic or excessive talk, or meaningless sounds or nonsense words; to talk in this manner 2. Back talk: a disrespectful response; to respond disrespectfully 3. Backchat: see back talk, badinage, and gossip 4. Badinage: light, witty talk 5. Banter: see badinage, with a connotation of good-natured teasing or arguing; to engage in such talk 6. Barb: a hurtful and/or critical comment 7. Blandish: see cajole 8. Blandishments: see cajolery/cajolement 9. Blarney: nonsensical talk 10. Bluster: boastful or threatening talk; to speak boastfully or threateningly 11. Cackle: see chatter (verb only) 12. Cajole: to persuade with soothing or flattering remarks 13-14. Cajolery/cajolement: talk with the intent to persuade 15. Causerie: see chat (noun only) 16. Chaff: see badinage; also, to tease good-naturedly 17. Chat: an idle or inconsequential conversation; to engage in such talk 18. Chatter: quick, extensive, and/or aimless talk; to talk in such a manner 19. Chin music: see chat (noun only) 20. Chinwag: informal talking; to talk informally 21. Chitchat: see badinage 22. Circumlocution: evasive or verbose talk 23. Comment: an opinion or observation; to say something of this type 24. Confab: see chat (also, a formal meeting) 25. Confabulation: see chat and confab (also, something made up) 26. Confer: to exchange opinions or seek advice 27. Conference: a meeting, or an event consisting of presentations and/or meetings 28. Confess: to admit to a thought or action considered improper or shameful 29. Conversation: a talk between or among two or more people 30. Converse: to speak back and forth with one or more people 31. Crack: an uncomplimentary comment; also, to quickly say something, as when spontaneously telling a joke pertinent to a situation 32. Dig: see crack 33. Discuss: to engage in serious talk 34. Discussion: a serious talk 35. Dish: see gossip 36. Double-talk: intentionally confusing or ambiguous language, or talk that is at least partially meaningless; to engage in such talk 37. Fast-talk: to persuade or influence by deceptively authoritative and/or flattering speech 38. Flibbertigibbet: see gossip 39. Gab: see chatter 40. Gabfest: talking consisting of gab 41. Give-and-take: an exchange of ideas or comments 42. Gossip: see chat, with an additional connotation of talk or talking about the personal lives of one or more other people (also, someone who engages in such talk) 43. Jangle: see chat 44. Jaw: see chat 45. Jest: a humorous or mocking statement; to make such a statement 46. Natter: see chat 47. Negotiate: to talk in order to reach an agreement 48. Negotiation: a talk in which the speakers seek to reach an agreement 49. Palaver: a discussion or conference, especially one between unequal participants, or deceptive speech, or see chat; to talk idly, try to persuade or deceive, or come to terms 50. Parley: see confer, with the possible connotation of talk between antagonists to agree to terms to cease hostilities; to engage in such talk 51. Patter: quick or monotonous speech, as in delivering a humorous speech or in rote delivery of prayers; to speak in this manner 52. Pillow talk: romantic talk, such as would be engaged in while the speakers are in bed 53. Pleasantry: polite, inconsequential talk, or see banter and jest (nouns only) 54. Quip: a spontaneous observation or response; to say something of this type 55. Raillery: see banter and jest 56. Rap: see chat and patter 57-58. Recital/recitation: public delivery of read or memorized material, or of details or answers 59. Recite: to deliver read or memorized material, or details or answers 60. Remark: a statement of judgment or opinion, or a reference to something notable; to comment in this manner 61. Repartee: an exchange of clever, witty statements, a single such response, or skill in talking in this manner 62. Schmooze: see chat, with the connotation of one conducted so as to gain personal or professional advantage; to talk in this manner 63. Small talk: see badinage 64. Spit: to talk about things or opinions a listener disagrees with or disapproves of 65. Straight talk: frank, straightforward talk 66. Sweet nothings: flattering talk intended to charm a potential or existing romantic partner 67. Sweet talk: talk intended to persuade, or to endear oneself to the speaker; to engage in this kind of talk (the verb form is hyphenated) 68. Table talk: informal talking such as that heard during a dinner party 69. Tete-a-tete: an intimate or private talk 70. Waggery: see banter and jest 71. Wisecrack: a clever or sarcastic comment; to make such a comment 72. Wordplay: witty, playful talk 73. Yack: to talk at length 74. Yammer: to talk relentlessly, or to complain 75. Yap: excessive talk (also, slang for mouth) I’ll follow up with a list of more elaborate idioms about talk and talking like â€Å"shoot the breeze,† but let me (and other site visitors) known which synonyms I missed. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:The Royal Order of Adjectives 7 Tips for Writing a Film ReviewDrama vs. Melodrama