Religion and Society Based on the Study of Christianity and One Other Religion

Section 8.1 Religion: rights and responsibilities. 8.1.

This section is based on a study of Christianity only.

Bible the holy book of Christians

Church the community of Christians (with a small c it means a Christian place of

worship)

conscience an inner feeling of the rightness or wrongness of an action

the Decalogue the Ten Commandments

democratic process the ways in which all citizens can take part in government (usually through

elections).

electoral processes the ways in which voting is organised

the Golden Rule the teaching of Jesus that you should treat others as you would like them

to treat you

human rights the rights and freedoms to which everyone is entitled

political party a group which tries to be elected into power on the basis of its policies (e.g.Labour, Conservative)

pressure group a group formed to influence government policy on a particular issue

Situation Ethics the idea that Christians should base moral decisions on what is the most

loving thing to do

social change the way in which society has changed and is changing (and also the

possibilities for future change).8.2: Religion: environmental and medical issues

1. Why some Christians use only the Bible as a basis for making moral

decisions.

All Christians believe the Bible has authority because it is inspired by God. Therefore Christians would turn to the Bible for advice and guidance e.g.

The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue. Some Christians regard these as God given rules,found in the O.T along with other rules about how people should behave.

Relations with God Relations with Other People

Worship one god onlyHonour your parents

Do not worship idolsDo not murder

Do not swear using God’s nameDo not steal

Keep the Sabbath day holyDo not commit adultery

Do not give false evidence

Do not covet other people’s belongings

The teachings of Jesus, found in the New Testament e.g. The Sermon on the Mount tells people about the sort of lives God wants people to live. There are also the parables and examples from the way Jesus led his life.

The examples of early Christians and the teachings of St Paul, who wrote many letters to the early Churches advising them on how to behave.

Different attitudes towards the authority of the Bible.

Some Christians would say that the Bible is the word of God dictated by God to the writers.

Some Christians would say it is the word of God but it needs to be interpreted.

Other Christians say that it was merely inspired by God and therefore may need revising and updating for the modern world.

2. The authority of the Church for Christians and why some Christians

use only the Church’s teachings as a basis for making moral decisions.

Many Christians believe the Bible needs to be explained for today’s life by the Church. They can understand this by talking to other Christians, praying and worshipping together, listening to the priest or vicar. Many Churches have assemblies to make such decisions (e.g. C of E and Methodist.) Roman Catholics look to the Pope and theCouncil of Bishops.

Some Christians regard the Church as the body of Christ alive in the world today. This means that the Church has the same authority as that of Jesus.

The clergy have training and experience; some believe that God speaks directly through priests.

3. The role of conscience and why some Christians believe conscience is

the most important guide in making moral decisions.

Your conscience distinguishes between right and wrong. You feel good if you do the right thing and guilty ifyou do wrong. Christians believe their conscience is the voice of God, speaking directly to them.It needs to be used to make moral decisions because sometimes different parts of the Bible and Churches disagree, or interpret views differently.

Morality is very complicated, what we consider to be right, somebody else might consider to be wrong. In theend we have to come to our own decisions about how we live. We all have the ability to make moral decisions.

4. Situation Ethics and why some Christians use only Situation Ethics as a

guide for making moral decisions.

This began with Joseph Fletcher who said that Christians should base their moral decisions on the commandment of Jesus to love your neighbour as yourself and on the situation at the time. Therefore Christians should onlyfollow the Bible and the Church if it is the most loving thing to do. For example if you find that a madman has bought nuclear weapons the Bible says ‘do not steal’, so does that mean you should not steal them or do what is for the greater good in the situation? Or what if a 12 year old girl becomes pregnant due to rape? What would be the most living thing to do in this situation?

Jesus overruled the OT when he thought it was unloving. E.g. healing on the Sabbath day which was not allowed. Jesus said it was more important to do good than to obey some laws.

Some would say situation ethics is too simple and can lead to wrong individual decisions, and therefore it is safer to consult the Bible and the Church.

5. Why some Christians use a variety of authorities in making moral

decisions.

The Bible does not contain teachings on every topic so on its own it is not sufficient.
The Bible is straightforward in some of its teachings such as the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount when deciding on issues such as stealing, murder and adultery. However when it comes to contemporary issues such as contraception or civil partnerships it is difficult to use the Bible only.
Different Churches interpret the Bible differently, so who is right and who is wrong?
Roman Catholics also rely on the authority of the Pope to apply the teachings of the Bible to modern life.
Some Christians would consult the Bible, the Church and then their conscience along with situation ethics.

6. Human rights in the UK.

Human rights are basic rights and freedoms to which all human beings are entitled. The UK is a member of the European Convention on Human Rights and this means that all citizens of the UK are entitled to the following rights:

Life
Food
Liberty/free speech
Racial/sexual/religious equality
Education
Health
Privacy.

In the UK today, these rights are protected by law. Most are covered by the Human Rights Act 1998 and anyone who feels that their rights have been infringed or abused can appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

The possession of such rights gives all citizens in the UK a duty to respect the rights of other people, which might involve restricting your own rights.

This is a simplified list of human rights.

1. We Are All Born Free & Equal. We are all born free. We all have our own thoughts and ideas. We should all be treated in the same way.

2. Don’t Discriminate. These rights belong to everybody, whatever our differences.

3. The Right to Life. We all have the right to life, and to live in freedom and safety.

4. No Slavery. Nobody has any right to make us a slave. We cannot make anyone our slave.

5. No Torture. Nobody has any right to hurt us or to torture us.

6. You Have Rights No Matter Where You Go. I am a person just like you!

7. We’re All Equal Before the Law. The law is the same for everyone. It must treat us all fairly.

8. Your Human Rights Are Protected by Law. We can all ask for the law to help us when we are not treated fairly.

9. No Unfair Detainment. Nobody has the right to put us in prison without good reason and keep us there, or to send us away from our country.

10. The Right to Trial. If we are put on trial this should be in public. The people who try us should not let anyone tell them what to do.

11. We’re Always Innocent Till Proven Guilty. Nobody should be blamed for doing something until it is proven. When people say we did a bad thing we have the right to show it is not true.

12. The Right to Privacy. Nobody should try to harm our good name. Nobody has the right to come into our home, open our letters, or bother us or our family without a good reason.

13. Freedom to Move. We all have the right to go where we want in our own country and to travel as we wish.

14. The Right to Seek a Safe Place to Live. If we are frightened of being badly treated in our own country, we all have the right to run away to another country to be safe.

15. Right to a Nationality. We all have the right to belong to a country.

16. Marriage and Family. Every grown-up has the right to marry and have a family if they want to. Men and women have the same rights when they are married, and when they are separated.

17. The Right to Your Own Things. Everyone has the right to own things or share them. Nobody should take our things from us without a good reason.

18. Freedom of Thought. We all have the right to believe in what we want to believe, to have a religion, or to change it if we want.

19. Freedom of Expression. We all have the right to make up our own minds, to think what we like, to say what we think, and to share our ideas with other people.

20. The Right to Public Assembly. We all have the right to meet our friends and to work together in peace to defend our rights. Nobody can make us join a group if we don’t want to.

21. The Right to Democracy. We all have the right to take part in the government of our country. Every grown-up should be allowed to choose their own leaders.

22. Social Security. We all have the right to affordable housing, medicine, education, and childcare, enough money to live on and medical help if we are ill or old.

23. Workers’ Rights. Every grown-up has the right to do a job, to a fair wage for their work, and to join a trade union.

24. The Right to Play. We all have the right to rest from work and to relax.

25. Food and Shelter for All. We all have the right to a good life. Mothers and children, people who are old, unemployed or disabled, and all people have the right to be cared for.

26. The Right to Education. Education is a right. Primary school should be free. We should learn about the United Nations and how to get on with others. Our parents can choose what we learn.

27. Copyright. Copyright is a special law that protects one’s own artistic creations and writings; others cannot make copies without permission. We all have the right to our own way of life and to enjoy the good things that art, science and learning bring.

28. A Fair and Free World. There must be proper order so we can all enjoy rights and freedoms in our own country and all over the world.

29. Responsibility. We have a duty to other people, and we should protect their rights and freedoms.

30. No One Can Take Away Your Human Rights.

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中文（繁體）
Dansk
Nederlands
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνικά
עברית
Magyar
Italiano
日本語
Norsk
Português
XXXX
Русский
Español (castellano)
Español (Latinoamérica)
Svenska

7. Why human rights are important for Christians.

Human rights are important to all Christians and all ChristianChurches support the UN declaration of Human Rights because:

Every human being is created by God, in God’s image and all of God’s creation should be treated with respect.
God loves everyone equally so they should be treated equally.
The teachings of the Bible are in line with MOST human rights law.

The basic values and teachings of the Bible are summed up by the Ten Commandments, (the Decalogue) and by the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.

Christian Values are the basis of many of the human rights provisions we have today.

HOWEVER there are some human rights that SOME Christians may disagree with, e.g. the right to form civil partnerships, the right to marry a person from a different faith, the rights of homosexuals to raise a family, or if a Catholic priest used human rights laws to demand the right to marry.

8. Why it is important to take part in democratic and electoral processes.

The word ‘democracy’ comes from the Greek demos (people) and kratein (rule).It is a political system, used in the UK and the western world in which the ordinary people vote to decide who should represent them. A place where government is by the people and for the people.

The United Kingdom is a representative democracy. This means that everyone over the age of eighteen can vote in elections, and the people they elect then represent their interests and make decisions on their behalf.

It is important for everyone to vote because:

• the representatives decide what taxes you will pay;

•the representatives form the government or the council which decides all sorts of major issues which will effect your life such as education, laws, the police;

• if people stopped voting in elections, there would probably be a dictatorship where many freedoms would be taken away from us;

• unlessordinary people are involved in political parties and in national and local government, they can be taken over by people who may represent a minority interest group;

• people's rights and freedoms are preserved by the elected representatives, so it is important that as many people as possible vote for the representatives.

9. Christian teachings on moral duties and responsibilities: the Golden

Rule (Matthew 7:12), the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats

(Matthew 25:31-46), Am I my brother’s keeper? (Genesis 4:1-10,

1 John 3:11-18).

THE GOLDEN RULE - “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the prophets” Matthew 7:12

Jesus said that the Golden Rule of the Christian life is to treat other people as you would want them to treat you.

The Parable of the Sheep and Goats.

When the Son of Man comes as King and all the angels with him, he will sit on his royal throne, and the people of all the nations will be gathered before him. Then he will divide them into two groups, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the righteous people on his right and the others on his left. Then the King will say to the people on his right, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father! Come and possess the kingdom which has been prepared for you ever since the creation of the world. I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you received me in your homes, naked and you clothed me, in prison and you visited me.”

The righteous will then answer him, “When, Lord, did we ever see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we ever see you a stranger and welcome you in our homes, or naked and clothe you? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?” The King will reply,” I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did it for me!”

“Then he will say to those on his left, Away from me, you that are under God's curse! Away to the eternal fire which has been prepared for the Devil and his angels! I was hungry but you would not feed me, thirsty but you would not give me a drink; I was a stranger but you would not welcome me in your homes, naked but you would not clothe me; I was sick and in prison but you would not take care of me."

'Then they will answer him, "When Lord, did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and would not help you?" The King will reply, I tell you, whenever you refused to help one of these least important ones, you refused to help me." These, then, will be sent off to eternal punishment, but the righteous will go to eternal life.'

(Matthew 25:3146)

In the Parable of the Sheep and Goats, Jesus showed that it is the duty of Christians to feed the hungry, cloth the naked, give drink to the thirsty, visit the sick, help those in prison. The only way in which these things can be done systematically in a Christian country is through something like the Welfare State and human rights.

The Christian Church has always felt is has a duty to: educate children so that they can learn about God; help the sick; look after orphans; look after the homeless. Consequently many school, hospital, and orphanages in the United Kingdom were founded and run by the Christian Church.

Am I my brother’s keeper?

St Paul in the New Testament taught that Christians must not stand by while others are in need. Earlier in Genesis in the Old Testament we are told the story of Cain, a jealous man who killed his brother Abel. Cain then denied that that he had anything to do with it and declared that it was not up to him to care for others. He asked, ‘Am I my brother’s keeper? Genesis 4; 9.