Christianity is one of the most followed religions of the world and it is seen that the concerned religion has followers from almost all countries of the world. Simmons, Frederick and Sorrells are of the viewpoint that the major reason for the extensive popularity attained by the religion can be attributed not only to the unorthodox nature of the religion but also to the liberty regarding religious practices that the concerned religion offers to its followers. Furthermore, the use of the theories of ethics and morals as substantially widened the genre of the religion and has given it a dimension which is being easily accepted by the different followers. In addition to this, it is seen that the use of concepts of ethics and morals ensures the fact that there is no misappropriation of the power held by the religious priests and papists and the fact that it is beneficial for all its followers. The essay will discuss about the manner in which a Christian needs to engage in politics in the particular light of the concept of Christian ethics. The essay will undertake a discussion of the notion of abortion from the perspective of Christian ethics.
The notion of Christian ethics is being aptly explained by the lines from “Colossians 3:1-6” wherein it is being said that “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things…..Because of these, the wrath of God is coming”. Brown et al. are of the viewpoint that Christian ethics can be seen as a branch of theology which define the kind of virtuous, moral and ethical behavior which the Christians need to display. As opined by Wadell, the lacuna of this branch of theology is on three questions, namely, “how the rich should act toward the poor, how women are to be treated, and the morality of war”. It is pertinent to note that these three questions to a large extend determine the behavior of the individuals not only in the spectrum of their personal lives but also in the other facets of their lives like politics, education, profession and others. However, Miguel, on the other hand, have argued that this branch of theology is not a static one and has undergone a substantial amount of transformation in the recent times. This change is being manifested in the attitude of the religion of Christianity towards politics, abortion, drug use, heterosexuality and the other aspects of the lives of the individuals.
Newlands has stated that one of the most important implications of the concept of Christian ethics is manifested in the genre of politics. The machinery of politics requires the individuals to take the help of the help of various kinds of diplomatic negotiations and also other kinds of mechanisms which often belong to the category of unethical practices. As opined by Sider, rather than causing the maximum amount of good to the majority of the people the focus of the majority of the politicians since the traditional times is on the acquisition of power for personal benefits. This is perhaps one of the major reasons for the various unethical as well as immoral practices which have being used by the different politicians since the traditional times. The net result of this is the fact that there is an unequal amount of power division within the contemporary society and at the same time it is seen that various sections of the population have been marginalized. It is precisely here that the need for the application of the notion of Christian ethics within the spectrum of politics becomes important.
Kane has stated that a Christian who is willing to engage in the machinery of politics would have to take into effective consideration a plethora of factors or entities into consideration for the performance of their job roles. In this regard, the primary dictum of Christian ethics of virtuous action and refraining from doing any harm become the most important ones. The concerned individual would have to indulge not only in the kind of actions which are considered to be virtuous as per the construct of Christian ethics but at the same time are intended to cause the maximum amount of benefit to the majority of the people. In addition to this, it is also seen that a politician at times need to resort to the kind of actions or activities which are not only unethical but at the same time focus on the interests of only a smaller section of the people. However, a politician who is following the dictums of Christian ethics needs to avoid resorting to the use of such kind of actions focus on the kind of actions which are not only moral but at the same time ethical as well. As opined by Morris, another major role of a politician who is following the concept of Christian ethics is to maintain the right kind of balance of power between state and the church authorities.
Simmons, Frederick and Sorrells have stated that the relationship between the state and the church authorities has always been a complex one and at various points of time it is that both are friends, foes and even sparring partners. This dichotomous relationship between has largely been dictated by the Bible and also the various amendments to it. For example, in the Psalms, it is seen that the kind is being exulted as the head of the state and also the inheritor of his kingdom. On the other hand, the prophet Samuel, denounces the power held by the state and also the kings and states that the kings are no more than crooks or buffoons who use coercive power for the attainment of their own personal benefits. In contrast to this, the Gospel of John, states that the king is not only imbued with the role of the governance of his kingdom but at the same time to offer religious leadership to the people as well. In this regard, the lines of “Psalm 110” related to the notion of divine kingship is important to note “The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool”. More importantly, an important contribution to this debate was being made by “Life of Constantine” wherein it is being said that “Emperor who was formally only a candidate for reception into the church…directing the administration of the entire world, including the church, in imitation of God”. However, when a close analysis of the relationship between the state and the church in the particular context of the nation of the United Kingdom, France and others is being undertaken it becomes clear that the church and the state authorities have not always shared a cordial relationship. This discrepancy becomes clear when the fact that the focus of the church is on the promotion of Christianity whereas that of the state is on the personal interests of the state is taken into consideration. The net result of this is the fact that some of the measures or the actions undertaken by the state are not approved by the church and vice versa.
Thomas upholds the view that one of the most important dictums of the Bible is the fact that the giver as well as the taker of the human beings is God and thus the human beings have no right to take their own life or for that matter the life of the other individuals. Thus, the church and the individuals related to it repudiate the notions of murder, suicide, abortion and others on the basis of this dictum of the Bible. In this regard, the wide spread usage of the process of abortion when viewed through the lens of Christian ethics would reveal insightful information. As opined by Peters, the church as well as the various religious texts related to it since the traditional times although being silent about this evil have repudiated it and also considered it to be derogatory. For example, it is seen that there is no mention of abortion either in the New Testament or in the Old Testament and this as a matter of fact has created a confusion as regard the stance of the church on this particular issue.
The church believes that the act of killing an individual and for that matter an infant who has not even seen the light of the day is totally unacceptable and at the same time completely unethical as well as immoral. For example, the Roman Catholic Church clearly states that “human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception”. In contrast to this, the Protestants hold a mixed view related to the same time and at the same time it needs to be said that the various abortion campaigns and others lead by them in the recent times has actually confused the individuals as regards the stance that they take against this issue. In addition to this, it is also seen that there are references in the various Biblical religious texts which actively repudiate the notion of abortion like “Genesis 4:1; Job 31:15; Isaiah 44:24, 49:1, 5; and Jeremiah 1:5” and others. However, in the recent times, it is seen that the opinion of the church regarding this issue has changed in a substantial manner. This becomes especially apparent when the leverage that the church is providing to the various communities like the Africans, Afro-Americans and others is taken into effective consideration.
Outka has stated that despite the recent development and also the leverage that is being provided to the some of the communities the stance of the church related to the process of abortion has not changed in any substantial manner. For example, even in the 21st century the individuals are required to act as per the dictums of the Christian ethics and thus are required to have recourse to the kind of actions which are not only virtuous but at the same time moral as well. Thus, on the basis of this fact it can be said that the process used to kill an infant even before its actual birth is not a virtuous action and at the same time an immoral act.
To conclude, the notion of Christian ethics forms an important aspect of the entire domain of Christianity and the various followers of the religion of Christianity are required to take into effective consideration the notion of Christian ethics. The major focus of the concept of Christian ethics is on the entities of virtuous actions and also the ones which can be justified on moral as well as ethical grounds. This dictum becomes even more important when the kind of actions that the human beings have been indulging in since the traditional times is taken into effective consideration. In this regard, the machineries of politics as well as abortion gain special prominence and at the same time it can be said that there is a need for the individuals to take into effective consideration the notion of Christian ethics within the cannon of these processes. An effective consideration of the notion of Christian ethics is not only likely to improve the quality of the lives of the individuals but at the same time will help them to perform virtuous action as well.
References:
Brown, Charles C., Randall K. Bush, Gary Dorrien, Guyton B. Hammond, Christian T. Iosso, Edward LeRoy Long Jr, John C. Raines et al. Applied Christian ethics: foundations, economic justice, and politics. (Lexington Books, 2014).
Gill, Robin. Moral Passion and Christian Ethics. Vol. 34. (Cambridge University Press, 2017).
Kane, Ross. “The Ethics of Everyday Life: Moral Theology, Social Anthropology, and the Imagination of the Human.” Anglican Theological Review 98, no. 4 (2016): 747.
Miguel, A. Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins: Revised and Expanded. (Orbis Books, 2014).
Morris, Daniel A. “Reinhold Niebuhr’s Paradox: Paralysis, Violence, and Pragmatism by Daniel Malotky, and: Moral Man and Immoral Society: A Study in Ethics and Politics by Reinhold Niebuhr, and: An Interpretation of Christian Ethics by Reinhold Niebuhr.” Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics35, no. 1 (2015): 207-210.
Newlands, George. Christ and human rights: The transformative engagement. (Routledge, 2017).
Outka, Gene. “The Ethics of Love and the Problem of Abortion.” Church, Society, and the Christian Common Good: Essays in Conversation with Philip Turner (2017): 146.
Peters, Rebecca Todd. “Beyond the Abortion Wars: A Way Forward for a New Generation by Charles C. Camosy.” Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics 36, no. 2 (2016): 210-211.
Rostbøll, Christian F. “Kant and the critique of the ethics-first approach to politics.” Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy (2017): 1-16.
Sider, Ronald J. Nonviolent action: What Christian ethics demands but most Christians have never really tried. (Brazos Press, 2015).
Simmons, Frederick V., and Brian C. Sorrells, eds. Love and Christian Ethics: Tradition, Theory, and Society. (Georgetown University Press, 2016).
Thomas, Dan. “Better Never to Have Been Born: Christian Ethics, Anti?Abortion Politics, and the Pro?Life Paradox.” Journal of Religious Ethics 44, no. 3 (2016): 518-542.
Wadell, Paul J. Happiness and the Christian moral life: An introduction to Christian ethics. (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016).
Ward, Keith. Ethics and Christianity. (Routledge, 2014).
Wells, Samuel, Ben Quash, and Rebekah Eklund. Introducing Christian Ethics. )John Wiley & Sons, 2017).
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