Christian Ethics

LTCi course number 303

Is it ever permissible
for a Christian to lie?
Norman Geisler in Christian
Ethics suggests that there are
6 major ethical systems (ways
of looking at ethics decision
making.) This is his example
on the subject of lying
1. Lying is neither right or
wrong: there are no laws, we
decide on personal pragmatic
grounds - Antinomianism
2. Lying is generally wrong: there are no universal
laws but if the result is good then lying would be ok -
Generalism
3. Lying is sometimes right: love is the absolute
moral law and lying might be the loving thing to do -
Situationism
2. Lying is generally wrong: there are no universal
laws but if the result is good then lying would be ok -
Generalism
3. Lying is sometimes right: love is the absolute
moral law and lying might be the loving thing to do -
Situationism
4. Lying is always wrong:
absolute moral laws exist and
should not be broken -
Unqualied absolutism
5. Lying is forgivable: we
lie to save a life and then ask
for forgiveness
Conicting absolutism
6. Lying is sometimes right - there are
absolutes but some are higher than others, where
conict occurs we always follow the higher moral
law
Graded absolutism
http://www.pewglobal.org/2014/04/15/global-morality/country/india/
Can Christians drink alcohol?
Can Christians drink alcohol?
How did you reach your conclusion?
Can Christians drink alcohol?
How did you reach your conclusion?
Later we shall look at a model from
Scott Rae which is designed to help in
ethical decision making
Christian Ethics
LTCi course number 303
Course Description
This course will provide the student with a basic
understanding and overview of ethics. It will focus
primarily on ethics as a practical, lived-out
discipline not simply an academic exercise. To
demonstrate this we shall address a number of
areas of interest / concern to the modern Christian
believers and attempt to help the student to
formulate their own ideas and practices in regard
to those issues.
The course is 3 credit hours.
Course Objectives
As a result of this course the student should be
able to:
1. Dene ethics and morality and basic terms
within the eld of ethics.
2. Using examples show why Christian ethics
differ from those of people holding to other
worldviews
3. Argue a basic standpoint for a variety of issues
which affect modern Christian believers.
4. Be able to apply their understanding to given
ethical dilemmas or scenarios
Outline of Course Content
1. Introducing ethics and morality - what are they
and why do they matter? What is the
foundation for a Christian ethical system?
2. God is the God of peace - War and Peace,
which is right for a Christian?
3. God calls us to be stewards of creation - caring
for the world
4. Go forth and multiply - abortion, reproductive
technologies.
5. The right to end life - euthanasia, capital
punishment
6. What does it mean to be human - the use of
genetic technology in extending and changing
life
7. God made them male and female - sexual
identity, what of homosexuality, can you be a gay
Christian?
8. Christians and politics - should all Christians
vote for the same party or agenda?
Scott Rae
Moral
Choices
John S.
Feinberg, Paul
D. Feinberg
Ethics for a
Brave New
World,
2nd Edition
Introduction:
What is ethics and why
study it?
The assistant at the store forgot to charge you
for one of the CDs you purchased.
You realize this as you are walking out of the
store.
You look back to the register, there is already a
long queue.
You think:
- this wasn't your mistake
- maybe something like this will teach the clerk to
be more careful.
- you think about how hungry you are and that
the money just "saved" could feed you nicely.
What will you do?
On a Sunday night you realise
that you forgot to do your
ethics assignment which is due
to be handed in the next day.
The assignment is not long, but
is hard and requires good
thought and preparation.
You start to do the assignment.
A friend offers you their
completed assignment to copy/
adapt before class.
What will you do?
What are ethics?
What are morals?
Is there a difference between
morals and ethics?
One person suggested this way of
distinguishing morals and ethics:
Morals are the rules that we obey
(created by ourselves, the Bible etc.)
Ethics are about the reasons for the
rules, our understanding of the principles
underlying the rules, and from which the
rules are created
Being simplistic about it we might say
that,
Morals are about what you do and
ethics are about why you do things
It is worth remembering
that
Terms like ethics and
morals / morality are
often used
synonymously
People use them to mean the
same thing - so be careful you
know what the person you are
reading means by them!
Ethics is
the process of determining
right and wrong,
Scott Rae, Moral Choices
This denition could be used
by an unbeliever as well as a
Christian.
To be a little more advanced
Is this is a better denition for Christians?
Ethics is
theology, viewed as a means of determining
which human persons, acts, and attitudes
receive Gods blessing and which do not.
John Frame, Doctrine of the Christian Life
Based upon the covenant of Gods grace; the
believer has been brought into relationship with
God, a relationship that brings about obligations
to love God and to keep his commandments.
Morality is
the end result of ethical deliberation, the
substance of right and wrong,
Scott Rae, Moral Choices
A satisfactory denition, but there is nothing
distinctively Christian about it.
Again this might be a better
denition
Morality is the end result of
the process of determining
which human persons, acts and
attitudes receive Gods blessing
and which do not.
John Frame
Can Christians drink alcohol?
Can Christians drink alcohol?
How did you reach your conclusion?
Can Christians drink alcohol?
How did you reach your conclusion?
Scott Rae suggests the following model
for making ethical decisions.
1. Gather the facts - what do
we know, what do we need to
know in order to make an
intelligent decision?
2. What are the ethical
issues? For example are the
actions right or wrong, good
or bad - what affect will
actions have on other people?
3. What principles are involved - often for
us this means, what does the Bible say?
It might also include what do the laws of the
country say?
It may include values you have/hold.
And then you must decide which are most
important.
4. What are the alternatives - what actions
can be taken? Be creative in your thinking (even
though some will immediately be rejected)
5. How do the alternatives and principles
match up? Often certain principles are
imptortant and therefore exclude some
alternatives
6. Are t here i mpor t ant
consequences? These will be
+ve and -ve, and some might be
thought of as more important
than others.
7. Make a decision - often a
decision has to be made even
with some difculties or -ve
consequences
Possible Options for
Christians:
1. Moderation: You can drink,
just dont get drunk.
Possible Options for
Christians:
1. Moderation: You can drink,
just dont get drunk.
2. Abstaining: You are allowed
to drink, but it is best that you
decide not to.
Possible Options for
Christians:
1. Moderation: You can drink,
just dont get drunk.
2. Abstaining: You are allowed
to drink, but it is best that you
decide not to.
3. Prohibited: Drinking alcohol
is a sin and must therefore be
avoided.
Applying Raes model:
A case study
This has been adapted from Raes
original. It is about medical ethics.
" 67 year old Indian woman diagnosed
with a form of cancer which is usually
treated by chemotherapy.
" at admission she is fully competent
and able to make her own decisions
" she knows something is wrong with
her and appears fearful and anxious
about what getting well might involve.
" she lives with her son
" the family appear happy
" the son has taken responsibility
for her as her husband has died
" the son translates for her
" the son wants her to know the
minimum about the treatment as
he fears she will give up on life
and resign herself to dying
" the son is strongly motivated by
cultural and family values
" The patient does not know her full diagnosis or
the full e#ects of the chemotherapy
" she knows she is sick and treatment will make her
feel sick as well as losing her hair

You are the doctor ! what would you do?

" Follow the familys wishes $based on their
culture%?
" Decide the patient needs to know what is
happening " tell her even if it increases her fear
$and alienates you from the family%
1. Gather the facts " go back over the
information given and write down all the facts.
2. Determine ethical issues
Balancing patient autonomy and
giving consent for treatment
versus what a caring family
think is best for the patient.
In such a situation nurses are
bound by what the doctor
decides " yet they balance
obedience to the doctor / the
patients integrity / giving
informed consent.
3. Determine what values / principles have
a bearing on the case
" the right of the patient to give informed
consent; chemotherapy is very invasive, they
have a legal right to know and control what
happens to their body.
" the obligation of the medical team to act in the
patients best interest; do good for the patient
and act with compassion
" respect for the familys wishes
and culture. Does the doctor
simply act as if they know best?
The family may think they are
taking some of the burden for
their mother by making the
decisions and not telling her
everything.
The law regarding informed
consent must be applied, and
nursing sta#s obedience to doctors
4. List the alternatives
" try to convince the family of the seriousness of
the treatment and why she needs to know
" call an ethics committee conference to discus
the case and try to convince the family to tell
her
These two options should be discussed prior to
any further treatment.
" override the familys wishes and tell the
patient of her condition and the treatment
" continue to follow the familys
wishes, the son continues to
translate and she knows no more
" wait for the patient to ask
questions about treatment and then
encourage her to ask very direct
questions of her family and doctor
" bring in another translator and ask
the woman if she wants to know the
details of all that is happening
5. Compare the alternatives with the virtues /
principles
" initially try to pursue all possibilities of talking
with the family and the doctors trying to get them
to disclose the information themselves
" if above is unsuccessful you can either withhold or
disclose information to the patient
" use another translator and tell the patient / ask if
she wants to know full details of what is going
" she can make it clear at this time
she wants her son to make the
decisions for her
" if she chooses to know then it is
her who is challenging the culture,
yet she retains her dignity and has
full information
" if nurses are unhappy with what is
happening the most viable option is
probably for them to request to be
removed from the case
6. Consider the
consequences
If you disclose the information
directly possible consequences
include;
" family feel alienated, cultural
values have been violated
" family may take patient to
another hospital
" patient may give up
" patient might be happy they
are nally being told the truth
If you continue withholding
information possible
consequences include;
" patient continues to be
fearful and anxious about
the treatment
" patient nds out somehow
and trust is compromised
" family are happy cultural
values are being respected
If you ask the patient if she wants to know through
another translator, possible consequences include;
" family are unhappy at disrespect for their cultural
values
" patient gets to speak for herself and make own
decisions
" she can choose to let her son continue making the
decisions, both law and culture are satised here
" patient will be relieved as she knows her wishes
have been respected
7. Make a decision
" how far should we go in respecting
culture, is it in the patients best
interest, is she respected as an
individual?
Rae suggests, Here it seems the
alternative that involves asking
the patient if she wants to know
the details of her situation
satises most of the virtues and
values at stake and produces the
best balance of consequences too.
Review questions
1. How are ethics important in
business, politics and medicine?
2. How would you distinguish
between ethics and morality?
3. What are descriptive, normative,
metaethics and aretaic ethics?
4. When a moral assessment is
made what should be considered?
5. How would you describe the
relationship of morality and the law?
Review questions
1. How are ethics important in
business, politics and medicine?
2. How would you distinguish
between ethics and morality?
3. What are descriptive, normative,
metaethics and aretaic ethics?
4. When a moral assessment is
made what should be considered?
5. How would you describe the
relationship of morality and the law?