Morality is the principles and standards that make an action right or wrong. For example, Christians believe that morality comes from God and can be understood as the conscience.
Some Roman Catholics agree with the death Penalty becuase in 1997 the Vatican issued a statement saying that execution was acceptable where the identity of the criminal was absolutely confirmed and where execution was the only means to protect society from the criminal. However, RC Christians are divided. Traditionally the Catholic Church has allowed (but not encouraged) capital punishment. The Vatican also states that non-lethal means of punishment were “more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and the dignity of the human person.” (Pope John Paul II)
Some Church of England Christians believe that the death penalty is inhumane. This is because all life is sacred and belongs to God. Christians believe that “before God made you in the womb, he knew you,” which highlights that God has a plan for each and every life. If humans intervene by taking life away, then God’s plan becomes unfulfilled. As a result, Christians may campaign and protest against capital punishment because it abuses the sanctity of life.
Protestant churches like the Church of England would be described as relativist in their approach to morality. This person might believe that all killing, e.g. war, is wrong. Like Humanists more liberal Crhistains follow a relative moral approach to judging situations and moral dilemmas. Moral principles can be adapted in certain situations. E.g. the principle to ‘not kill’ can be adapted in times or war or in self-defence. This might be because death in war, for example, might reduce suffering in the long-term.
More conservative individuals in the Church of England Christians might believe that morality comes from God because God is ultimately good. The bible says 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.”- Proverbs 3: 5-6 By knowing God, we know what good is and therefore Christians might say that we know evil by straying away from God. Christians can build this relationship with God by obeying his moral commands, such as “love thy neighbour” and “pray for those who persecute you”.
Roman Catholics and Quaker Christians are examples of Christian denominations who are absolutist in their moral values (if it is a moral rule, it is always a valid rule, whatever the situation) This is when a person has a principle or a moral rule, such as ‘do not kill’, and believes that it is wrong to kill in all situations, no matter what the context or circumstance is.
Some Christians disagree with this statement because suffering can exist for many reasons. For example, John Hick argued that suffering exists so that we can develop our souls and be worthy of entering heaven. This is his soul-making theory and it suggests that suffering enables humans to reach their potential for spiritual growth.
This is a bad point because some would argue that if God is omnipotent, then he would have been able to create a way for humans to grow spiritually whilst not causing them pain and suffering. Therefore, for some people, the existence of suffering is evidence towards there being no God.
Justice is fairness and where everyone has equal rights and opportunities. For example, Martin Luther King fought for justice for black people in USA. Fairness, fair trial and punishment that fits the crime, Maintaining justice is a key feature of a moral society. Justice cannot be achieved without some form of punishment. However the punishment must address the cause of the crime and reflect the severity of the crime, e.g. a murderer shouldn’t be given a fine and person who stole some sweets shouldn’t go to prison for life
A Chaplain is a minister, such as a priest, pastor or community member of a religious tradition. They are attached to non-religious institutions such as hospitals, prisons, schools or universities. Their job is to provide pastoral care for patients, pupils or prisoners. They provide counselling to inmates, supporting them through rehabilitation and seeing to their spiritual needs. Prisoners need someone who is not a prison officer or warden for support due to their complex emotions regarding fear, loneliness, guilt or family concerns.
Chaplains also help prisoners to re-enter the community, working with parole officers and other volunteers. Families of inmates also have access to prison chaplains. Family members can be the victims of the inmates’ crimes and require the care of the chaplain just as much as the inmate. Chaplains do not have to be religious. 32% of prison chaplains are not religious. Chaplins feel there is something of God in everyone – no matter what they have done. It is a duty to support them, and working as a chaplain is following in Jesus’ footsteps – you are showing compassion, love and kindness. People are more than the worst thing that have ever done in their lives and matters of the spirit can only be solved through a certain type of therapy. Chaplains are not there to judge.
The Catholic church teaches forgiveness is at the heart of the Gospel message. Jesus’ example and teaching show Christians that they should treat others with compassion, love, mercy andforgiveness. Jesus told his disciples to love. ‘A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another’ (John 13:34–35) and Jesus showed forgiveness to those who crucified him(Luke 23:33–35). Peter asked jesus about forgiveness Matthew 18:21–35 Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. Secondly what the story in Luke 16:19–31 about the rich man and lazarus reveals about the nature of the afterlife suggests that sometimes God does not forive and Catholics take this are warning about how they should live in this life. Both of these stories stress that everyone will be judged according to how they have lived their lives. So if we want to be forgiven and be treated mercifully,we need to forgive and show mercy.
Protestant Christianity followed jesus teaching on teh Bible which is taken as teaching forgiveness, love and compassion. Jesus makes forgivness central to The Lord ’s Prayer: “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.”- Matthew 6: 12. Jesus’ teachings and the teachings of moral exemplars, e.g. Martin Luther King, show forgiveness to all. Jesus warns against being quick to judge when he says “Do not judge and you will not be judged. Do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37) In Jesus’ Beatitudes (the blessings listed by Jesus in his sermon on the mount) demonstrate forgiveness: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”
There are many examples of People who Forgave: Gee Walker was the mother of Anthony Walker who was murdered during a racially motivated attack in Liverpool in 2005. She said “I have to forgive them. I cannot hate. Hate is what killed Anthony.” Gee was aprotestant and pentecostal Chritsin who believed in teh Bible. Martin Luther King Jr like Gee said “Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.”. the civil rights movement was founded on establishing change through forgivness and reconciliation.
People like Chris Stedman is a Humanist Chaplain. This means that he cares for the emotional and spiritual wellbeing of people – without the need for religion or a ‘God’. Humanists have been running a project with Humanist Pastoral Support Volunteers at Winchester Prison. This includes meeting inmates with ‘nil’ religion on admission, holding discussion groups and proving counselling, such as bereavement support, for inmates. This is especially important as often prisoners are unable to attend funerals of loved ones or benefit from the type of community support offered to those who have suffered the loss of family or friends. You are there primarily for the inmates. Most offenders are also victims. That doesn’t mean that we feel sorry for them; but we do offer them enough compassion
Evil is that which is extremely wrong, immoral and wicked. For example, Christians believe that committing sins such as murder are evil.
Protestant Christians in teh church of england read and teach from the Bible. An important story that is in the lectionary is jesus and The Woman Caught in Adultery. Jesus forgive the adulterous woman, saying that ‘he who has not sinned can throw the first stone’. In other stories Jesus visited Zacchaeus, despite his cheating and greed. This enabled Zacchaeus to make amends and reform.
Further Jesus tells many parables about foreness. In the Parable of the Prodigal Son teaches about forgiveness, the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant tells us that we must forgive others, ‘Seventy times seven’, in order to be forgiven. So Christians believe they should forgive a limitless number of times because they will be forgiven by God for their many sins. Jesus said “If you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” in explain the lords prayer something they would say as part of the daily office. 'Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins,as we forgive those who sin against us. '
Some Church of England Christians believe that suffering can be a test. In the Bible, the story of Job teaches that we should trust in God and that suffering is there to be overcome. Therefore, Christians will endure suffering because the “Lord gave, and the Lord taketh away.” Through the test of faith God will restore a person’s contentment and remove all suffering.
To grant pardon for wrongdoing; to give up resentment and the desire to seek revenge. Forgiveness is giving up resentment and the desire to seek revenge for a wrongdoing. Christians believe that we should try to forgive others because we expect to be forgiven by God.
Good is what is morally right and acceptable. For example, Christians think that ‘good’ is following the Ten Commandments.
For Catholics making moral decisions begins with what the law says. Catholics consider for Laws- the eteranal law, (the ideas in Gods mind which we cannot know) the divine law (which is the Bible), the natural law (what we know from logic and reason about prupose) and the human law. Reasoning about ethics invloves thinking what is the end or purpose of an action. Aquinas developed five precepts to describe this- That we should preserve life, the species, ratinality, worship and order. These ideas are applied e.g. no contraception or abortion. Also Catholics are concerned with becomming good people by developing the seven heavely virtues . Virtues are qualities thought of as good, right and honest. Examples are: 1. Chastity (not having sex until marriage), 2. Temperance (not drinking alcohol), 3. Charity (volunteering time and effort), 4. Diligence (careful and persistent effort), 5. Patience (acceptance or tolerance or problems), 6. Kindness (compassion towards others, 7. Humility (modest view of your own importance). Practising these virtues is believed to keep people safe from the temptation to commit sin.
Protestants might read teh bible more and follw teh ten commandments or they might use the conscience. The WWJD movement (What Would Jesus Do?) was started by Evangelical Christians in America in 1990s. People wear bracelets to remind them of their Christian beliefs and to prompt them to make decisions that will be in keeping with the life and teachings of Jesus. If facing a moral dilemma, Christians would ask: What would Jesus do in this situation?
Christians believe that punishment should reform an offender. This is because of the belief that each person deserves dignity and should be allowed a second chance. Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery to, “go and sin no more,” showing that it is important to give others the opportunity to change. Therefore, a Christian might become a prison chaplain and help prisoners to see the error of their ways.
Christianity teaches forgiveness, so they do not agree with retribution as a purpose of punishment Christians believe in justice, which means that forgiveness and punishment should go together. Christians should try to follow the example of Jesus, who forgave those who betrayed him. He forgave Judas during the Last Supper and on the cross he asked, “Father, forgive them, they don’t know that they are doing.”
Christians tend to support punishment practices that lead to forgiveness, for example restorative justice programmes in prisons. Jesus taught compassion and not revenge and because of this, many Christians have been actively involved in prison reform to ensure that people are treated humanely in prison. They believe that it is important to recognise and address the causes of criminal behaviour, such as poverty, unemployment and poor social conditions as a means of restoring social justice and preventing crime. Punishment should enable a person to reform - to change their ways and to be of value to the community, “Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream.” (Amos 5:24)
Some Roman Catholics agree witheth death Penalty becuase in 1997 the Vatican issued a statement saying that execution was acceptable where the identity of the criminal was absolutely confirmed and where execution was the only means to protect society from the criminal. Jesus never said the death penalty was wrong and Thou shalt not kill.’ The death penalty upholds this commandment by showing the seriousness of murder as a crime.
However, this is a weak point as RC Christians are divided. Traditionally the Catholic Church has allowed (but not encouraged) capital punishment. The Vatican also states that non-lethal means of punishment were “more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and the dignity of the human person.” (Pope John Paul II) There is always a risk that the wrong person could be put to death
Some Liberal Christians e.g. Quakers and some Anglicans in the Church of England Christians believe that the death penalty is inhumane. This is because all life is sacred and belongs to God. Christians believe that “before God made you in the womb, he knew you,” which highlights that God has a plan for each and every life. The Quakers have campaigned against the death penalty since 1818, and argue all human life should be respected and everyone is a reflection of God/contains a little of God, that punishments should always be used to reform. Some of the first prison reformers were Quakers who worked to maintain the dignity and humanity of prisoners, following Jesus teaching “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
This is a strong point as if humans intervene by taking life away, then God’s plan becomes unfulfilled. As a result, Christians may campaign and protest against capital punishment because it abuses the sanctity of life. Jesus says that revenge is wrong. ‘Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. But now do not resist evil. Turn the other cheek.’
Some conservative protestants support the death penalty, seeing it as following the Old Testament law of ‘an eye for an eye’. In the Old Testament it states, “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed.” The Old Testament specifies 36 capital offences. These are crimes that are deserving of the death penalty and include idolatry, blasphemy and murder. Some Christians argue that the death penalty was not only approved, but created by God. They think Capital punishment upholds the commandment, ‘thou shalt not kill’, by showing the seriousness of the crime of murder
This is a weak point as Jesus in teh new testament said you have heard it said do not murder but I tell you anyone who has hate in his heart its as if he has murdered. Jesus says we should love our neighbours and the death penalty breaks teh sanctity of life princple.
Free will is the ability to make voluntary choices in life. For example, Christians believe that God gave Adam and Eve free will in the Garden of Eden.
Christians believe that justice is important because Jesus himself acted with justice in the Bible. For example, when the Jewish leaders brought the woman who was caught in adultery to Jesus, he said, “only you who have not sinned may throw the first stone.” This means that justice is given by God and that it is God alone that may judge a person for their sins.
Some Roman Catholics believe that God gave free will to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Humans were given the choice to obey God – or not. In the Bible, it says that Adam and Eve used their free will to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and therefore brought sin and suffering into the world. Because of this belief, Christians will pray to God and reconcile with him in order to be forgiven for their sins.
Some Christians agree with this statement because God gave Moses ten laws that he expects Christians to follow. For example, the commandment to “not steal” applies absolutely, not just when it suits the person. Therefore, a Christian will not apply situation ethics to his or her circumstances, but they will obey God’s laws unconditionally.
This is a good point because God would not have passed down laws that he didn’t expect Christians to follow. God wanted all of his people to follow the laws – he didn’t add on conditions for people to obey him only if it suited them. If he did, he wouldn’t be a constant and consistent God. This sort of God wouldn’t be reliable and Christians believe that above all things, God is constant and reliable.
Sin is going against a religious law. For example, killing a person goes against the law to “not murder”.
Christians believe that morality exists because God exists, and God is ultimately good. God gave morality to humans through the laws he passed down to Moses on Mount Sinai. For example, “Do not covet”, shows humans how it is wrong to be jealous of another person. Therefore a Christian will try to follow God’s laws in order to build a relationship with him.
Some Church of England Christians believe that punishment should be fair and just. The story of the woman caught in adultery shows that some human-sanctioned punishments are not just or fair. For Christians, punishment should be to reform a person. This is because Jesus taught to “love thy neighbour” and it is more loving to allow a person a second chance than to throw away the key. As a result of this belief, Christians might become prison chaplains in order to change a criminal’s way of thinking and help them to stay out of trouble.
Some Roman Catholics believe that punishment should be to get revenge on a criminal. The Old Testament says, “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life.” This means that if someone has committed a crime or wronged another person, the same should be done to them. Because of this belief, a Catholic might ensure that reparation is made between the criminal(s) and victim(s).
This is generally rejecetd by mist people. Theories of punishment broadly fall in to instrumental and retributaive theories of puncihsment The former inlcudes Protection- Protect society from becoming victims of crime, Deterrence- To put people off doing the crime, Reformation- Rehabilitates, changes or reforms offenders so they won’t do it again, Vindication-Shows respect for the law and government, Reparation- Repairing the damage done through crime. The latter Retribution-Revenge or ‘getting even is argued by many Christinas as it says in teh Bible '“Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream.” (Amos 5:24).
this is a weak point as Christians and humanists are divided on whether punishment should be instruimental or retribuative. How to interpret the bible is also controversial.
Some Christians disagree with this statement because they are literal Christians and they believe that the Bible is the word of God and ‘all scripture is God breathed’. God tell Moses ‘an eye for an eye’ therefore Roman Catholics think punishment is likely to have an element of retribution in it.
This is a bad point because evidence has shown the importance of trying to reform Prisoners and is against Jesus teaching on ‘loving our enemies’ and ‘doing good to those who harm us.
quakers argue Christianity teaches forgiveness, so they do not agree with retribution as a purpose of punishment. They prefer instrumental theories especially those that emphasis reform and restoration. Quaker Christians believe in justice, which means that forgiveness and punishment should go together. Quakers are Christians should try to follow the example of Jesus, who forgave those who betrayed him. He forgave Judas during the Last Supper and on the cross he asked, “Father, forgive them, they don’t know that they are doing.” Christians tend to support punishment practices that lead to forgiveness, for example restorative justice programmes in prisons. Jesus taught compassion and not revenge and because of this, many Christians have been actively involved in prison reform to ensure that people are treated humanely in prison. They believe that it is important to recognise and address the causes of criminal behaviour, such as poverty, unemployment and poor social conditions as a means of restoring social justice and preventing crime.
This is a good point as Punishment should enable a person to reform - to change their ways and to be of value to the community.
Any offence that is punishable by law. For example stealing, murder, or rape.
Christians believe that prison reformers have played an essential role in shaping modern prisons. For example, Elizabeth Fry campaigned to give prisoners rights, worked to educate women to read and write, showing the Christian belief in agape – sacrificial love – towards others. Jesus said to “love thy neighbour” and Fry showed this by giving her love to women who needed her support the most.
Some Church of England Christians believe that criminals should be treated with dignity and human rights. In the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, Jesus said to the sheep that they can enter heaven because “when I was in prison, you visited me.” This means that prisoners should be treated fairly. A Christian might become a prison chaplain in order to justly support prisoners and support them whilst incarcerated.
Some Christians agree with this statement because the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats tells Christians about God’s judgement and justice for those who sin against him, or for those who follow him. The parable says, “God will be the final judge,” before separating the sheep from the goats.
This is a good point because for Christians, this is duplicated in society – we are also separated into civilians and criminals. The criminals are punished for their crimes against society using the most appropriate method. For example, a murderer will be imprisoned to protect society. If a first-time shop lifter received the same sentence, we would consider this unjust. Therefore justice is the main aim of punishment.
Punishment is making someone suffer or pay a penalty for the crime they have done. For example, Christians believe that punishment should be to reform a criminal so that they are able to get a second chance.
Some Christians believe that suffering enables humans to take part in the suffering of Jesus, who suffered and died on the cross for the sins of humanity. The Bible says that, “we share in the suffering of Christ,” suggesting that suffering allows us to grow closer to Jesus. Therefore a Christian will endure suffering and pray to Jesus to build a relationship with him.
Some Roman Catholics believe that sin has entered the world as a result of the original sin – where Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The consequence for sin is punishment. For example, God punished Adam to work the cursed ground for food and God cursed Eve to have pain in childbirth. Because of this belief, Catholics will repent and ask for forgiveness from God through the rite of Confession.
Some Christians agree with this statement because Rev. Julie Nicholson was a minister who was unable to forgive after her daughter was killed in the 7/7 bombings in London. Rev. Nicholson couldn’t “forgive as she expects to be forgiven” and therefore felt that she had to leave the ministry for not being able to do what she preached about.
This is a good point because there are some crimes that people consider so heinous and morally unacceptable that forgiveness is not possible. Real, genuine forgiveness is hard to achieve because a person still has to live with loss and the knowledge than a great injustice was done.
A system of justice that enables criminals to make amends for their behaviour by meeting with their victim and apologising. Most people, regardless of faith, believe that humans should be given a second chance if they are genuinely sorry for what they have done, going by the principle to ‘treat others as you would like to be treated.’
Christians believe that the work of prison reformers is essential in ensuring that the aim of punishment of reformation is achieved. Christians believe that everyone should deserve a second chance. They follow the example of Jesus who forgave and changed the view of Zacchaeus, a tax collector who had stolen from the people he was collecting taxes from. Because of this, Christians will work in prisons as chaplains in order to help reform and change a prisoner to be more suitable to living in society.
Some Church of England Christians believe that we learn to forgive through following the examples that Jesus set in the Bible. For example, Jesus told the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, which teaches Christians to “forgive as you expect to be forgiven.” As a result, Christians will practice forgiveness and learn the skill of giving up resentment towards others in order to be forgiven themselves.
Some Christians agree with this because the death penalty is irreversible. Humans are flawed and can make mistakes, therefore sometimes the wrong person is convicted for a crime. In addition, it is hypocritical to punish murder with murder – for Christians, it is all wrong because it goes against the commandment to, “not murder”.
This is a good point because if a person’s life was taken as a punishment for a crime they did not commit, then that is the ultimate injustice. In addition, Christians believe that it is only God who can give and take a life, therefore it is wrong to punish people through the death penalty because life is sacred.
It means a person is put to death or executed as a punishment for their crime. Traditionally the Catholic Church has allowed but not encouraged capital punishment. Genesis 9:6 Capital punishment is wrong because all life is sacred. , Exodus 21:24 If someone kills someone then it is fair that they shouldbe killed –so capital punishment is justified. Matthew 5:38–39 Capital punishment is wrong because Jesus taught that we should respond peacefully even if someone is violent towards us.
Some Christians might follow the example of Gee Walker, who was able to forgive the killers of her son. She did this because of her Christian belief in forgiveness and that we should “forgive those who trespass against us.” Gee believes that God will forgive her for her sins, therefore she should try to forgive others for theirs.
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