Conscience, Situation Ethics & Divine Command Theory

1. Conscience, Situation Ethics & Divine Command Theory Learning Outcomes Explore the Church’s teaching on conscience. Evaluate the main principles of situation ethics and apply to different moral dilemmas. Evaluate Divine Command Theory. Pete Byrne CCRS Bexhill- Session 3

2. Where do Christian Ethics originate? Construct an ideas map showing all the possible sources of information that could shape your decision that stealing is wrong.

3. Where do Christian Ethics originate? • The Bible • Old and New Testament • Natural Law & Reason • St Thomas Aquinas • Tradition – Interpretation of Bible • Catholic/Protestant practice • Church - The Magisterium • The Pope and Bishops • Situation Ethics - Love • Fletcher’s Relativism • Conscience – Reason & Judgment • The voice of the Holy Spirit • The Holy Spirit - Revelation • Individual or group prayer, Church

4. What is conscience? Where does it come from?

5. The Church on Conscience“In the depths of his conscience, man detects a law which he does not impose upon himself, but which holds him to obedience. Always summoning him to love good and avoid evil, the voice of conscience when necessary speaks to his heart: do this, shun that. For man has in his heart a law written by God; to obey it is the very dignity of man; according to it he will be judged. Conscience is the most secret core and sanctuary of a man. There he is alone with God, Whose voice echoes in his depths. In a wonderful manner conscience reveals that law which is fulfilled by love of God and neighbour. In fidelity to conscience, Christians are joined with the rest of men in the search for truth, and for the genuine solution to the numerous problems which arise in the life of individuals from social relationships. Hence the more right conscience holds sway, the more persons and groups turn aside from blind choice and strive to be guided by the objective norms of morality. Conscience frequently errs from invincible ignorance without losing its dignity. The same cannot be said for a man who cares but little for truth and goodness, or for a conscience which by degrees grows practically sightless as a result of habitual sin.” Gaudium et Spes, 16

6. Cardinal Newman • Newman was once an Anglican and became a Catholic and a Cardinal. • He converted because he felt called by God to do so. • He argued that his conscience would not allow him to remain an Anglican. • Newman claims that when we do something wrong we feel ashamed, we feel guilty, we feel responsible. • This implies, he holds, that there is ONE before whom we feel ashamed, guilty and responsible. • It will not do to say that we are ashamed before the community – because we feel guilty even when no-one does or can know of what we have done.

7. Conscience leading to God • Newman claimed that humans, unlike animals, possess a conscience guiding us to an objective morality. • Apparent subjective morality is therefore the result of the conscience being INFORMED differently in different societies. • The existence of the faculty of conscience points to God as the Divine author of this faculty. Do you agree?

8. Sigmund Freud • Lived 1856- 1939 • Giant of psychology and founded psychoanalysis. • First to recognise the power and influence of the unconscious and subconscious mind. • Explained conscience and morality in terms of socialisation. “Religion is an illusion and it derives its strength from the fact that it falls in with our instinctual desires.” -Sigmund Freud

9. Freud’s Theory of the Human Mind • The Id- Our basic instincts, desires and appetites e.g. anger, sex, food (chaotic, amoral and pleasure seeking). • The Ego- Rational mind and is shaped by the external world and pressures. Part of us that has a level of self-awareness (rational, organised and realistic). • The Superego- Part of the ego and informs us what we should and shouldn’t do. It watches the ego and criticises it, as well as the id. This internal ‘conscience’ comes from our childhood, especially our parents, our teachers and society (critical, moralising).

10. Situation Ethics What do we know already?

12. Situation Ethics Based on the Christian principle of love e.g. we should do the most loving thing in each situation. • Founded by Joseph Fletcher (former priest turned atheist) – only love is intrinsically good. • No actions are intrinsically right or wrong in themselves, e.g. stealing (a pistol from a man who intends to use it to murder his wife) may be right. • Rejection of Legalism. • Agapeic Love (unconditional and self-sacrificial love) is the primary and only absolute rule. • Rules should not come before the type of love and compassion which Jesus showed in the Gospels. • Relative and teleological (focuses on consequences).

13. Situation Ethics- A New Testament Approach to Morality Non-Legalistic Read Mark 2:23 - 3:6; Mark 7:1-23; Matthew 5-7 – What do you find? Jesus challenged the legalism of the Torah. If in conflict, his teachings take precedence. • Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law of Moses or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them.

14. New Testament EthicsThe Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-10) Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." The Sermon on the Mount Underlying it all is the commandment of ‘love’.

15. New Testament Ethics - (Matthew 7:12) 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. • The Greatest Commandment? • Deuteronomy 6: 5 - Mark 12:28-31 • Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. • 'Love your neighbour as yourself.‘ • Jesus’ Two Commandments

16. The Chief Christian Virtue = LOVE • ‘In everything do to others as you would have them do to you.’ – Matthew 7:12a • Love is the fulfilling of the law. – Romans 13:10b • Love, and do what you will. If you keep silence, keep silence in love; if you speak, speak in love; if you correct, correct in love; if you forebear, forebear in love. Let love’s root be within, you, for from that root nothing but good can spring. – Augustine, Epistola Joannis 7.8 God wants us to follow Jesus’ teachings from desire, not fear or duty. This will lead us to the Kingdom of God and ultimate union with God.

17. Situation Ethics Six Fundamental Principles Agape is the only absolute good. This love is a responsible, self-giving love; a positive duty to go out to people in need. Agape and justice are the same. Agape does not have favourites e.g. everyone should be treated equally. Only the end (love) justifies the means. Decisions vary according to the situation. Four Working Principles • Pragmatism- do what works in practice. • Relativism- There are no moral absolutes or fixed rules except agape. • Positivism- Decisions are based on agape not reason. • Personalism- people come before rules and situations.

18. If you follow Situation Ethics, what would be the right decision? • A 15 year old girl becomes pregnant after being raped by a family member. Should she have an abortion? • A gunman rushes into a newsagent looking for the shopkeeper. You know he's in the storeroom but what do you say? • A dying man asks his wife to help him commit suicide. What should she do? • A woman in a prison camp will be released if she has sex with the prison guard. Should she? • A woman could save many people from an enemy attack if she kills her crying baby who is in danger of giving them away. What should she do? • The right not to be tortured is considered to be an absolute Human Right (i.e. there are no exceptional circumstances).The (sometimes brutal) torture of suspected terrorists could lead to information which will save thousands of lives. Should an exception be made?

19. Weaknesses May go against Church and Bible teachings Utilitarian (love substitutes pleasure) Difficult to determine consequences Danger of selfishness under the banner of ‘love’ A loving motive does not necessarily make an action good, e.g. killing a suicide bomber Not exactly Jesus’ ‘individualised’ love (e.g. haemorrhaged woman) Can be used to justify anything. Strengths Easy to understand and update Flexible – situational Based on the Christian concept of love Focus on concern for others Allows people to take responsibility for their actions Evaluating Situation Ethics

20. Proportionalism • Arose from the challenge of Situation Ethics and (and its moral relativism) to traditional Catholic teaching. • Compromise between Natural Law and Situation Ethics. • Accepts that certain actions (moral laws) are wrong in themselves (Natural Law) e.g. murder. • However, it argues that in extreme circumstances, it may be right to break such rules e.g. if there is a proportionate reason to do so. Example • Killing in a Just War. • What would constitute a proportionate reason to kill during a war? • WWII? Vietnam? Iraq?

21. Divine Command Theory • God, being omnipotent and omni-benevolent, wills certain actions that must be obeyed. • An action is ‘right’ if God commands it. • These commands are revealed through the Bible or Church teaching. • God only commands what is morally good. • Commands are absolute, objective and deontological e.g. obedience to God comes before consequences. MORALITY IS DEPENDENT ON GOD.

22. Challenges to Divine Command Theory The best challenge to the relationship between religion and morality is Plato’s Euthyphro Dilemma. This can be phrased : Does God command X (where X is a moral Command) because it is good, or is X good because God commands it?

23. In Pairs – argue the two sides of the dilemma Is X good because God commands it? In this case God is the direct source of moral knowledge. GOD GOODNESS MAN Does God command X because it is good? In this case goodness exists as something separate from God and to which God needs access in order to make a moral command. GOODNESS GOD MAN

24. Other challenges to Divine Command Theory • How do you determine God’s will? • Moral teaching based on scripture is unreliable because the texts are culturally relative and specific to the time they were written. • Does it undermine our freewill and autonomy in favour of blind obedience? • Pope JPII rejected it, saying some things are innately good or bad. This view of Christian ethics goes completely against the morality of love and grace.

25. Are Christian Ethics Absolute or Relative? Absolutism • Divine Command Theory. • Natural Law e.g. primary precepts • Jesus’ command to love. Relativism • Situation Ethics • Proportionalism • Jesus breaking the law e.g. healing on the Sabbath, ritual cleanliness.