Christian Ethics

Christian Ethics and Moral Philosophy

The relationship between faith and reason, including ethics, is problematic. One of the problems is related with the Euthyphro dilemma presented by Plato [Page 311](The Last Days of Socrates). Socrates essentially asks whether something is good because God commands it or whether God commands something because it is good. Many Christians defend that a natural order understood through reason cannot be contradictory to God's will as expressed in the Revelation, since God is both the Creator and who explicitly reveals. This position is far from being an understanding of morality as an arbitrary will of God, but it is also far from being a vision in which morality is independent of God's will.

In contrast, a theologian called Ockham (14th century), who has had a great influence, presented morality as only based on an arbitrary will of God expressed in divine commandments. He not only abandoned reason to discover morality but also reduced Christian ethics to a set of obligations, with practically no room for virtue.

Now, some Christians, putting philosophy aside, only recognize biblical teaching freely interpreted by each individual or maybe with the support of churches or communities of believers. However, many other Christians consider that it is reasonable to think that Christian ethics includes both faith and reason.

Augustine of Hippo in the 5th century and Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century are two outstanding examples in joining faith and reason. Augustine employed neo-Platonic and Stoic thought to a great extent, while Aquinas extensively used Aristotle, although both authors did so in a new and creative way.

Currently, there is a well-developed body of moral theology, which accepts and examines divine Revelation and simultaneously responds to the demands of human reason. Moral theology includes philosophy for a sound vision of human nature and society, as well as of the general principles of ethical decision making and other proposals of moral philosophy.

Scrutinizing the Bible and the primitive Christian tradition, one can find that, apart from obligations (moral law, expressed in principles and rules), there are also values and virtues.

Principles are hierarchical issues, such as the priority of people over things, the subordination of economic goals to human dignity and rights, and the priority of seeking God's approval rather than man's. Rules, closely related to principles, are moral dictums for human action, for instance, respect for human life and other people's property and the prohibition of lying. Values are goals for life or moral goods, such as freedom, love, peace, and truthfulness. Virtues are permanent moral habits in the character and dispositions of the individual Christian by the Holy Spirit.

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