Critically assess the view that the conscience is the voice of God Conscience is something that is intrinsic to our everyday lives. The origin and role of the conscience is something that divides people and something that has been used to justify some very terrible acts, approaches to conscience vary, including numerous religions who claim that it is God given. This is the belief that either at conception God gave each person a conscience or that it is imparted to us at some stage to enable us to discern morally correct and incorrect actions. For some philosophers it is the actual voice of God that speaks to them through their conscience. Newman was an Anglican theologian who supported the notion that conscience is truly the voice of God, and thus developed an intuitionist understanding of how we make ethical decisions.
King describes the church as the possible “true ekklesia” meaning that the church could be a major factor in the human rights movement if it participated and it could even be a key factor in promoting equal rights. 3. In his letter, King puts more emphasis on religion in his essay because he feels that people will connect to good will better through religion than through patriotism. King makes multiple allusions to the Bible, oftentimes using the ethos and pathos appeals. 4.
Although there are different sources, morality all depends on teachings from religious sources of authority. There is also evidence in the secular world that there is an association between religion and morality. It is influenced by religion when it comes to making decisions about important issues, such as abortion. Atheists and the secular world may not accept religious teachings, but their consideration of religion having an input on moral issues suggests that there is a link between the two. The divine command theory suggests that an act is right if it has ben commanded by God, and morally wrong if God has forbidden it.
What did you learn about Augustine's conversion? In the Everett Ferguson’s book, Church History, he says, “ Augustine is a towering figure in church history…. And… Augustine has continued to be a major influence in theology for both Catholics especially in his views on the church and the sacraments and Protestants especially in regard to grace and salvation.” [1] How did Augustine influence in theology especially in regard to grace and salvation? I think the reason is that Augustine’s conversion came from absolute the grace of God not by his deed or endeavors as we know he was far from God. So, Augustine emphasized the grace of God in his theological writings.
Baptism is also compulsory in Anglicanism and must be performed in a certain way unless the person has been baptised as Catholic or Orthodox. Baptists believe that Baptism is not necessary for salvation. They believe that it is an act of Christian obedience. They interpret some Biblical passages, such as Acts 8: 38, as
Explain the ethical teachings of the Religion you have studied. (25 M) Christianity has multiple teachings and approaches which have been taken to it over time all these teachings and philosophical approaches to Christianity vary as you get situation ethics, natural law, the bible and the church showing different approaches which should be taken to Christianity. Natural law is the first teaching as it is widely used by the Roman Catholic Church as being the correct approach to Christian life; this theory was made by Aristotle but Thomas Aquinas expanded upon the thoughts and made it suit Christianity more. The key teachings of this theory are that everything has a purpose as Aquinas said Man desires happiness, what he believed by this is that we have to fulfil our purpose as humans. He said, in Summa Theologica, "Whatever man desires, he desires it under the aspect of good."
Some people place debate upon the fact that the bible should not be interpreted literally and that it should be looked at and analyzed as it is a form of literature. If this is so, why would it be considered divinely inspired by the followers of Christianity? The bible is often used to justify both sides of issues of controversial disagreements, at the same time. And, it usually provides just enough if not more than sufficient evidence and support for each side to be considered correct. As we have been studying, both Frederick Douglass and Richard Furman used the Holy Bible to validate their standpoints about slavery, whether they are for it or against it.
Points thirty-two through forty summarize to say that letters of pardon by the Church do not represent true forgiveness of God. Forgiveness is granted only by God. Luther also stated that all the blessings of Christ come from God even without letters of pardon. Points forty through fifty-one can be summarized as the purchasing pardons is no replacement of one’s moral obligations for acts of love and kindness. Being a Christian involves devout prayer and good deeds for others.
Exclusivism also described as particularism adopts the position that there is no knowledge of God without Christ. Karl Barth agrees with this viewpoint that salvation is only possible through Christ and includes the concept of “ultimate eschatological victory of grace over unbelief” (McGrath, 2011, p. 436). The exclusivist viewpoint aligns well with the uniqueness of the Christian faith and therefor the necessary missionary response that is part of its reality. The opposing viewpoint is that of the inclusivist approach that allows space for other religions seeing the as milestones along the way towards a faith in Christ (McGrath, 2011). According to McGrath the inclusivist viewpoint became popular in the 1890’s centered on words from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount that He came to fulfill not to destroy.
The second is the Divine law which is important to this issue as it reflects the eternal law as it appears to us through revelation. Aquinas essentially saw this law as holy texts such as the Bible. It can only be seen by those who believe in God and only when God chooses to reveal it. So, if someone is deciding what the right moral action is in a particular situation they could refer to the Bible by reading a specific passage or recalling the Ten Commandments. In ‘Summa Theologica’ Aquinas wrote, ‘To disparage the dictate of reason is