The ultimate law is Eternal Law. These are the principles by which God made and controls the universe which only God can understand completely. We can have a partial understanding of these laws through ‘reflections’. Aquinas argued that we can understand these laws more by using human reason. He was influenced by Aristotle’s view that humans, like all objects in this realm, have a specific purpose.
This is the belief that everything in the universe including all human actions and choices has a cause. Thus, all events are causally determined and theoretically predictable; you just need to know the effect of the causes. This is a mechanistic philosophy, put forward in the Cosmological argument by St. Thomas Aquinas. In addition, other philosophers agree with the illusion of moral choice such as John Locke who used a strong analogy in
Aristotle asked the question of ‘how does it happen?’ and believed that every object has a purpose. This is known as ‘The Final Cause’ and it was believed that perfection was only reached when an object fulfilled its purpose. In the thirteenth century, Aquinas developed natural law and explained how it was a moral code existing within the purpose of nature, created by God. It exists to help humans to direct their actions in a way, which will help them, reach their destiny with God. Aquinas described that, fundamentally, humans should do good and avoid evil.
This is why God created a universe fit for human life, and why he laid down guidelines for how to live our lives. According to Christianity, each one of us is created for communion with God; God wants to know us, to love us, and to rejoice with us. Examples in the Bible are Proverbs 19: 21 and Ephesians 3: 20. The most basic principle of the Christian moral life is the awareness that every person bears the dignity of being made in the image of God. He has given us an immortal soul and through the gifts of intelligence and reason enables us to understand the order of things established in his creation.
It can be seen as the first humane law ever created to protect classes of Babylonian society. However, in the epilogue, he mentioned that he is he had been called by the gods "to cause justice to prevail in the land, to destroy the wicked and the evil." As mentioned above, Hammurabi saw himself as the king of righteousness. Therefore, he expected every citizen to see him as a figurine of God from Heaven. Almost as if he is the God dictates “The great gods proclaimed me and I am the guardian governor, whose scepter is righteous and whose beneficent protection is spread over my city…” One can say that Hammurabi is an extremely religious man who used religion to rule his kingdom.
Natural Law is an ethical theory that if you fulfil something’s natural purpose, then it is fulfilling its goal and therefore is right and just. Natural Law believes that natural order is determined by a supernatural power or being which we must follow. Natural Law was developed by Thomas Aquinas who was a Roman Catholic priest from Italy; he related Aristotle’s theory of Natural Law to Christian’s beliefs in God. Natural Law is a deontological and absolutist theory, where everything has a purpose. There are five primary precepts to Natural Law, Aquinas believed that these precepts came from God.
Assignment 1 Jacques- Benigne Bossuet, “The Theory of Divine Right” LaDayna Franklin “Jacques-Benigne Bossuet (1627-1704) is an excellent example of the “old school” of European political thought…” His belief was the monarchy system which was a political system believed to be ordained by God, gave kings the right to rule by divine right. Bossuet stated “Monarchial government is the best”. By this he is saying that there is no better form of government because kings are ordained by God and with this action there is an automatic natural order that forms this proper government. The Theory of the Divine Right aimed at instilling obedience by explaining why all social ranks were religiously and morally obliged to obey their government. The Theory of the Divine Right was directed at convincing the cultured and wealthy groups that they should serve as royal officials not try and seize power for themselves.
Scripture is the grid through which believers view existence, truth, sin, salvation, ethics, and evil. This biblical worldview is based on God’s truth and the humanity and the purpose of God in our lives. The Natural World We see the natural world as being created by God and through his words. God has always shown who he was through the creation of himself and mankind. God was one that spoke into existence on everything he foreseen present or future.
Locke’s Enlightenment and Civil and Political Rights is a Treatise of the beliefs of natural law and universal order which expresses his opinion finds, and progression of a material world but which also gives an scientific approach to political and social issues. In his reading Locke defends the proposition that government rest on popular consent and rebellion is permissible when government subverts the ends the protection of life, liberty, and property for which it is established. One of Locke’s main defenses is through the existence of God. According to Locke God has given nature to mankind in common, therefore if nature is given to mankind in common how the origin of property emerges. Why he includes a chapter
(Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other Gods me.) I would answer the Teleological question by saying, “We are the Kingdom of God, and because we belong to God’s Kingdom we have purpose and destiny on my life. Since God has purpose on our lives that means he has a plan. Jeremiah 29:11 states, “I know the thoughts I think towards you thoughts of good and not of evil to give you an expected