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Summary Theology - Christian moral action Essay Plans
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Christian moral action• whether or not Christians should practise civil disobedience
Yes should:
Higher duty to God then state - Bonhoeffer practised civil disobedience and
possibly was part of the attempt to assassinate Hitler. Bonhoeffer wrote that
the ‘worldly order is subject to the commandment of God.’ In other words, the
Christian has a higher duty than the state – he or she must ensure that God’s
will is being followed. Example of the Finkenwalde seminary – setting up of
the Confessing Church. E.g. Moses sending plagues to Egypt to free slaves -
caused harm but God willed it to be.
For common good - If a state imposes a law which is unjust and does not
promote the common good, then, the Christian no longer is required to obey it.
For example, in Britain at various times in history the Catholic Mass was
banned and there were severe penalties for priests who celebrated Mass.
Here the law was clearly unjust. Here Catholics disobeyed the state, and
secretly priests defied the state. In many large houses in England there are
‘priest holes’ – secret rooms for priests to hide in if the authorities raided the
house.
Another example is the implementation of segregation in America where
under the jim crow laws it was legally allowed to seperation white people and
black people. During the Civil Rights Movement, Christian leaders like Martin
Luther King Jr. challenged the unjust laws of segregation, asserting that
although these laws were legal, they were morally wrong and violated the
equality and dignity of all individuals. They mobilised a diverse group of
Christians by appealing to principles of love, justice, and the common good.
This example highlights the that not all laws align with Christian values.
Christians have a responsibility to discern the moral implications of laws and
to oppose those that perpetuate injustice. It demonstrates that following Jesus
involves more than mere obedience to the law; it requires actively working for
justice, equality, and the well-being of all people.
“Authority is exercised legitimately only when it seeks the common good…If
rulers were to enact unjust laws or take measures contrary to the moral order,
such arrangements would not be binding in conscience.” - CCC
Jesus did - Jesus spoke out for the oppressed on numerous occasions and is
quoted as having said, ‘I have come not with peace but a sword’.
, The Gospel of Mark indicates that Jesus advocated civil disobedience while in
the Temple in Jerusalem - if it is for the Greater good or for the love of God.
With the rise of Hitler, Bonhoeffer believed Christians had a duty to speak out
and be disciples of the Church which meant ‘carrying the crosses.’
Joseph Fletcher would say it is the most loving thing to do in certain
circumstances.
"And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold
and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the
moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto
them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye
have made it a den of thieves."
No shouldn’t:
Paul teachings - There are many Biblical examples that support following the
laws of the state: The Gospel of Luke implies that the government’s authority
is to be respected. Whilst in the temple when Jesus was challenged on
whether or not to obey the authorities and pay taxes to Caesar he replied:
'Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's.'
In St Paul’s letter to the Romans he commands the Christian community to
follow the state: “All of you must obey the government rulers. Everyone
who rules was given the power to rule by God.” At the time of St Paul’s
writing the ruling authority was Nero, one of the worst tyrants of all time – a
man who enjoyed burning Christians alive in his night time garden parties! If
Paul could command Christians to obey Nero, then, why not Hitler? Many
German Christians must have thought that in the long run, God would sort it
all out – their duty, in the interim, was to obey the state.
Church - CCC - “Human society can be neither well-ordered nor prosperous
unless it has some people invested with legitimate authority to preserve its
institutions”. In simpler terms, society needs leaders to establish law and
order.
Gospel of Luke - "Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God
what is God's."
This account supports the view that it is not your responsibility to defy the
state, instead our giving to God should be a personal affair.
Natural Law - St Thomas Aquinas argues the Primary Precepts, POWER,
allow people to live in an orderly society. For this to happen we have to
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