Sexual ethics, Christian sources and decisions



Sexual ethics, Christian sources and decisions . . . The bond uniting a man and a woman in Christian marriage is permanent

HSC STUDY GUIDE | |

|By PAUL DURKIN |

|19 October, 2008 |

|What are the sources which inform Christian ethical teachings? |

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|At the heart of Christian faith is a belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Redeemer. |

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|Along with personal faith, there are the ethical teachings of each particular Christian variant. There are five major |

|variants within Christianity: Catholicism (the Catholic Churches), Orthodoxy, Anglicanism (USA: Episcopalian), Protestantism |

|(eg Lutheran, Uniting, Presbyterian), and Pentecostalism (Assemblies of God, Hillsong). |

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|Scripture: What does the Word of God say? The Old Testament highlights the Covenant between God and people (Exodus 34.28), |

|expressed in The Law, summarised in the Ten Commandments (Deuteronomy 5.1-21). The New Testament expresses Jesus’ Law of Love|

|(Matthew 22.34-40). St Paul expounds on the qualities of love (1 Corinthians 13.1-7). |

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|The following Scriptural convictions may inform how Christians will make ethical decisions, even though the variants within |

|Christianity hold different positions on specific ethical issues (such as contraception and abortion): |

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|a. Human beings are made in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1.27). |

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|b. Human beings suffer the effects of Original Sin (Rom 5.12; Ps 51.5). |

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|c. Human beings, and indeed all creation, are redeemed in Christ (Rom 5.17-21; Mt 16.16). |

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|d. Human beings are a unity of body and soul, and are destined for union with God. |

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|e. Human beings possess inherent dignity and deserve respect. |

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|f. Human life, from natural conception to natural death, is sacred. |

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|g. Human beings are by nature relational and find their deepest happiness in loving relationships. |

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|h. True happiness lies in pursuing what is good and avoiding what is evil. |

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|i. Sexual intercourse is properly reserved as the unitive (love-giving) and procreative (life-giving) act of a man and woman |

|in marriage. |

|There are other sources for Christian ethics, especially within Catholicism: |

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|Natural Law: Catholic moral teaching draws on Natural Law, claiming that the truth of its moral teachings can be seen by the |

|light of human reasoning – ethics which are rationally defensible to anyone of goodwill, arriving at true moral wisdom and |

|decisions in light of reflection upon human nature and human experience. Actions are good or bad in themselves, given we |

|humans are the kind of beings we are. |

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|Magisterium: Made up of the Pope and Bishops of the Church, the Magisterium is the ongoing, authorative teacher of God’s Word|

|and Natural Law. Acknowledging Christ is the definitive revelation of God, faithful Catholics hold that the Holy Spirit |

|continues to guide the Church’s Magisterium in all truth. The Catholic Church presents an integrated teaching on human life, |

|the human person, sexuality and marriage which ‘hangs together’ as a whole. |

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|Each Christian makes ethical decisions in the light of two further sources: informed conscience and informed reason. |

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|“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.(9) Conscience is the most secret core and sanctuary of a man. There he is alone with God, Whose voice echoes in his |

|depths.” |

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|(Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes, 16) |

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|Informed reason, flowing from Natural Law, refers to the conscience-based judgments arrived at through revealed teaching, |

|prayer, reflection and lived experience. This is the radical experience of ourselves as ‘active moral agents’. |

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|Other frameworks: |

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|In contemporary society, a Christian is conscious of the many competing and contrasting ‘frameworks’ or forces which may |

|impact on ethical decision-making. These include Individualism, Hedonism, Materialism, Pragmatism, the Technological |

|Imperative, the Herd Mentality, Secularism and Eclecticism. It is a society increasingly characterised by Relativism, where |

|conceptions of truth and moral values are not ‘absolute’ but are ‘relative’ to the persons or groups holding them, where one |

|opinion is considered as valid as any other. |

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|Other more formal ‘ethical frameworks’ include Virtue Ethics, Proportionalism, Situation Ethics, Utilitarianism and the Post |

|Modern perspective. Note also the wide range of ethical and religious perspectives from across the world religions: from |

|fundamentalism and uncritical dogmatism through to faith which draws people into the mystery of God’s presence and bears |

|fruit in love, goodness, justice and peace. |

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|There are many ethical issues that a person may deal with: |

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|Beginning of life issues: contraception, Reproductive Technologies (IVF, GIFT), Abortion (within and outside marriage); |

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|Life Issues: Marriage, Sex before Marriage, Living Together, Genetic Engineering, Use of Embryonic Stem Cells for Research, |

|Stem Cell Research, Homosexuality; |

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|Broader social issues (relevant to Catholic Social Teaching): Political systems, distribution of wealth, addressing world |

|hunger and poverty, organisation of labour, Just War Theory, Ecological Sustainability; |

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|End of life issues: Euthanasia, Capital Punishment. |

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|Here we will briefly consider three sexual ethical issues: pre-marital sex, contraception and abortion (also a bioethical |

|issue in SOR). |

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|Abortion |

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|Abortion is the deliberate, intentional expulsion of the human foetus at any stage after conception. (The Gospel of Life, |

|Pope John Paul II, n58) |

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|There have been many official statements from the Christian Churches on abortion issued since the early 1960s, reflecting one|

|of three positions: total opposition to abortion, an openness to abortion’s legitimacy because the foetus is not a human |

|being, and a mediating position which regards abortion as legitimate in certain exceptional circumstances, but largely |

|rejects the practice because it involves taking a human life. |

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|In these official statements, there is not the full ‘pro-choice’ position that abortion is essentially a matter of the |

|woman’s right to control her own body. |

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|The Catholic Church upholds the principle that the foetus is to be treated as a person at all stages of development from the |

|time of conception, and so it has an inalienable dignity and the right to life. |

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|Abortion is one of the greatest challenges to the ‘culture of life’ which is promoted by the Catholic Church. This ‘culture |

|of life’ seeks to ensure a secure place for human life to be protected and nurtured. The Orthodox churches have maintained a |

|strong stance against abortion. |

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|The Catholic Church teaches that abortion is always wrong and immoral as human life begins at conception. Therefore, abortion|

|is not acceptable under any circumstance except in the rare and unusual instance where the life of the mother is at real |

|risk. Only then should an abortion be considered. |

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|Prohibition of abortion has been a consistent feature of Christian teaching from the earliest centuries. |

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|The early leaders of the Protestant or Reformation movement such as Martin Luther (1483-1546) and John Calvin (1509-1564) |

|spoke strongly in defence of the protection of human life in the womb. |

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|This was a consistent view held throughout Christianity until the 1960s. |

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|Since then, various conventions and assemblies within the worldwide Anglican Church and the range of Protestant churches have|

|issued more liberal statements about abortion. This reflects a move away from an unequivocal rejection of abortion in all |

|circumstances. |

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|The Catholic Church is not alone in its critical attitude toward abortion. |

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|Several Protestant statements – for example, from the Mennonite Church, the Church of the Brethren and the Lutheran Free |

|Church in Norway – have condemned abortion. However, these statements do not unequivocally reject abortion in all |

|circumstances. |

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|There are Protestant Churches with more liberal positions, for example, the Episcopal Church, Moravian Church, Lutheran |

|Church in America and the Methodist Church of England. |

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|Some of these Churches have spoken of the “freedom of choice” in regard to abortion. |

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|This, in turn, has led to other groups within these Churches taking a strong ‘pro-life’ stand in an effort to call the |

|particular Church back to defending the life of the unborn. Many draw on the simple commandment “You must not murder.” (Ex. |

|20:13) as a key Scripture text. |

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|So one cannot establish one consistent stand on abortion across the worldwide Protestant Churches; there is a diverse range |

|of views and practice. |

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|In 1994, the 71st General Convention of the Episcopal Church (USA) reaffirmed that all human life is sacred from its |

|inception until death and that ‘all abortion is regarded as having a tragic dimension’. |

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|The resolution stated: “While we acknowledge that in this country it is the legal right of every woman to have a medically |

|safe abortion, as Christians we believe strongly that if this right is exercised, it should be used only in extreme |

|situations. We emphatically oppose abortion as a means of birth control, family planning, sex selection, or any reason of |

|mere convenience.” (Episcopal News Service Archive) |

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|The following statement by Rev. Elenie Poulos, national director, Uniting Justice Australia, Uniting Church in Australia |

|National Assembly issued in October 2004 reflects a further move away from an unequivocal rejection of abortion in all |

|circumstances: |

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|“The Uniting Church National Assembly does not hold a position on abortion. The Uniting Church bears witness to God, but this|

|does not always mean having a final answer on the matter. |

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|“We recognise that the Church does not possess all the answers and that, as Christians endeavouring to grasp the significance|

|of the revelations of God in Jesus Christ, we see things with the eyes of our time and place. |

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|“Christians exist in a real and broken world, where people face painful dilemmas in their lives. … Within the Church, there |

|is often a diversity of opinions and positions held on matters relating to medical and sexual ethics and all these views have|

|integrity and should be respected.” |

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|Though the Christian Churches draw on some of the same sources to inform teachings and decisions regarding sexual ethics, it |

|is evident that there is a range of positions taken in regards to issues such as contraception and abortion. |

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