Christian Ethics
Christian Ethics Final: “Ethical Standards Today” By: Elana Irwin Hall November 11th, 2011 {11-11-11} APS/ Cohort 12 Asbury University Professor: Kimberly Goard Final: Christian Ethics: “Ethical Standards Today” By: Elana Irwin Hall Page #1 “Ethical Standards Today” By: Elana Irwin Hall In our daily lives, certain words carry the same meaning across all social, economic, racial and spiritual boundaries. We know a dog when we see one, and we know what a spoon is and how to use it. These are words for physical items. But then, there are words that carry individual definitions developed by life experiences. “Ethics” and its companion “morals,” are an example of these types of words. The dictionary definitions are ambiguous at best, stating that ethics are a set of values defining right from wrong. The dictionaries further define ethics as a guide to decisions relating to moral duty and obligations. Ethics are generally perceived as a set of societal standards that encompass the norms of the community. For many in Western societies, ethical and moral behavior is based upon Christian teachings, the primary principles being the 10 Commandments that are found in the Bible of the Old Testament. This standard then becomes the established guideline by which all action is judged. But even under such strict criteria, ethical behavior is not black or white, right or wrong. Examples of this are shown daily as society struggles with issues pertaining to abortion, religious tolerance, homosexuality, gay marriage, pre-marital sex, and population growth. Then there are the technological driven issues such as: cloning, stem cell research, gene therapy and manipulation, and nuclear energy. Moral standards developed by a community are useful to the extent that they define a set of
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