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Some Christians hold that Christ speaks to us by his Spirit in ways other than by the written word which has faithfully been passed down to us. There is good support for this thinking in Scripture itself but also much which should lead us to exercise caution. Everything must be...
Everyone, whether they care to admit it or not, has a world view; a set of presuppositions about the nature of reality, that has profound effects on the way they think. Behind a rabid 'rights for gay whales' campaigner may be the beliefs that: God doesn't exist Death is the...
Some points to make: Premarital sex leads to a higher incidence of marriage breakdown. Most first sex experiences are not consented to fully and are later regretted. The dangers: STDs, emotional hurt, unplanned pregnancy, infertility, abortion. Bible equally condemns all sex outside marriage. Genetic basis for homosexuality not proven. Substantial...
1. How can a non-sentient being have value? We do not know that the fetus is 'non-sentient'. We do know that brain function, as measured by EEG is present in the fetus at about 6 weeks after conception and that responses to tactile sensation (skin tightening, bending, fist forming) can be...
Do we have a right to 'impose our morality'? We live in a pluralist culture where religious belief is seen as a private matter and the supreme virtue is tolerance. It's not surprising that when we submit to God's rule in the way we behave, we will be accused of...
We should resist the temptation to construct a pharisaical list of do's and don't's but rather look for biblical ethical principles to guide our decision making. These can be summed up in the commandments to 'love God with all our heart, soul and mind' and 'to love our neighbour as...
Following Christ involves following his commands. The law of Christ referred to in such Scriptures as John 13:34-35, 1 Corinthians 9:21 and Galatians 6:2 involves bearing one another's burdens, loving each other as he has loved us. But whereas these verses summarise beautifully the substance of Jesus' teaching, we cannot...
Earlier this century there was a broad consensus about ethical decision making in medicine. Ethical codes such as the Hippocratic Oath and its modern restatement The Declaration of Geneva (1948) were broadly accepted by secular bodies and largely consistent with the Bible. This is no longer the case. Both medicine...
Some points to make: Animals are important and should be treated humanely. Human beings are more important than animals. God gave us the right to rule over animals and to eat them. Advances in medicine have been dependent on animal research. All people are speciesist in some respect (eg using...
1. Aren't you condemning people to a painful, horrible death? Euthanasia is unnecessary because alternative treatments do exist. This is not to deny that there are patients presently dying in homes and hospitals who are not benefiting from advances in palliative care, either because facilities do not exist in the immediate...