A-level Philosophy and Ethics

Discuss critically the view that Christians should seek to convert people who belong to other faith communities. (40) The question that the statement presents is the extent to which Christians should keep their faith personal and private or the extent to which they should try to convert people of other religions into Christianity. Modern Britain is filled with people of different backgrounds and religions, this has led people to become more tolerant of each other. With this tolerance comes an unofficial social law that people do not try to force their religion or point of view onto others. By trying to convert people, Christianity is going against this unspoken contract which helps to maintain social cohesion and peace. This leads to an issue of whether Christians have a duty to their faith or to each other in a multifaith society like the UK. The Bible and the preaching’s of Jesus emphasise on the idea that Christians must preach the word of God and try to convert as many peopl...

Assess the extent to which society would be a better place without Christianity. Discuss (40 marks). The statement that the question presents is a secular statement. Secularism is the concept that religion should not be involved in government and in public life. Regarding the question, society would not become a better place without Christianity, in fact, the opposite is more likely to occur. Claiming that society would be better without Christianity is just as arrogant as claiming that society would be better if everyone converted to Christianity. To suggest that 2.2 billion people are wrong for believing in Christianity is bold. When parents choose to send their children to a faith school or choose to baptise, them, it is because they want to do what is best for them not so that they could indoctrinate or abuse them. The idea that Christianity is detrimental to society is rather ironic. This is because Christianity is at the basis of modern and western morality. It is deeply i...

“Assess the significance of love in situation ethics.” (40marks ) Situation ethics was developed by Joseph Fletcher (an American professor) as a Christian theory of moral guidance. It was based on the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. It was established in a post war era in which society was acting against suppressive rules and beginning to develop an antinomian society. A good example of this would be the Hippie movement in the early 1960’s. It is a teleological theory meaning that the end result is used to determine whether the act was moral or not. Situation ethics is also a situationist and a relativist approach meaning that there are no specific acts that are considered morally right or wrong but instead looks at every situation independently with the purpose and intention of the act based on agape love as the core of morality. The issue the question raises is the importance of love in situation ethics. An absolutist would agree with the questions view because the whole of si...

Secularisation is the best thing that could ever happened to society. (40 marks) Secularisation is a theory developed in the 1950s and 60s developed from enlightenment thinking that religious belief would progressively decline as democracy and technology advanced. Many atheists would argue secularisation is the best thing that can ever happened to society this is because a society which is not dictated by religious beliefs and religious practice, where religion is a private matter rather than public and is separated far from government and state would be a great Society based on the principles of rationality rather than Blind Faith and superstition. However, religion is a major part of our society and without it we would lack the diversity that enriches our culture. Religions such as Christianity have contributed to the development of our society in areas such as government, medicine and law. Therefore, it would be wrong to assume that their influence is useless.   In this ess...

"Jesus was just a moral teacher.” Discuss (40 marks) Many people believe that Jesus was a teacher of morality. His actions and lifestyle made him an example to humanity as to how we should live and treat each other. His teachings and moral example tend to inspire many Christians and others as he is believed to be a good and a holy man who lived a life close to God and advocated repentance, forgiveness and spiritual purity. This makes him a perfect example for others. His teachings also focused on loving others, healing the sick and looking out for the outcasts, the vulnerable and the disposed. Instead of being greedy for power and wealth he saw it as a problem. Jesus’ morality also contained a message of good news: salvation from sin and death and being reborn to eternal life. This made his ideas of reincarnation and the idea of being divine an inspiration and a goal for others. Therefore, without doubt we can claim that Jesus was a moral teacher but to claim that he was just...

“Discuss critically the idea that the existence of God can be known through reason alone.” (40 marks) Knowledge of God can be known in many ways, especially through reason. This is because God provided us with rationality and created us in “his image and likeness” so that we can learn of his existence through our own ability. Our ability to reason is what makes us so special compared to other animals, we have a special connection with God since “he breathed the breath of life into Adam”. Hence to claim that we can prove God’s existence through reason is very reasonable. However, although reason, logic and observation (natural theology) is key to support the idea of God’s existence, it does not teach us about God’s character nor does it enable us to create a personal relationship with him. Instead it is a very shallow and a weak source of knowledge. On the other hand, revealed theology is a great source of gaining knowledge about God’s nature and character. In this essay, I will en...