Christians have long struggled with the ethics of Jesus. Those who consider him to be the Son of God also believe that His ethical teachings must be taken seriously.
Has it been a struggle to determine the relevance of the moral teachings of Jesus? He set a high standard, urging those who would follow Him to leave their possessions and pursue a life characterized by a difficult, unconditional, love. A love that embraces even enemies.
To what extent is Jesus’s own life a model to His followers? This question is complicated by the belief that Jesus is divine and perfect; a standard that no human can achieve.
Is it then proper, or even fair, to expect humans to model their own moral life on the life of the Son of God?
If Christians are to model their life based on the teachings of Jesus, does this include the supreme sacrifice, giving up one’s own life for the well-being of others?
It has been discussed in this course ethical considerations, legal considerations, and numerous other aspects of our belief systems.
We have examined ethics, morals, and spiritual beliefs and how our lives are impacted by following Jesus. When in conflict with the rules, what do we do?
Demonstrate your understanding by writing a 1,000-1,500 word paper in APA style. Your assignment should incorporate the textbook, 3 additional sources, and at least one of the ethics codes analyzed during this course.
I. Introduction to Ethics: What are ethics, when were they created and why do we have them?
a. Describe ethics and ethical values.
b. Describe Spiritual values and compare with the codes of ethics and ethical values as written in the codes.
II. Conflicts in Ethics/
a. Describe how codes of ethics may come in conflict with your own belief system.
b. Defend the choices you would make if faced with a conflict between the codes of ethics and your Spiritual belief system.
III. Discuss the life of Jesus and how He displayed ethics/
a. Examine for any similarities between Jesus’s life and teachings and the ethical codes.
b. Examine for any differences between Jesus’s life and teachings and the ethical codes.
IV. Provide a summary of how understanding ethics has caused changes in your own life.
What have you most learned about yourself and/or about what constitutes becoming an ethical practitioner?
Do a brief evaluation of yourself as a learner in this course. How invested were you during this course?
To what degree did you challenge yourself?
How has your thinking about ethics changed?
