Do you think that Christian ethics are important?

Question

What I am saying is do you think the ethics that are presented in the Bible (like no stealing, no lying, honor your parents) are important? Is it possible to live by this ethical code, but not be a Christian? Do you think that America would be the country that it is without this Christian ethics base?

I chose the words Christian ethics because i could think of no other term that described them

Answer 1

It is possible to have a code of ethics without being a Christian.
Christians know that no one can consistently live by any code of ethics...because we are human, we are going to mess up from time to time.
Christian ethics include an allowance for our human failings...and that is what makes the Christian system of ethics so....ahhh...ethical.
America may have been built on Christian principles...but if so, we are fast losing them. And that's a shame.

Answer 2

Didn't Jesus meet a successful young man who had "kept the law from his youth"? But He then stretched him by asking him to give up his possessions and follow Him. Jesus always asks us hard questions that cut through the "religious" issues.

Ethics are critical for any nation or individual but being ethical is only a small part of a Christian's life. It's a shame that even in Christiandom we struggle with doing the "ethical" thing.

Yes we did have a "Christian" foundation as a nation that not enough people really understand. And yes, there have always been people that have various ethical codes, sometimes which conform to God's will for us.

Ethics are like principles, laws, or rules. If you exercise the "right ethic" there is a measure of benefit or reward for doing so to yourself and others. But ethics can be like the clothes we wear. They can be an indicator of what's underneath but not a true reflection necessarily.

The next issue becomes "motive". Do we embrace a certain course of action (or inaction) because of the moral certainty of that choice or because we just decided what seemed good to us by how we felt that day? Then who decides what's good ethic or bad?

The first American lawyers were schooled in Blackstones Commentary on the Laws of England (look it up sometime) and the Bible. Now we must endure the the ongoing endeavors of groups like the ACLU (who are decidely anti-christian) as representative of our legal profession. If we as a nation can eject God and the Bible from our classrooms, our courts, and our public forums do you seriously think our nation can continue to hold fast to any ethics? What are our moral certainties without a cornerstone to base our ethics on?

Do we need our ethics "repaired"? Is our ethic like a compass that always points the direction we want it to because we broke it to make it say what we wanted? Consider the claims of Christ and let Him heal your ethics.

Answer 3

I think the whole question of ethics has traditionally been soley discussed in the context of religion so that the two have to many become indistinguishable. I don't think that is necessarily the case. I am not a believer but I consider a personal ethical code to be necessary to living a happy life. Many aspects of the moral code that run through almost all religions have been derived by experience of others and are of benefit to individuals and society. I wouldn't want others to steal from me so I have to be willing to forgo stealing from others in order to expect people to extend the same courtsey to me. Lying can get you into a lot of trouble so in general it is better to act in a way that doesn't require dishonesty.

My code coincides with the Christian code in the some of the aspects you mention but deviates in others, use of birth control (some Christian sects maintain this is morally wrong), and premarital sex are two examples. In my personal code sexuality is a normal, healthy and fulfilling part of being human and not not morally wrong unless you engage in it in a way that is harmful to yourself or others. So no, I wouldn't want the Christian moral code forced on me as a non-Christian. I also think that homosexuality is a personal choice and they should not be discriminated against but should have the same rights as others. What goes on between consenting adults that harms none is not my concern, Christianity has made it an issue though. It is entirely possible however, to live a moral and ethical code derived from reason without religion.

I think America will do fine so long as it adheres to the principles it was founded on such as freedom of expression and belief and the right of the pursuit of happiness for all individuals regardless of creed.

Answer 4

You have more than one question.

1. I think the ethics in the Bible are very important. All those commandments have to do with either vertical or horizontal relationships.

2. I agree with Paul. If we are saved by our good works, we are most miserable. If you break any part of the law, you are guilty of all. We cannot keep the law on our own. None of us are good enough to do that. We must have a personal relationship with the lawgiver.

3. American would not be the country that it has been, if it were not for the Christian base. However, that being said, the Christian base is eroding and we are on the slippery slope down.

How do we get back on track? 2Chronicles 7:14 is the answer.
14 "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

grace2u

Answer 5

Christianity does not have a monopoly on concepts like treating others as you would want to be treated, or not lying or stealing. There are many philosophies and ethical codes older than Christianity that encourage this kind of behavior. It just stuns me that Christians think they are the only ones who have a good code of ethics!

Answer 6

I think ethics in general are a good thing that everyone should have a healthy dose of. It is quite possible to live by the code and not be a Christian. We are beginning to see where America is headed as we move farther away from our code of ethics.

Answer 7

The ethics you call "Christian" are really just human ethics, so of course you can live them without being a Christian. America is not founded on Christianity, but on the basic premise that people should not be permitted to harm each other. Technically, that's a PAGAN ethic, not a Christian one.

Being a Christian means believing in Christ. You don't have to believe in Christ to know that lying, cheating, stealing, murdering, adultery, and so on are wrong. These "Christian ethics" predate Christianity, and even Judaism, by thousands of years.

Answer 8

Research shows that the reason humans struggle with emotion to find equitable solutions is pinpointed the region of the brain called the insular cortex, or insula, which is also the seat of emotional reactions. The fact that the brain has such a robust response to unfairness shows that sensing unfairness is a basic evolved capacity. The emotional response to unfairness pushes people from extreme inequity and drives them to be fair. This observation shows our basic impulse to be fair isn't a complicated thing that we learn. It therefore fully illustrates that all humans have morals controlled by the brain and that Christians are entirely wrong to try and claim morals as their own!!!! But Christians found a way round it! Government statistics show that christians are vastly over represented in prisons for sexual, violent and fraudulent crime whilst year on year government figures show atheists make up only 2% of the prison population! The Catholic church is paying millions in compensation for the sex/pedophile crimes of their priests alone! Christians are vastly over represented in the divorce courts! Christians invented the concept of sin and then the idea that you could sin, ask forgiveness, get pardoned and start with a clean sheet! So no surprise that they are so expert at it is it‽ A Christian is a man that feels repentance on Sunday for what he did on Saturday and is going to do on Monday. - Thomas Russell Ybarra

Answer 9

Christian…no… I think ethics themselves are important.

I treat all religious texts as self help. Each book is a series of parables. "Look what jimmy did. Do you want to be Jimmy?"

Each religion has more than one redeeming character trait. Each religion has a different path to salvation. Unfortunately we all think that our path is the only path.

The other sad truth is labels… the moment you say Christian Ethics you are putting a line between what Christians believe and the rest of the world. We need to have ethics period.

I think that we would not have been as stable, had we not used a code of conduct. Something to get us through the dark parts of the soul. Politics like religion have a few meanies at the top ruining it for the ones at the bottom.

Look at Bush Jr. Vs. Kennedy. or Pope John Paul II Vs. new Pope Benedict the 16th...

Answer 10

I think the examples of ethics you listed are important, but I don't believe Christianity is the only origin of said ethics.