1. Situation Ethics

2. The Social Context
TO KNOW TRADITIONAL CHRISTIAN WAYS OF MAKING MORAL DECISIONS
To understand the social context of situation ethics
TO deduce from the evidence the basic underlying principles of situation ethics

3. What period do you think these pictures are from and why?

4. What was Christian ethics like before the 1960s?
Divine Command Theory
The name “divine command theory” can be used to refer to any one of a family of related ethical theories. What these theories have in common is that they take God’s will to be the foundation of ethics. According to divine command theory, things are morally good or bad, or morally obligatory, permissible, or prohibited, solely because of God’s will or commands.

5. What was Christian ethics like before the 1960s?
Natural Law
The natural law theory of ethics has existed in many forms. St Thomas Aquinas saw it characterised as morality which is a function of the rational human nature that God has given us, stressing God’s purposes in Creation as defining our purpose as human beings, and therefore as defining how we ought to lead our lives. Aquinas understood human nature to be defined by reason and freedom; it is our ability to reason and to make our own free choices, after all, that sets us apart from animals. Whereas material objects and animals without free will do by nature, deterministically, as God wills them to do, we who have free will may choose either to play our part in God’s plan or not. Reason can tell us what this part is; our purpose is discoverable. With freedom comes responsibility to do as we were made to do.

6. Why did these people need a new kind of Christian ethic?
St Paul taught people to obey their rulers.
In 1969 abortion became legal in certain circumstances in the UK.
New weapons were now available to use in war.
The atrocities of WWII had put people in very complex situations.
St Paul taught that women should remain silent in Church.
The civil rights movement saw the laws the USA as unjust.
What happens when God has not given a divine command?
What commandment is the most important to a Christian?
What problems might a Christian have with deontological ethics?

7. How do you think Situation Ethics will be different from traditional Christian ethics?

8. Radical Christian Ethics
TO KNOW the views that influenced fletcher
To understand the foundation of situation ethics
TO evaluate how a Christian will respond to basing all decisions on love

9. Why might your answers differ?
Starter
Read
Do you think her actions would be right if...
A rich man asked a lovely
young woman if she would
sleep with him.
She said “No!”. He then
asked her if she would do it
for 1 million pounds.
She said “yes”.
She did it so she could make luxury purchases?
b) To survive as she is so poor?
c) To fund a life saving operation for a relative?
d) To build a hospital in her 3rd world home country that will save the lives of many.
Why might your answers differ?

10. What does this tell you about what Fletcher believed about ethics?
Joseph Fletcher
Joseph Fletcher was born in He was ordained as an Episcopal priest and taught Christian Ethics from 1944 to He published many works on a variety of subjects - ten books and more than 200 other items over 50 years. His specialism was Bioethics, but he wrote about sex, birth control, abortion, eugenics, cloning, euthanasia - he was president of the Euthanasia Society of America from distributive justice, war, business ethics, etc. Fletcher is best known as the founder of Situation Ethics, although it would better to call him the theory's populariser, as the basic ideas had been around some time before Fletcher wrote 'Situation Ethics - the New Morality' in 1966.
What does this tell you about what Fletcher believed about ethics?

11. What do you think the principle of Situation Ethics is?
Influences: "This I command you, that you love one another.” John 15:17
The law of love is the ultimate law because it is the negation of law
Tillich (1951)
There is only one ultimate duty and invariable duty and its formula is “Thou shall love thy neighbour as thy self”
William Temple (1923)
Love thy neighbour as thy self is the ultimate Christian duty
Rudolf Bultmann
There is no one ethical system that can claim to be Christian
Bishop Robinson
What do you think the principle of Situation Ethics is?
“Doing evil is not as bad as being evil”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer

12. What are the comparisons with the recent US election?
Joseph Fletcher
“Let an anecdote set the tone. A friend of mine arrived in St. Louis, just as a presidential campaign was ending, and the cab driver, not being above the battle, volunteered his testimony. ‘I and my father and grandfather before me, and their fathers, have always been straight-ticket Republicans.’ ‘Ah,’ said my friend, who is himself a Republican, ‘I take it that means you will vote for Senator So-and-so.’ ‘No,’ said the driver, ‘there are times when a man has to push his principles aside and do the right thing.”
Why was this cab driver considered the ‘hero’ or situation ethics by Fletcher?
What are the comparisons with the recent US election?

13. Agapé = Love What type of love is agape?
"Love Minus Zero / No Limit" My love she speaks like silence Without ideals or violence She doesn't have to say she's faithful Yet she's true, like ice, like fire People carry roses And make promises by the hours My love she laughs like the flowers Valentines can't buy her. In the dime stores and bus stations People talk of situations Read books, repeat quotations Draw conclusions on the wall Some speak of the future My love she speaks softly She knows there's no success like failure And that failure's no success at all. The cloak and dagger dangles Madams light the candles In ceremonies of the horsemen Even the pawn must hold a grudge Statues made of match sticks Crumble into one another My love winks, she does not bother She knows too much to argue or to judge. The bridge at midnight trembles The country doctor rambles Bankers' nieces seek perfection Expecting all the gifts that wise men bring The wind howls like a hammer The night blows rainy My love she's like some raven At my window with a broken wing.
Agapé = Love
What type of love is agape?
Listen to the lyrics by Bob Dylan and
analyse them to show what agape
love is.

14. Fletcher’s Theory of Ethics
TO KNOW Fletcher’s Theory of Ethics
To identify how legalistic, antinomian and situation ethics respond to ethical choices
TO evaluate how situation ethics is different from antinomian and legalistic ethics.

15. Starter
What different kind of
ethics are there?

16. Read p 101 & 102 of Robert Bowie Write a paragraph in your own words.
What is legalistic ethics?
What is antinomian ethics?
What is situation ethics?

17. Apply Antinomian, Legalistic and Situation Ethics to these scenarios
An evil dictator rules a country, the people are miserable while he lives it up.
You and your friends all fancy the same person.
The ancient Romans used slaves as gladiators, forcing them to fight to the death for entertainment. Is it right to force a small number of people to be gladiators if it gives millions of people pleasure? Would it be morally acceptable to pay people to fight to the death?
Nobody likes this really annoying kid at school.
You find yourself in a “Lost” situation, how are you going to make rules for your community?
Suppose that banning certain kinds of fast food and snack foods would result in millions of people living longer, healthier lives. What should the Government do?
You find yourself as an officer under a crazy general. You unit has been underperforming. The General tells you, you must shoot one private at random or he will shoot 20.

18. In what way is Situation Ethics different from Antinomian and Legalistic?

19. Plenary: How do you think Christians will feel about basing all decisions on love?
What implications might there be?

20. The Four Working Principles
TO KNOW Fletcher’s Four Working principles
To identify how they could be seen as strengths
TO evaluate whether these are compatible with religious belief.

21. The Conscience
What is it?

22. The Conscience
For a situationist it isn’t a bag of reliable rules and principles telling you what to do. It does not guide human action. The conscience describes the weighing up of the possible action before it’s taken.

23. 1. Pragmatism
For a course of action to be right, it has to be practical.  It must work. For example, in the case of Jodie and Mary, conjoined twins, the Catholic church wanted to let both of the girls die. To kill one, saving the other, would be an evil or bad act, they said. Fletcher would have disagreed. Letting both girls die is not pragmatic. It would be of more use, more practical, to save one girl at the expense of the other. Whilst this is not consequentialist - it is love that is good, not an outcome - in practice it makes Fletcher's theory very similar indeed to Singer's utilitarianism.

24. 2. Relativism
‘It relativises the absolute, it does not absolutise the relative’. This means that rules (absolutes) don’t always apply, they depend on the situation. Absolutes like ‘Do not steal’ become relative to love – if love demands stealing food for the hungry, you steal. However, it doesn’t mean ‘anything goes’. He doesn’t take a relative ‘Do whatever the situation demands’ and make it into an absolute [read the quote above again to check you understand this]

25. 3. Positivism
Kant and Natural Law are based on reason – reason can uncover the right course of action.  Situation Ethics disagrees,  You have to start with a positive choice – you need to want to do good.  There is no rational answer to the question “Why should I love?”

26. 4. Personalism
Situation Ethics puts people first.  People are more important than rules.  “Man was not made for the Sabbath”.

27. What would a traditionalist Christian say about the four working principles?

28. How compatible are the four working principles with religious belief?

29. Explain what is meant by the four working principles 8 marks

30. J.A.T Robinson
Read through the ‘Teachings of Jesus’ Robinson reading in your reading packs.
Complete the reflection sheet.
To express an understanding of who J.A.T Robinson was
To explore the contribution of J.A.T Robinson to Situation Ethics
To evaluate the difference between the new and old morality

31. The Teachings of Jesus
Robinson is arguing that the moral teachings of Jesus are not intended to be legalistically followed. They are not prescribing what all Christians must do in every situation. Rather they are demonstrating that decisions made according to agape love cannot be decided in advance. Such decisions must be made situationally.

32. J.A.T Robinson
Bishop John Robinson ( ) was an English New Testament scholar, author and the Anglican Bishop of Woolwich.
He was a lecturer at Trinity College, Cambridge and later the Dean of Trinity College.
Bishop Robinson supported a shift in Christian thinking known as the ‘new morality’ prior to Joseph Fletcher's development of Situation Ethics.

33. Man come of age: referring to how humans have reached intellectual and rational maturity to make moral decisions that are not prescribed by religious authorities.
Man come of age:
A God who is outside of the world and does not act directly in it.
Transcendent:
A God who acts within the world and takes an active part in human history
Immanent

34. J.A.T Robinson ‘Honest to God’
Robinson challenged the traditional, conservative view of God as objectively real being ‘up there’ at the top of a three-storied universe.
He suggested that God can be understood as ‘the ground of our being’, a being of ultimate significance but not a supernatural being who intervenes in the world only from outside of it.
He wrote an article title ‘The New Look at Christian Ethics’ where he proposed a Christian morality for ‘man come of age’ based upon the law of love.

35. Doubts on Doubt: Honest to God Forty Years On
Wright: The Merits of Robinson’s approach
‘After all, despite all my criticisms, I find myself insisting in my own work on some of the very same things as Robinson did, some of the same central points, though because of what I perceive as weaknesses in Robinson’s position I try to do it in different ways.’
The enlightenment revolution cut God loose from the world.
Religion become a personal and private affair
This shift was ignored in society
Comparable to the Orthodox view where God is richly present yet shrouded in mystery
Robinson aimed to close the gap between a heavenly minded being and an earthly being
Transcendent vs Immanent God
Example of a miracle: understood as a ‘remote deity reaching in to the wold from outside.’
This is a mistaken understanding of God according to Robinson

36. Doubts on Doubt: Honest to God Forty Years On
Robinson’s account of the nature of God:
‘God remains present to the world while simultaneously over it as sovereign, lover, lord and judge.’
Jesus must not be understood as an extra quality of add-on over and above humanity, but as a being within humanity.
God and the world are ontologically the same
We need to address the consequences of people considering God as an absentee landlord, and view God as a transcendent and immanent being simultaneously.

37. Doubts on Doubt: Honest to God Forty Years On
Wrights criticisms of Robinson’s approach
‘I want to raise seven substantial questions which I regard as damaging to the book’s overall argument.’
What is Robinson’s starting point and authority for the many claims he makes?
Robinson assumes that fewer and fewer people are able to believe in the traditional form of Christianity yet there is no evidence of this. Many Churches were growing, not shrinking.
2. Has Robinson got Tillich and Bonheffer right and do they prove his point?
Bonhoeffers’s insistence on God’s weaknesses is not the same as Robinson’s view that humans were considering God to be absent. Inconsistent influences.

38. Doubts on Doubt: Honest to God Forty Years On
3. Whether or not Robinson got Tillich and Bonhoeffer right, does his thesis make sense?
Robinson gives no real account of what is means for God to be immanent and transcendent. He offers no account of why a transcendent and immanent God would allow evil in the world.
4. Why is there no real role for the Bible in the book?
Robinson claims that God works within the world but offers no biblical evidence of this
5. Why, in particular, did Robinson so readily acquiesce in the then current theses about where Western culture had got to?
Robinson relies on generalised language about outdate worldviews without asking whether the difference between a Christian worldview and post-Enlightenment are consistent.

39. Doubts on Doubt: Honest to God Forty Years On
6. Why did Robinson not consider other great theologians?
He didn’t engage with actual opponents therefore his proposals are just speculation
7. How is the book honest?
He claims to remain a traditional Christian yet cannot explain how this approach is consistent with that.

40. Relevance to Situation Ethics:
The popularity of Robinson’s ‘Honest to God’ supported Fletchers premise of needing a new Christian morality for the ‘man come of age.’
Social and cultural context of Situation Ethics.

41. Situation Ethics: The Six Principles
Learning Objectives:
To be able to explain the difference between Legalistic and Antinomian Ethics
To be able to state why Fletcher believed that Situation Ethics is the middle way between these two ethical theories.
To be able to evaluate this claim.

42. Fletcher’s three kinds of ethical theory
Fletcher identified three ways of making moral decisions:
Legalistic Ethics: an ethical system that contains rules for every situation and/or the association of doing good by simply following those rules.
Antinomian Ethics: the view that there are no moral principles or rules at all.
Situation Ethics: an ethical system based on producing the most loving outcomes.

43. Questions: How is Situation Ethics different from Legalistic Ethics?
How is Situation Ethics different from Antinomian Ethics?
In what way could Situation Ethics appeal to religious believers (not just Christians)?
What has inspired Fletcher’s approach? Why?

44. Fletcher’s Six Principles:
Do now: Situation ethics ‘relativises the absolute’. What do you think this means?
It takes the absolute law of love and makes moral action relative to the given situation.
For example…
What is utilitarianism? : teleological theory: could torture ever be moral?
To express an understanding of Fletcher’s six principles
To explore the role of the four presumptions in situation ethics
To apply the six principles to moral dilemmas

45. Fletcher’s Six Principles:
What must Situation Ethicists consider when making a moral decision?
Fletcher provides principles to illuminate the right course of action in a given situation. They are not designed to direct action, they are not rules. Rather, considering these principles may help the moral agent to work out the most loving option.
The six principles are held by faith.

46. The Six Principles of Situation Ethics
When faced with a moral dilemma doing the most loving thing requires you to adhere to the following principles.
1. Read through the following principles
2. Match the quote to the correct principle
3. Match the explanation to the correct principle
This is because the rule book is not thrown away. The decision maker enters the situation with all of their past decisions, traditions and rules. It also has an absolute rule: agape. As a result of this, the approach is not antinomian.
However, it is also not legalistic. The rule-book is thrown away during the decision-making process if love requires it. It does not adhere to religious or community laws as what is right and wrong is relative to a situation (in terms of what will create the most loving outcome)

47. The Six Principles of Situation Ethics
1. Read through the following principles
2. Match the quote to the correct principle
3. Match the explanation to the correct principle
‘Love’s decisions are made situationally, not prescriptively.’

49. ‘Love’s decisions are made situationally, not prescriptively.’

50. The Six Principles of Situation Ethics
1. Read through the following principles
2. Match the quote to the correct principle
3. Match the explanation to the correct principle
Challenge:
Re-read through the principles. Are there any that you disagree with?
Explain why (consider using an example)

54. The Six Fundamental Principles
“Only one thing is intrinsically good; namely love: nothing else at all”
Match the quotes on the next page to the propositions on your table.
“The ruling norm of Christian decision is love: nothing else”
“Love and justice are the same, for justice is love distributed, nothing else”
“Love wills the neighbour’s good, whether we like him or not.”
Only the end justifies the means, nothing else.
“Love’s decisions are made situationally, not prescriptively.”

55. Applying the Six Principles:
Murderer at the door example:
What would be the most loving option available in this situation?
How might we use one of the 6 principles to explain this?
In the ‘murderer at the door’ scenario the most loving option would be to lie and not inform the murder of where your friend was. This is the only option that best works in serving love as the only alternative would be to tell the truth. Fletcher stated that ‘love’s decisions are made situationally not prescriptively’ and therefore, in this situation the right thing to do would be to lie rather than to follow the prescribed commandment of ‘not bearing false witness.’

56. Applying the Six Principles:
Explain the murderer at the door scenario
Use the paragraph below to write your own explanation of why lying would be the best option. You must refer to a different principle.
In the ‘murderer at the door’ scenario the most loving option would be to lie and not inform the murder of where your friend was. This is the only option that best works in serving love as the only alternative would be to tell the truth. Fletcher stated that ‘love’s decisions are made situationally not prescriptively’ and therefore, in this situation the right thing to do would be to lie rather than to follow the prescribed commandment of ‘not bearing false witness.’

57. Plenary:
Each pair/ three will be given a moral dilemma proposed by Fletcher.
You must discuss what a situation ethicist should do in the given scenario with reference to the six principles.
Make some notes around on your sheet and be prepared to explain your case study to the rest of the class.

58. Situation ethics: Joseph Fletcher’s four examples

59. Fletcher’s four examples
Although most textbooks mention the fact that Fletcher gave four examples of the possible application of situation ethics, they seldom if ever cite the examples:
Himself Might his Quietus Make
Special Bombing Mission No. 13
Christian Cloak and Dagger
Sacrificial Adultery (Mrs Bergmeier)
The following slides provide summaries of the four examples. Research Fletcher’s work to find the full versions.

60. Himself Might his Quietus Make
A terminally ill patient has 6 months to live. His doctors can prescribe pills that will keep him alive for 3 years.
However, his life insurance policy expires the following October. If he takes the pills and lives past October, his policy will not be renewed and his family will be left with nothing when he dies.
Should he not take the pills, in order that his family are left with some security?

61. Special Bombing Mission No. 13
‘When the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, the plane crew were silent. Captain Lewis uttered six words, “My God, what have we done?” Three days later another one fell on Nagasaki. About 152,000 were killed, many times more were wounded and burned, to die later. The next day Japan sued for peace.’
In order to decide whether to use nuclear weapons, the US president appointed a committee:
the military advisors favoured using them
top-level scientists said they could find no acceptable alternative to using them
other, equally able, scientists opposed their use
The committee decided that the lives saved by ending the war swiftly by using this weapon outweighed the lives destroyed by using it.

62. Christian Cloak and Dagger
While reading Biblical Faith and Social Ethics on a plane, a man is approached by a young woman, who asks him to help her solve a problem.
Her government had asked her to seduce and sleep with an enemy spy in order to blackmail him. This went against her morals, but if the plan was successful it could bring the war to an end. Were the thousands of lives that would be saved worth breaking her moral standards for?

63. Sacrificial Adultery (Mrs Bergmeir)
During the Second World War, a married German woman with three children was captured by a Soviet patrol and taken to a prisoner-of-war camp in the Ukraine.
Once the war ended, she learned that her family were trying to stay together and find her. According to the rules, she could only be released from the camp if she was pregnant. After considering her options, she asked a Volga German camp guard to impregnate her. She was sent back to Germany and her family welcomed her, even when she told them how she had done it. They loved the child because of what he had done for them. After the christening, they discussed the morality of the situation with their pastor.

64. Criticisms
Although Fletcher gives examples, they are very individual and exceptional.
In some examples Fletcher appears to reinterpret Jesus’ actions in order to defend his own theory.

65. To what extent is Situation Ethics a Christian Ethic?
Do now:
1. Draw the arrow in your books
2. In pairs put the words on the arrow. Be ready to justify your decisions.
Antinomianist
Deontological/ Legalistic
LO: To examine evidence for and against situation ethics.
To evaluate the extent to which situation ethics is a Christian ethic.

66. Put the following words on the arrow – be ready to justify your decisions:
Situation Ethics, Natural Moral Law, Jesus’ teachings, 10 commandments, New Testament, Old Testament.
Antinomianist
Deontological/ Legalistic
Extension: Can a Christian ethic disregard the teachings of the Old Testament? Explain reasons for your view.

67. What questions do we need to ask to further investigate whether or not situation ethics is a Christian ethic?

68. Questions
Looking at the diagram to what extent is SE a Christian ethic?
Can a Christian ethic discard the teachings of the OT?
Is there such a thing as a ‘Christian ethic?’
Is it impractical not to have an agreed Christian approach to ethical decision making?

69. Sort the following sources into these categories:
Situation Ethics is a Christian Ethic
Situation Ethics is not a Christian Ethic
Use the following key words to help you.
Proportionate: reason which is suitable in degree to justify breaking a moral law
Scribes and Pharisees : Jews concerned with keeping and teaching the Law.
Righteousness: actions judged to be pleasing to God.

70. A: In 1952, Pope Pius X11 called situation ethics, ‘an individualistic and subjective appeal to the concrete circumstances of actions to justify decisions in opposition to the natural law or God’s revealed will.’

71. B: The Roman Catholic church hasn’t abandoned St Thomas Aquinas’ natural law approach. The theory of Natural Law claims that all humans can discover what is right, that it is written into our nature in some way. It is not simply about what nature does, rather, it is based on nature as interpreted by human reason. Natural Law is deontological – concerned with the means to the end Natural Law is absolute – it does not allow any exceptions to its rule and can be applied universally

72. C: Many religious views of ethics are based on rules-based systems of thinking, either because it is believed that these rules are good for us, or simply because they are God’s rules which are to be obeyed.

73. D: Beatitiudes given by Jesus during the sermon on the mount
D: Beatitiudes given by Jesus during the sermon on the mount. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

74. E: “Do not think that I came to abolish the aLaw or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.“For truly I say to you, auntil heaven and earth pass away, not 1the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches 1others to do the same, shall be called least ain the kingdom of heaven; but whoever 2keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. “For I say to you that unless your arighteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
scribes and Pharisees : Jews concerned with keeping and teaching the Law.
righteousness: actions judged to be pleasing to God.

75. F:

76. G: Another way that Jesus challenged social boundaries in this story has to do with holiness or purity laws. Simon was scandalized that this sinful woman was touching Jesus’ feet without receiving a reprimand from Jesus. How could a holy prophet allow such a filthy woman to touch him? Instead of putting her in her place, Jesus even commended her for her public demonstration of love and offered her forgiveness, salvation, and peace. In doing so, Jesus placed relationships between people above ceremonial laws governing what and who was "unclean."

77. H: Situation ethics develops a principle from Jesus’ action of breaking the law when the situation demanded it for reasons of love. In this sense, it could be argued that situation ethics is more consistent with the New Testament than natural moral law, providing a corrective to that and other legalistic approaches.

78. I: For Lehmann (contextual ethics) decision making is made within the Christian fellowship not by an individual on his or her own. The Church offers a maturity which is valuable when making moral decisions as it offers a view to what is believed to be God’s work in the world by the community.

79. J: "Love, for Fletcher, is neighbour love
J: "Love, for Fletcher, is neighbour love. But this is only the second table of the law. The first is love of God It is impossible for us to love our neighbour properly without first loving God, and we in turn show our love to God by obeying his commandments.

80. K: Fletcher says that love is the only norm of ethics. But what is love? How is its context determined? We need the rest of the Bible to guide us as to just what the law of love expects from us.

81. L: Hoose modifies Situation Ethics and Natural Moral Law and comes up with the maxim: ‘it is never rights to go against a principle unless there is a proportionate reason which would justify it.’ When a rule is broken for a proportionate reason the act remains objectively wrong but is morally right e.g contraception is objectively wrong but can be morally right to prevent the damaging effects of over- population.
Proportionate: reason which is suitable in degree to justify breaking a moral law.

82. Challenge questions:
1.Which evidence against situation ethics as a Christian ethic is most convincing and why? 2. ‘Situation ethics is a protestant Christian ethic.’ To what extent is this true?

83. To what extent is Situation Ethics a Christian Ethic?
To a greater extent situation ethics is a Christian ethic because .... To a lesser extent situation ethics is a Christian ethic because ....

84. What is meant by ‘acceptable?’
‘From a Christian point of view, Situation Ethics does not offer an acceptable way of making moral decisions.’ Consider how far you agree.
What is meant by ‘acceptable?’

85. Strengths and Weaknesses of Situation Ethics
THINK/PAIR/SHARE:
Can you suggest one strength of Situation Ethics?

86. Strengths and Weaknesses of Situation Ethics
Draw the following (open) table in your books
Strengths
Weaknesses

87. Strengths of Situation Ethics
Task:
Think/ Pair/ Share the strengths of Situation Ethics based upon the work we did last lesson

88. Strengths of Situation Ethics
Situation ethics presents people with an enormous amount of freedom and responsibility of their moral decision making.
Situation ethics is flexible and practical. It takes into account the complexities of human life and can make tough decisions.
Situation ethics provides an alternative Christian ethic that is consistent with the Gospel representation of Jesus.
Situation ethics is well suited to the modern world where people are uncertain about what is right and wrong. The unconditional love of others is put at the centre of the decision making process.
Zaygmun Bauman thinks legalistic ethics robs people of their ability to make moral decisions out in the world.
It is based on love, which rationally as well as emotionally, is a key feature of all moral systems.

89. Weaknesses of Situation Ethics
Task:
Read through the article and highlight the proposed weaknesses of Situation Ethics
Write a paragraph summarizing the weakness expressed in the article on your table

90. Weaknesses of Situation Ethics
What is believed to be a loving end could justify actions that many people regard as simply wrong.
Situation ethics is individualistic, because humans see things from their own perspective. There is a danger of a selfish human tendency polluting agape love.
Situation ethics depends on humans being free to act morally but in fact we are conditioned by many things and need law to guide us.
Religious moral thinking is traditionally rule- based and so rejects situational thinking.

91. Roman Catholic Church Criticism
Roman Catholics are quite traditional in many ways and closely follow the instructions of the Bible (called Divine Command).
Pope Pius XII banned Situation Ethics from being discussed at RC seminaries.
In 1952 Pope Pius XII called situation ethics ‘an individualistic and subjective appeal to the concrete circumstances of actions to justify decisions in opposition to the natural law or God’s revealed will’.
So in other words he said that it was wrong to break God’s laws

92. It is individualistic because humans see things from their own perspective.
There is a danger that the ideals of unconditional love may be polluted by a selfish human tendency and people using it as an excuse for not obeying the rules. How many parents can show equal love to strangers as to their own children?
This argument made Robinson withdraw his support for Situation Ethics
Situation ethics is subjective because decisions are made from within the situation as it is perceived to be.
Situation ethics could prove unworkable because it isn’t easy to determine all the consequences of an action.
Situation ethics seems to be prepared to accept any action at all if it fits the required criteria.
What is believed to be a loving end by some could justify actions that many people would regard as wrong.
Pius XII

93. William Barclay
Barclay said the examples Fletcher used to illustrate situation ethics are extreme cases. He asked how often people had to make life and death decisions on which situation ethics seemed to be based? He said: “It is much easier to agree that extraordinary situations need extraordinary measures than to think that there are no laws for ordinary life.” (Ethics in a Permissive Society, 1971)
He said that the suggestion that laws could be abandoned if needed was too optimistic. Humans needs laws for protection etc and how would people know exactly when it was “the most loving thing” to abandon them? A circumstance to one, may not be to another.
He argued that it is hard for individuals to make their own moral decisions in every situations. We can be swayed by emotion or fear and persuade ourselves that we are doing the most loving thing when really we are doing the thing that suits ourselves the most.

94. Do the strengths of Situation Ethics outweigh the weaknesses?
Write at least ½ a page explaining your opinion. Refer to specific strengths and weaknesses in order to defend your view. Challenge: explain why some people may disagree with you.

95. Do the strengths of Situation Ethics outweigh the weaknesses?
I think the strengths do outweigh the weakness because… Another reason I think this is… Someone may disagree with me because… Another reason they may disagree is.. My view is the most convincing because…

96. Weaknesses of Situation Ethics
What is believed to be a loving end could justify actions that many people regard as simply wrong.
Situation ethics is individualistic, because humans see things from their own perspective. There is a danger of a selfish human tendency polluting agape love.
Situation ethics depends on humans being free to act morally but in fact we are conditioned by many things and need law to guide us.
Religious moral thinking is traditionally rule- based and so rejects situational thinking.

97. Assess the view that the Highest Christian law is love.” 12 marks
Brainstorm reasons why this statement is true, using Biblical teachings as justification.
Brainstorm reasons why this statement is not true, using Biblical teachings as justification.

98. Assess the view that the Highest Christian law is love.” 12 marks
For
Against
The New Testament also includes passages that appear to give priority to law. Use examples from the ten commandments
Loving God includes obeying God’s commands
God wouldn’t have created rules if they were not supposed to be followed.
Church teaching generally identifies Christian love as that exercised through obedience to Christian moral teaching.
Jesus set aside the ‘law’ in order to help and heal
Love God and your neighbour as yourself- the greatest commandment (Mark 12:31)
Romans 13 v The commandments are summed up in the single command to love. Love is the fulfilment of the law.
Following the law can go against God’s compassion and love (omnibenevolence). Use examples.

99. In support (e.g.)
• Jesus set aside the ‘law’ in order to help and heal
• Love God and your neighbour as yourself – the greatest commandment. Mark 12:31
• Romans 13 v 8-10 The commandments are summed up in the single command to love. Love is the fulfilment of law.
• Some examples of following law seem to run contrary to God’s compassion and love.
Contrary to claim (e.g.)
• The New Testament also includes passages that appear to give priority to law, give specific moral teaching, and link loving God to obeying God’s commands.
• Church teaching generally identifies Christian love as that exercised through obedience to Christian moral teaching.

100. Not defending your own view Not including Biblical teachings
Common Mistakes:
Not defending your own view
Not including Biblical teachings
Not referring to the example set by Jesus as defence of NML
Not using the arguments for/ against we discussed in class.
Task: respond to marking comments

101. ‘The highest Christian law is love.’ Assess this view.
Agree
Disagree
‘Love thy neighbour.’
Christians are given many laws – 10 commandments – these all must be followed.
Jesus – the parable of the good Samaritan – breaking the law – to do most the loving thing
Sometimes doing the most loving thing might be immoral and go against biblical and church teaching
We must love God – loving God fulfils the other laws.
If love guides us we make individualistic, selfish decisions – we allow our emotions to cloud us.
Fletcher – love relativizes the absolute – the ruling norm of Christian decision making is love and nothing else
We require laws and guidance as we are sinful and therefore we are unable to discern when it is right to abandon law for love.
Some examples of following law seem to run contrary to God’s compassion and love
Church teaching generally identifies Christian love as that exercised through obedience to Christian moral teaching.
Love God and your neighbour as yourself – the greatest commandment. Mark 12:31