Selfishness, Greed, Ignorance + Sin

Religious Greed Definition Non-Religous P1-S1.3 : Selfishness, Greed, Ignorance + Sin Religious Selfishness Definition Non-Religious Ignorance Sin P1-S1.3 : Selfishness, Greed, Ignorance + Sin 1. Greed 1.1. Religious 1.1.1. (using up resources beyond what you actualy need, link to human nature, environment) 1.1.2. Roman Catholics: 1.1.2.1. - greed is one of the 7 deadly sins because greed involves worshipping money and possessions rather than God - humans are meant to take their fair share of what God created for everyone, by taking more than your fair share you fail as a steward. 1.1.3. Bible Quotes: 1.1.3.1. Bible warns against making money for your master for 'No one can serve two masters, For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money' (Mattew 6:24) 1.1.3.2. Loving Money is also associated with lacking faith in God to provide (Hebrews 13:5) 1.1.3.3. 'But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?' (1 John 3:17) 1.1.3.4. 'Love of money is root of all kinds of evil'- Paul letter to Timothy Money creates problems, money isn't the problem itself 1.1.4. Christianity: 1.1.4.1. -world created by God for the use of everyone 1.1.4.2. -those who take more than their fair share at the expense of those who have less are not acting in the way God would want them too 1.1.4.3. -Christians are supposed to be STEWARDS of the world 1.1.4.4. -People who are rich are stewards of God-given wealth and many Christians would say that they should use their wealth for the good of others 1.1.4.5. -If you are rich you are stealing from the poor. (radical opinion, not as common at the moment) 1.2. Definition 1.2.1. Greed = An excessive desire for things, such as wealth or food, which bears no relation to actual needs 1.3. Non-Religous 2. Selfishness 2.1. Religious 2.1.1. Parable of sheep and the goat: 2.1.1.1. -those sheep who feed the hungry, clothe the naked and visit prisoners will gain eternal life -the sheep feed the goats (relevant for poverty topic) 2.1.2. Parable of the Good Samaritan: 2.1.2.1. -Law expert questions Jesus about how to inherit eternal life. -Expert confused asks 'who is my neighbour' -Jesus tells a story of a man who was left to die and wasn’t helped by multiple people. But was helped by a priest. -The priest was the neighbour because he helped the man -a neighbour is anyone in need 2.1.3. Background historical knowledge: 2.1.3.1. -At the time Jews and Samaritans did not get along with one another -The man that had been beaten up by the robbers was Jewish and the last person that Jesus' listener would expect to help a Jew would be a Samaritan. -However, after the priest and the Levite have walked on past (possibly out of fear of attack or dear of being made unclean by a dead body) -A passing Samaritan washes and bind the wounds of the injured man, puts him on his donkey and leads him to an inn (takes on servant role, by leading donkey and puts himself in danger of attack) Jesus says 'go and do likewise' so Christians are specifically told to go out of their way to help others. 2.1.3.2. BUT: -There are many other teaching which suggest that selfishness is okay, unlike the christian teaching E.g. The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (death and life after death) 2.1.4. Christianity (views) 2.1.4.1. -teaches selfishness is wrong because people should have an active concern for others 2.1.4.2. -very important teaching 'love your neighbour as yourself', showing agape 2.1.4.3. -parable of the Good Samaritan can be used to illustrate the Christian attitude towards selfishness. Jesus told the parable in response to the man asking what he should do to get to heaven, jesus told him to lobe jis neighbour and goes onto explain what this means. 2.2. Definition 2.2.1. Selfishness : Self-interest and concern with individual want/needs which excludes consideration of others. 2.3. Non-Religious 2.3.1. Many non-christians will also oppose selfishness especially when self-intrest leads directly to the suffering of others. 2.3.2. However: One could argue that selfishness is natural and we have no reason to be anything but selfish. 2.3.3. Political Philosopher Thomas Hobbes said : 2.3.3.1. -most basic law of nature is trying to ensure our own survival and we are entitled to use others to achieve that means -Hobbes thought that ultimately we would realise that it is in our self intrests to enter a 'contract' with others and limit the extremes of our behaviour so that others would limit theirs, so we would not actually do whatever we like to others! 2.3.4. Theory of evolution: 2.3.4.1. -survival of the fittest -those that compete most effectively for the available resources will be more successful and pass on their genes -might argue that people are naturally predisposed toward selfish behaviour 3. Ignorance 3.1. Religious 3.1.1. Christianity + Quotes 3.1.1.1. everyone has the capacity to tell right from wrong and generally speaking ignorance is not a valid excuse, although on the cross Jesus did say 'father forgive them for they knew not what they do' (Luke 23:24) 3.1.1.2. Thomas Aquinas' teachings about conscience are a good example of a Christian view on moral knowledge. Aquinas' teaching is partly influential for Roman Catholic Christians 3.1.1.3. -----> Christian duty to avoid being morally ignorant 3.1.2. Aquinas' View 3.1.2.1. Human beings are rational. This God-given ability is the basis of conscience. 3.1.2.2. We can work out whether an action is right or wrong by thinking about it logically. We are also naturally inclined to do good because we are created in God's image. 3.1.2.3. Aquinas said that we can minimise the risk of mistaking an apparent good for a real good by educating the conscience by reading the Bible and going to Church. 3.1.2.4. However 3.1.2.4.1. Although a conscience is a God-given thing and it is useful, it is not infallible. 3.1.2.4.2. Aquinas belived that It can (and does) make mistakes. 3.1.2.4.3. Often the conscience will think something is good when it is not. 3.1.2.4.4. He said that this was mistaking an 'apparent good' (something that seems good) for a real good. 3.1.2.4.5. E.g. a person might support euthanasia because it seems good as it relieves suffering BUT according to Aquinas thinks one of the primary precepts is to preserve life so it is not actually good at all. 3.2. Definition 3.2.1. Ignorance=Not knowing or understanding the difference between right and wrong, or what makes actions wrong 3.3. Non-Religious 3.3.1. Most non-christians would say that it is important that people learn right from wrong and society generally expects that parents and schools would play a part in this. 3.3.2. need to be taught right and wrong 3.3.3. Example of effect of moral ignorance:Toxic Family life of the Edlington brothers 3.3.3.1. summary 3.3.3.1.1. Two brothers who assaulted and tortured 2 younger children, until one was on the point of death 3.3.3.1.2. This had happened before from these boys to other people and children, but hadn't been dealt with 3.3.3.1.3. The boys smoked cigarettes, and fathers home grown cannibis, drank alcohol and watched pornographic content. 3.3.3.1.4. Neighbours were annoyed by the kids, as they terrorised the neighbourhood, vandalised and caused problems, but didnt do anything about the situation 3.3.3.1.5. Parents were drug addicts, mother was being abused by the father 3.3.3.1.6. "The biggest shame of all is that it took something like this to happen for something to get done" - older neighbour of the family 3.3.3.1.7. "The council were too slow. Everyone round here could see what was happening with those kids, what they were turning into" 3.3.3.2. teaches 3.3.3.2.1. Not born with moral compass, need good home life, parent + school environment. (Edlington Brothers 2010 tortured/tried to kill 2 cousins; no empathy) 4. Sin 4.1. Religious 4.1.1. Sin- an action which goes against the law of God. (Many different things in the Bible which are said to be against God's laws, and therefore count as sins) 4.1.2. Different types of sin: 4.1.2.1. Original sin-humans good by nature but human nature is corrupted 4.1.2.2. Individual Sin-humans disobeying gods commandments 4.1.2.3. Structural sin- parts of institutions/society that go against God's wishes(e.g.) racism/sexism 4.1.3. Fundamentalist Christians 4.1.3.1. -bible is inerrant, everything that the Bible says is a sin is and should be avoided 4.1.3.2. -e.g. homosexuality is opposed because in Leviticus it is called an 'abomination' 4.1.4. Liberal Christians 4.1.4.1. Some sins in the bible are outdated, and are reflections of the values of another age (+ come from human writers of the bible not God) 4.1.4.2. Most Christians think the 10 commandments and Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount as genuinely reflecting God's will. They believe God is omniscient(all knowing), God is omnibenevolent (all loving) and so can be trusted to have our best interests at heart and to know what is good for us. 4.1.4.3. Christian's believe that is we obeyed God's commandments and avoided sinning that the world would be a better place. 4.1.5. Quotes: 4.1.5.1. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus told the people to 'be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect'(Matthew 5:8) 4.2. Non-Religious 4.2.1. Sin doesn't effect a non-religious person, as sin references defying the laws of God, and this is not relevant