Yesterday’s #AfternoonTea looked at this question as we continue to think about questions to do with justice. Key points include There are two arguments to consider here. First that God punishing sin is unfair because how can we really know that he exists and what his law is? The second is that it is unfair… Continue reading Is God Just and Fair?
Category: ethics
Who will you take the knee for?
Taking the knee started as a protest gesture by American Football players back in 2016 who refused to stand for their national anthem in protest at discrimination and police brutality. This week, people have been asked to “take the knee” around the world in solidarity with George Floyd and those affected by his killing. I… Continue reading Who will you take the knee for?
#BlackLivesMatter or #AllLivesMatter ?
My wife is a teacher. As a teacher, she wants to ensure that all of the children in her classes are treated equally and fairly. However, she has discovered over the years that “treating fairly” does not mean “treating the same.” She has learnt that if the gap is to be closed for boys then… Continue reading #BlackLivesMatter or #AllLivesMatter ?
Against you only?
In Psalm 51:4 David says “Against you only have I sinned.” We usually meet those words when reading them as part of a confession and at first glance they seem like a helpful articulation of repentance. Then we notice the description of the Psalm as written in response to David’s sin in relation to Bathsheba.… Continue reading Against you only?
Will we show that we see and hear them?
We’ve had some uncertain and frustrating moments over the past few months on Facebook. We’ve been livestreaming and suddenly our camera view has gone dark. We honestly have not known if have been seen and heard or if we have just been talking to ourselves. It helps when people send comments to say “we can… Continue reading Will we show that we see and hear them?
Let them eat cake – thoughts on fairness and justice
This week on Afternoon Tea we are exploring questions about fairness and justice. In our first slot of the week, we talked about the difference between equality of outcome and equality of opportunity. I suggested that we might represent this simply by thinking in terms of sharing out a cake (because I like cake). Imagine… Continue reading Let them eat cake – thoughts on fairness and justice
The Greater Good?
Another approach to ethics is to ask “What is the greater good.” I guess this is a form of situational ethics. Immanuel Kant was more associated with duty based or deontological ethics whereas people like Jeremy Bentham believed that a moral benefit could be measured in terms of the benefit it gave. This leads us… Continue reading The Greater Good?
How do we make moral choices?
In a previous article, I noted the silliness of suggesting that we make decisions based on small material gain or the desire to be like or impress other people. Yet, that is so often what we do isn’t it? How often have we made a decision in order to impress the cool person or the… Continue reading How do we make moral choices?
Who judges?
Traditionally in our legal system there are distinct roles in ensuring that the Law is obeyed. The Police are responsible for enforcing the Law. This means that they seek to prevent crimes being committed by acting to pre-empt criminal activity. It means that when someone has broken the law they have the power to arrest… Continue reading Who judges?
Faithroots 