John Patrick Nora
Ms. Weidner
IB World Religions II – Gold 1
8 December 2017
Christian Ethics
One of Christianity’s most significant ethics is the 10 Commandments. These are some of the most prominent guidelines in all of Christianity, and were created by God. These 10 Commandments include: You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make idols. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Honor your father and your mother. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet. The Commandments themselves are not difficult, as they list basic guidelines such as not having other gods, keeping in mind God’s day, respecting your parents, no killing, no stealing, etc. However, it can be difficult to simultaneously and properly follow all of these guidelines. One must keep in mind that these commandments were spoken by God Himself, and this truly shows the significance of them and how we must truly follow them.
Another one of Christianity’s ethics is to follow guidelines and complete certain actions with the mind, but more importantly, with the heart. This means that one should not be doing an action simply because it is required, but rather that a person genuinely wants to do it. One example of this is going to weekly mass. Weekly mass is required, as part of the 10 Commandments, and people do go. However, even if a person goes to mass every week, there is no real purpose in doing so if a person is only doing it if is required. If that is the case, then a person will not be able to build a real and genuine relationship with God. Building a relationship with God is one of the most important aspects of Christianity, and identifying how it can so negatively be affected merely by doing something because it is required rather than actually wanting to should show how important it is to do everything a person can with all of his or her heart.
A third example of ethics in Christianity is to participate in the Sacraments. Although the number of Sacraments is dependent on the denomination, the two main Sacraments that nearly all denominations of Christianity include are Baptism, and the reception of Holy Communion. Baptism refers to the Sacrament in which a person is first welcomed into the Church. In addition to the welcoming, a person is also washed clean of original sin. Baptisms generally include some form of immersion in water, or others a sprinkling of water. This mainly depends on the denomination. Water is the most important factor of Baptism, as it represents when Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River. The second main Sacrament is known as Holy Communion. There are many names for this, but the most general term that many denominations accept is Holy Communion. This is when a person receives the bread and wine, either representing Jesus’ body and blood, or what is believed to be His actual body and blood. This belief depends on the denomination, as some believe that the bread and wine represents His bod and blood, whereas others believe that it is actually transformed into it. Christians receive the body and blood so that a person can become closer to God and become more unified with Christ.
Word Count: 560
Works Cited
Cochran, Clarke E. “Christian Social Ethics.” Encyclopedia of American Religion and Politics, Updated Edition, Facts On File, 2008. World Religions, online.infobase.com/HRC/Search/Details/169890?q=christianity ethics. Accessed 7 Dec. 2017.
Duval, R. Shannon, and Susan Terkel. “Christian Ethics.” Encyclopedia of Ethics, Facts On File, 1999. World Religions, online.infobase.com/HRC/Search/Details/429176?q=christianity ethics. Accessed 7 Dec. 2017.
Matthews, Warren. “Christianity.”World Religions. 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2008. 311. Print.
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