Bosco's Year 12 SOR Blog

Sexual Ethics & St. Paul synthesis essay

Anthony Bosco — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 02:25:41 +0000

“There is nothing Divine about morality – it is a purely human affair” Albert Einstein

From your study of Christianity analyse the above statement using two areas of study from Significant People, Ethics and Significant Practice.
(20 marks)
• St. Paul of Tarsus and Sexual Ethics

Albert Einstein’s position upon Morality is inaccurate, as Christian Morality is an affair founded upon the interaction between the Divine (transcendental) and the Human (immanent). Christian Morality is divined from a Divine source, it is then a human affair to interpret this Morality, which gives rise to variations between different Christian denominations: Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican and Uniting Church. Christian Sexual Ethics regarding adultery, homosexuality and contraception are designed to ensure both the psychological and physiological health of adherents. The significant work and influence of St. Paul of Tarsus is further evidence that Christian morality is predicated upon humanity’s interaction with the Divine.

•   Sexual Ethics – references to question
o   Divinely inspired – Decalogue was God speaking to Moses
o   The 1st Five books chronicle Gods interactions with the Jewish Patriarch – the original Covenant
o   Paul claims his Epistle is divinely inspired (Romans) – he communicates with God through the Holy Spirit
•   Synthesis paragraph – Connections between BOTH subject areas.
o   Paul’s Epistle is primarily concerned with establishing and re-enforcing Morality amongst growing Christian communities and to Christian leaders. In this he argues VIRTUE/MORALITY is of the highest concern – best perceived in his discussions of SEXUAL ETHICS
•   St. Paul – discussion
o   1) Short Term
•   Three Core Texts (2 Comm. 1 Pastoral)
o   2) Long Term
•   Significant, eg. Martin Luther, Albert Magnus, Augustine, etc.
o   3) Effects on Variants
•   Sole fide/sole gratia
o   Divinely inspired
o   Sole fide/ Sole gratia
•   Conclusion.

Sexual Ethics – very useful resource

Anthony Bosco — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 01:57:27 +0000

http://www.catholicweekly.com.au/article.php?classID=3&subclassID=69&articleID=5089&class=&subclass=HSC%20Study%20Guide

Christian Sexual Ethics

Anthony Bosco — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 02:52:49 +0000

CHRISTIAN SEXUAL ETHICS

The basis of Christian Ethics
•   Based on gods relation relationship with the world and his people
•   Different from Jewish ethics – ethics are just on Jewish people (chosen people). Christian is based on all humanity
•   Provide a moral compass – giving purpose and value to their life and worship
•   Different from Jewish ethics – Jews interpret on a more communal level. They also don’t add any meaning in their life. They are prohibitions (things you cannot do) merely because God said so. Christians believe that it enriches our lives.
•   Different churches (variants) may place greater emphasis on different sources
•   The 10 commandments (aka Decalogue) (ex 20: 1-17), the beatitudes (promises made by Jesus) (Mathew 5-7) and Jesus the Christs golden rule (Mathew 22:37-39) are the foundation for Christian ethical and moral behaviour
ABORTION
•   No specific instruction given by God about the issue of abortion in the Bible
•   Therefore, interpretations are based on scriptures that refer to the sanctity of life
•   Roman Catholic – Completely against. Believe it to be an mortal sin (cannot be forgiven by anyone but God or the pope – if that)
•   The Catechisms states that ‘Human life must be respected and protected from the moment of conception’
•   Belief that God has set up the world and it is wrong for humans to interfere with it
•   Abortion is considered morally wrong because it interferes (by stopping) the natural process of new life entering the world
•   Catholics believe that human life is sacred from the moment of conception until death (Donum Vitae, 1987)
•   Natural law – a sin known as Hubris
•   Evangelical (uniting) Christians generally believe that life is special and sacred, that humans have a soul and the opportunity to have a relationship with God
•   Humans have been created in God’s image (Gen 1:27)
•   Jeremiah 1:5 discuss God’s relationship with people prior to their birth
•   The Uniting Church that the choice whether or not to abort relies on the pregnant woman
•   Uniting Church is the only sect that allows the individual to choose

Extra marital and premarital affairs
•   Gen 1:28 – be fruitful and multiply
•   Gen 2:28 – become one flesh…so they are no longer one
•   Ephesians 5:31-32 – “love your wives just as Christ loved the church”
Adultery
•   1 COR 6:18 – “flee from sexual immorality”
•   1 COR 7:4-5 – unito caro: idea that two bodies become one person
Homosexuality
•   I COR 6:9-12 - those who are sexually immoral will not inherit the kingdom of G-d
•   VARIANTS:
•   The stances of the UC allowing homosexual to be ordained
•   1997 document – Uniting Sexuality and Faith
•   Catholics/orthodox/Anglicans reject homosexuality
CONTRCEPTION
•   Roman Catholics are about natural law – no abortion
•   Rhythm method (planning) is acceptable
•   Protestant churches: use of contraception’s is no longer an issue – there are more accepting with the use of it
•

Christian Sexual Ethics

Anthony Bosco — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 02:15:21 +0000

Notes
- Pre marital sex
o Unimportant and therefore not addressed in early scripture
o 1 Corinthians 7:8-9 ~ the solution to being aflame with passion is to marry
o 1 Corinthians 7:1-7 ~ men and women must be pure of Satan’s influence by being married/satisfying sexual needs
o Paul’s views on purity are seen as an interdiction against premarital sex
o Many Christian groups focus on the practicalities of abstaining from sex eg. Unplanned pregnancies and STIs
o Develop the Jewish idea that sex is created by God and sanctified by marriage for the purpose of procreation
o The NT calls on men and women to remain pure sexually
o The OT focuses its wrath on women – temptresses responsible for the fall of humanity
o 50% of marriages end in divorce, many in the first 5 years, therefore marriage is becoming irrelevant
- Heterosexual Sex
o Adultery: prohibited – violation of men’s “property rights” – John 8:1-11 ~ do not sin again
o Women should be virgins when married Exodus 22:16 ~ men who have sex with virgins should marry them or pay monetary compensation to the virgin’s father (‘bespoiled’ his property)
o Deut 22:13 ~ man who accuses his new wife of not being a virgin and he is wrong, he is penalised, if he is right, she is stoned to death
o This attitude to women changed with Paul “treat younger women like sisters in purity” 1 Tim 5:2
o Modern theologians use Paul as an argument against premarital sex and 1 Thess 4:2
o Changes in the structure of family has made premarital sex a significant modern issue
ALL ARE OPPOSED TO PREMARITAL SEX IN VARYING DEGREES!
- Uniting Church; you can still be married if you’re not a virgin, if you accept that Jesus is your personal saviour
Homosexuality
- Greek word ‘homo’ meaning same
- LGBT
- 1 Samuel 20 ~ David and Jonathan
- Some see it as a sin or abomination against God~ Sodom
- Conservative Christians believe that the September 11 bombings was God punishing the US for allowing abortion and homosexuality (Rev. Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell)
- Some congregations accept homosexuality as a natural part of life eg. Anglican
- Ascetic Lifestyle; celibacy
- Orthodox, Conservative Churches; heterosexual marriage is acceptable
- Liberal and Reform Churches; homosexual marriage is acceptable

Male
- Leviticus 18:22
- Romans 1: 26-27
- 1 Corinth 6:9-10
- Genesis 19 Sodom and Gomorrah

Variants
- All emphasise marriage and procreation
- In Episcopal churches homosexual priests and bishops have been ordained

Sola Fide (faith) – Uniting Church/Protestants
Sola Gratia (grace) – Catholic

Trial HSC – SOR 1-Unit Practice Questions

Anthony Bosco — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 07:24:23 +0000

Here are some more practice questions for your Trials and your HSC.

These are more sophisticated and challenging questions. There will almost certainly be at least one of these new and more challenging style of question in both your Trial HSC and HSC (if the 2009 paper is anything to go by – which it most certainly is).

Attempt as many questions as you can in full and under examination conditions before your Trial HSC exam. If you do not have the time to answer all of them in this fashion, then at least spend 10-minutes doing a thorough essay plan for the remaining questions.

If you have any questions regarding how to approach these questions, please contact me. Either in person at school or via this website – and I will endeavour to respond to you as soon as possible.

Good luck!

1) (20 Marks)

“Unity in faith does not mean uniformity in worship and practices”

With reference to the statement above, assess the contribution of one significant person or school of thought – recognising the different expressions of the religious tradition of Judaism.

2) (20 Marks)

“What is hateful to you, do not do your neighbour: that is the whole Torah; all the rest of it is commentary; go and learn” – Talmud, Shabbat 31a.

With reference to the source material above, assess the impact of Jewish ethical teaching on the religion as a whole.

3) (20 Marks)

Analyse how ONE significant Jewish practice expresses the beliefs of both the individual and the Jewish community. In your response, focus on ONE of the following:

* Death and mourning

* Marriage

* Synagogue services

4) (20 Marks)

How is the influence of a Significant Person or School of Thought reflected in either the ethics or practices of Judaism?

5) (20 Marks)

“There is nothing Divine about morality – it is a purely human affair.” – Albert Einstein

From your study of Judaism, analyse the above statement using TWO areas of study from Significant People, Ethics and Significant Practice.

HSC Trials – Revision Quesions (Section 1)

Anthony Bosco — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:39:45 +0000

1) (5 Marks)
On Australia Day 1972 Aboriginal people set up a “Tent Embassy” outside Parliament House in Canberra calling for national Land Rights and an end to discrimination.

Using your own knowledge and with reference to the statement above, explain the importance of the Land Rights movement to Aboriginal people in relation to their Spirituality.

2) (5 Marks)
‘The churches should act together in all matters except those in which deep differences of conviction compel them to act separately.’

Conference on Faith and Order, 1952

Using the above statement and your own knowledge, describe the impact of Christian
ecumenical movements in Australia.

Trial HSC Practice Questions

Anthony Bosco — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 03:28:22 +0000

Below are a list of different styles of questions. Some ask about the units that we have studied in isolation, some ask you to combine two together. You can be asked any of these style of questions in your Trial and HSC exams. Attempt as many as you possibly can.

1) JUDAISM (20 Marks)

How is the influence of a Significant Person or School of Thought reflected in either the ethics or practice of Judaism?

2) JUDAISM (20 Marks)

“There is nothing Divine about morality – it is a purely human affair.” (Albert Einstein)

From your study of Judaism analyse the above statement using two areas of study from Significant People, Ethics and Significant Practice.

3) CHRISTIANITY (8 Marks)

Evaluate the impact of ONE significant person or school of thought on Christianity.

4) JUDAISM ( 6 Marks)

Explain how the Hebrew Scriptures guide the Jewish ethical teachings in Sexual Ethics.

5) JUDAISM (6 Marks)

Evaluate the importance within the Jewish community of Marriage.

Maimonides video resource

Anthony Bosco — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:03:06 +0000

Jewish Glossary

Anthony Bosco — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:59:34 +0000

Glossary

Almohades	Fanatical Muslim sect which conquered Northern Africa as far as Egypt and Spain during the twelfth century
Ani Maamin	A rendition based on Maimonides’ 13 principles of faith, which forms part of prayer for Orthodox Jews.
Ashkenazim	Jews settled around European countries such as Germany, Poland, Russia and Eastern Europe, and historically speak Yiddish.
Commentary on the Mishnah	A book written by Maimonides which provides a comprehensive commentary on each of the tractates of the Mishnah.
Halakhah	The Hebrew term for “walking’” refers to the collective body of Jewish rabbinic law, custom and tradition. The halakhah is the legal component of the Talmud, which is comprised of the rules and laws for living.
Hasidism	A movement within Ultra-Orthodox Judaism which developed in Eastern Europe during the eighteenth century. Its principal teaching stresses the notions of joy, love, awe of God and devotion to God.
Kaballah	A body of Jewish mystic teachings, based on an esoteric knowledge of God.
Kashrut	Jewish dietary laws.
Guide for the Perplexed	One of Maimonides’ major philosophical works where he examines the Jewish religion from a philosophical standpoint.
Messiah	A term that means the “anointed one” is typically used to refer to the anticipated saviour and liberator of the Jewish people.
Mishnah	The first and more important recording of the Oral Torah which was finalised in written form around 200 CE. The Mishnah contained expositions and interpretations of legal sections of the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
Mishneh Torah	Code of Jewish law by Moses Maimonides that is commonly regarded as his most important work.
Negative mitzvot	Commands to refrain from doing something.
Neoplatonism	A school of philosophical thought developed by Plotinus in the third century CE. It is based on the teachings of Plato, mysticism and Judaeo-Christian concepts. It teaches of the existence of a transcendent One, from which all aspects of creation emanate from.
Oral Torah	The interpretation and application of the Torah to changing circumstances over successive generations passed on by word of mouth from generation to generation. This ensured that the principles of the Torah could be applied to each new generation. When the Oral Torah came to be written down, it formed the Talmud.
Positive mitzvot	Commandments requiring the performance of a positive, affirmative act.
Prime Mover	In Aristotelian philosophy, the prime mover refers to a being that is self moved, and consequently is the source of and cause of all motion.
Shulchan Aruch	A code of law developed by Rabbi Yosef Karo in the 16 th century, that is often considered as the authoritative code of Jewish law.
Sephardim	Refers to a descendant of, or the group of Jews that lived in Medieval Spain and Portugal. The Sephardim Jew are often contrasted with the Ashkenazi Jews of central and northern Europe.
Talmud	The word “Talmud” is an Aramaic term which means learning. The Talmud is an enormous volume of important literature for Jewish life. It contains compilations of the law with detailed elucidations from the wisdom of the Rabbis. It also contains history, stories and theological reflection.
Torah	The Hebrew word meaning ‘law’ or ‘teaching’ refers to the first and most significant section of the Hebrew Bible. The Torah contains 5 books which are variously known as the books of the law, the books of Moses and the Pentateuch. It is also custom at times to use the term ‘Torah’ to refer generally to the whole Hebrew bible.
Yigdal	A poetic rendition based on Maimonides’ 13 principles of faith, which forms part of prayer for Orthodox Jews.
Zionism	Political movement and philosophy which is aimed at achieving the establishment of a Jewish home state in Israel. The land of Israel is important because the Jewish kingdom and nation grew out of the land of Israel, originally known as Canaan.

Moses Maimonides – Summary Notes

Anthony Bosco — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:03:01 +0000

Summary Points

Students learn about:

The contribution to Judaism of ONE significant person OR school of thought:

Moses Maimonides
The effect of that person OR school of thought on Judaism

Students learn to:

Explain the contribution of ONE significant person OR school of thought to the development and expression of Judaism:

Moses Maimonides

Social and Cultural Background and Influences

Islamic world – Judaism under threat.
Jews regarded as second class citizens.
Sephardi Jew – educated in science and philosophy as well as Torah.
Time of rediscovery of classical learning – Greek philosophy – Plato and Aristotle.
Strongly religious age.

Message/Teaching

Commentary on the Mishnah – explained the meaning of each Mishnah in a simple, systematic and ordered way.
The Commentary on the Mishnah explained the link between learning Torah and putting it into practice.
Within this Commentary Maimonides formulated the thirteen principles of faith which is recognised as a creed for Judaism.
Commentary on the Mishnah was written in Arabic – easily accessible to Jews living in Muslim areas.
Mishneh Torah – code of Jewish law – fourteen books written in Hebrew – in a style easily read and understood.
The Mishneh Torah, is a comprehensive guide to Jewish law without the need for study of Talmud.
Does not include debate, discussion, minority opinion etc as found in Talmud.
Many Jews felt it would lead to people no longer studying Talmud.
Mishneh Torah contained – Book of Knowledge – concerning belief in God, idolatry, repentance and the study of Torah. Other 13 books detail Jewish ritual and civil laws e.g. blessings, circumcision, holy days, relationships, dietary laws and ethics.
Conclusion of Mishneh Torah deals with interpretation of the notion of messiah (Mashiah). Maimonides saw coming of messiah as a time of peace and prosperity free from wars and oppression – free to study Torah in preparation for the life to come.
Guide of the Perplexed (Moreh Nevuchim) – philosophical work attempting to reconcile the Jewish concept of God with the Aristotelian view of God.
Deals with anthropomorphisms – Maimonides concluded that God should not be taken literally as described eg. Hand of god.
Maimonides argued in the Guide for the Perplexed that if taking the bible literally contravened reason then it should not be taken literally.
In the Guide for the Perplexed Maimonides puts forward the position that religious belief should be logical and open to intellectual debate.
In the Guide for the Perplexed Maimonides concludes that it is possible to acquire knowledge of God through the mind.
Studying Torah helped to attain a greater knowledge of God in the philosophical sense.
However, there is also a limit to knowledge of God that a person could attain.
Third part of Guide of the Perplexed deals with providing reasons for the mitzvot which may be seen as unreasonable.
Guide – extremely difficult work – written in Arabic – intended for students of Aristotelian philosophy who were confused by apparent contradictions between philosophy and the Jewish religion.

Chronology

1138 – Maimonides is born in Cordoba, Spain.

1148 – Almohades invade Spain, and the Maimon family chose to leave Spain as a consequence of the capture of Cordoba. They embark on an eleven year sojourn through Southern Spain and Northern Africa.

1158 – Maimonides begins to write the Commentary on the Mishnah.

1166 – Maimon family settles in Alexandria, Egypt.

1166 – Maimonides’ father passes away.

1165 – Maimonides finishes the Commentary on the Mishnah.

1167 – Maimonides begins to write the Sefer HaMitzvot and Mishneh Torah.

1171 – Maimonides’ brother David drowns in a shipwreck.

1171 – Maimonides decides to settle in Fostad, Egypt.

1177 – Maimonides is appointed as the Chief Rabbi of the Egyptian Jewry.

1177 – Maimonides finishes his ‘magnum opus’, the Mishneh Torah.

1186 – Maimonides finishes writing the Guide for the Perplexed.

1204 – Maimonides passes away. His final resting place was the holy place of Tiberias.

Students learn about:

The contribution to Judaism of ONE significant person OR school of thought:

Moses Maimonides
The effect of that person OR school of thought on Judaism

Students learn to:

Analyse the impact of this person OR school of thought on Judaism

Influence/Significance

Maimonides’ contribution stands virtually without peer in the Jewish world.
Maimonides’ work is acclaimed by all strands of the Jewish tradition.
Maimonides work is highly regarded among the Hasidism because Maimonides was one of the first to incorporate the mystical teachings of the Kaballah.
Zionists have a high regard for Maimonides because he declared that it is a mitzvah to take possession of Israel and to live in it.
Orthodox Jews closely study the work of Maimonides in yeshivot all around the world.
Liberal and Reform Jews have a high regard for the philosophical works of Maimonides.
Commentary on the Mishnah made Jewish law easily accessible without large amounts of study of Talmud.
The thirteen principles of faith – Jewish creed is still used and found in most Jewish prayer books.
Established first code of Jewish law – Mishneh Torah which enabled Jews to know how to act in a given situation without reference to the Talmud.
Maimonides code was the basis for the 16th century code of law – Skulkhan Aruch by Joseph Karo, on which modern Rabbis base their legal decisions.
Maimonides made Judaism relevant to Jews living in an Islamic world- ensuring the continuance of traditional Judaism when it was under threat of being lost to Islam.
He reconciled biblical Judaism with philosophy through his “Guide of the Perplexed”.
Showed that faith and reason were compatible and encouraged Jews to base their faith on reason.
Enabled Judaism to withstand the threat from philosophy by showing that it could be open to intellectual debate and scrutiny.
Provided leadership to scattered communities of the Jewish Diaspora at a time when they were being threatened by both Islam and the re-emergence of Greek philosophy.