The following are the commandments that are connected with human relationships,
- Honour your father and mother
- You shall not murder
- You shall not commit adultery
- You shall not steal
- You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour
- You shall not covet your neighbours’ house; you shall not covet your neighbours’ wife.
The main reason that the commandments should be obeyed is that God set them as a guide to be a good Christian and to be a good Christian you should follow this set of rules.
Nine of the Ten Commandments are acceptable only one is not.
The ‘golden rule’ of Christianity is found in Matthews gospel. It is “ Everything you do to others as you would have them do to you, for this is the law and prophets”
In marks gospel Jesus said that the two most important commandments were
- You shall not love your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind and with all your strength.
- You shall love your neighbour as yourself.
In these ways the passages on ethics from the gospel are similar to that of the Old Testament. The gospel teaches the behaviour into truth, the Old Testament says “I will put my love within them, and I will write it upon their hearts.
In these ways the passages on ethics from the gospel are different to that of the Old Testament,
Old Testament: They are both very different, and they don’t show anything about nuclear weapons, satellites or television.
An atheist would reject these of the Old and New Testament.
The three traditions that have developed their own teachings are:
- The Roman Catholic Church
- The Orthodox Church
- The Protestant or Reformed Church
Protestants on one hand view the importance of traditions as; they stress the important source of moral teaching.
Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches on the other hand believe that the church, both in terms of its interpretation of scripture and its historical practises, has safeguarded Gods teachings.
The role of the pope in moral decision-making in the Roman Catholic tradition is Roman Catholic Christians believe that the pope has special authority and that he is infallible when he speaks to, and in the name of the church on questions of faith or ethics.
The Holy Spirit is; Christians believe that the spirit is the life-giving breath of God, where by the lower communications with the higher and the higher with the lower.
In the New Testament, its views believe that the Holy Spirit, guides, teaches and leads the believers into truth.
It is important to have a final aim and direction in mind when making a moral decision is because; there is usually more than one way of responding to a particular problem and first reactions are not necessarily best. A person should carefully consider and reflect on alternatives, seeking to understand the range commitment to act.
