When communicating about theological beliefs and ethical principles, the first thing that comes into perspective is the source of authority that the religious believers live by. For example, Christians believe in the Bible and its teachings, which they believe contain the will and commands of God, which are supreme to anything human (Driscoll & Breshears, 2011). The Bible tells them what is right and wrong, and living this way may pose some ethical threats, hence a greater challenge to ethical principles. Another religion is Muslim, which follows the doctrines of jihad, also known as the holy war. In this doctrine, the believers believe in protecting the will of Allah, and that not anyone who challenges such deserves to live.
From these standpoints, it becomes apparent that following the religious teachings plainly without giving room for other ethical concepts would posit conflict with ethical principles. For example, the Holy Bible tells the Christian believers never to judge anyone. In reference to Matthew 7:1-5, nobody should judge the other in order not to be judged (RSV, 1996). However, the aspect of judging is what makes an individual to disinter what is good from that, which is bad. If the believers are conditioned not to judge, they live not to question some behaviors, even if they pose ethical threats.
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Another thing is the beliefs concerning the relationship between husbands and wives. Most of the Christian churches consider women to be subordinates to men, which indeed undermine the principle of gender equality. According to this, women should be allowed to make their independent sexual decisions. This implies that they should not be intimidated in any way when making such decisions. However, the Christian believers consider the husband to have absolute decision concerning the sexual matters in the marriage. In fact, some men have abused this provision to an extent of abusing their wives sexually. In other words, women are taught to respect their husbands, whereas husbands are told to love their wives (RSV, 1996). In this precept, women are not allowed to make any decision or rather choice concerning the number of children in the family, which are all left in the sole decision of the husband.
Additionally, ethical principles are against any form of discrimination. However, it would be argued that some Christian beliefs fuel discrimination against those who do not sustain what they teach. For example, Christians give less regards to non-believers, and more so the atheists. Some believers consider the atheist communities to be antichrist and consider them a threat to the Christian family. In fact, some believers consider them unworthy in their company and can really mistreat them in the places of work. This is a show of discrimination, which is propagated by religious beliefs.
In conclusion, it is important to live by the religious believes, but also maintain the art of reasoning. It becomes disastrous to live by the religious faiths solely without considering other people who do not hold such beliefs, and that is why there have been many conflicts among different religious groups. It is therefore important to carry religious practices within the confines of reason and tolerance of other people.
- Driscoll, M., & Breshears, G. (2011). Doctrine: what Christians should believe. Crossway.
- RSV, R. S. V. (1996). The holy bible.