Introduction to Christian ethics

Before tackling practical questions such as contraception, tattoos, cremation or divorce, we need to ask how we decide what is right or wrong. This lesson lays the foundations for the ones that follow.

The influence of culture

Several factors shape our sense of right and wrong. The first is the culture in which we live. What we are used to seems normal to us.

A simple example: nudity is rather taboo in France, whereas it is much less so in Finland. Likewise, subjects such as the death penalty, female genital mutilation or circumcision are perceived very differently from one country to another.

This is no accident. The words “morality” and “ethics” come from the Latin mores and the Greek ethos, which refer to customs and habits. Instinctively, what is “moral” is what forms part of our habits.

Our morality is therefore influenced by the world around us, and this world is itself marked by the place it does or does not give to God. Even as Christians, we remain influenced by it to a greater or lesser extent.

Group pressure

In 1951, the American psychologist Solomon Asch conducted an experiment that has become famous. He showed a group a reference line and three other lines. They simply had to say which one was the same length. The task was easy: alone, almost no one got it wrong.

But in the group, only one person was a real participant. The others were accomplices of the experimenter. Out of 18 trials, 12 times they gave the same wrong answer aloud. The real participant answered almost last, after hearing most of them.

The result is striking. Influenced by the majority, participants gave on average about 37% wrong answers. There were great differences between individuals: some never gave in, others were wrong more than one time in two. In the control group, without accomplices, errors were very rare.

Two mechanisms are at work:

• Informational influence: when everyone says the same thing, we end up doubting what we see.
• Normative influence: we fear being sidelined if we do not conform to the rules of the group.

The lesson is clear. We are beings who can be influenced. We must therefore pay attention to the people we spend time with, because they always influence the way we think.

Who sets the rules?

Everyone recognises that a society needs rules, and an authority to enforce them. Without this, there would be anarchy. The real question is: who lays down these rules?

Without God, good and evil become relative. What becomes normal is what the majority approves and wants for itself. The position defended in this course is that a world that moves away from God makes decisions contrary to the morality it wants. The author cites as examples the trivialisation of abortion, divorce, same-sex marriage, assisted suicide, drugs, prostitution and adultery. In his view, a society in which man makes himself the sole judge of good and evil is heading for ruin, physically and spiritually.

The May 1968 slogan, “It is forbidden to forbid”, left a deep mark on Western Europe. Yet prohibition is not harmful in itself. The image of the parent and the child shows this well. A good parent sets limits because they know what is good or bad for their child. It is not the child’s friends who should tell them what is right. In the same way, it is not our fellow human beings who should dictate good and evil to us, but God, our Father.

Salt and light

Jesus says to his disciples: “You are the salt of the earth” and “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13-14). He adds: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Christians are therefore not called to let themselves be shaped by the world, but to influence it. We have the responsibility to say what is right and what is wrong, not on the basis of our impressions, but on the basis of what God affirms in his Word.

The author also points out that it is not always the most numerous who impose their choices, but the most active. A silent majority carries little weight against a committed minority. Christians are therefore encouraged to be united and to take part in the life of society, including in public debate.

A method for reflection

To discern God’s will, we need to study concrete cases, reflect on them, and seek a common position as far as possible. If one Christian says one thing and another says the opposite, the world no longer knows what to believe.

In the following lessons, each question will be approached on the basis of five elements:

1. The Bible, the first reference.
2. Love for God and for one’s neighbour.
3. Respect for the answers of others, because sincere Christians do not always agree.
4. Prayer.
5. Reflection and meditation.

This approach protects us from two dangers: following the majority without thinking, and judging others without love.