Western Religious Ethics

1. Western Religious Ethics Judaism Christianity Islam

2. Judaism: Covenant • Jewish ethics stems from the idea of a covenant between God and the Jewish culture as His Chosen People. • The idea was that God would continually deliver them into increasing levels of freedom and liberty as long as they remained true to His commandments, eventually becoming a “light unto the nations,” exemplifying His Grace to all of humanity.

3. Judaism: Orthopraxy • Instead of an orthodoxy (correct belief), Judaism can be considered an orthopraxy (correct acts, or practice). • Because of the Covenant, Jewish faith revolves around actions, and the way in which these substantiate and glorify the divine will. • 20th Century Jewish Philosopher Martin Buber posited that correct and harmonious interactions allowed God to pour into the world, extending covenant to all relationships.

4. Christianity: The Beatitudes • Christian ethics can be considered as being ultimately based on ideas attributed to Jesus in his Sermon On The Mount, found in The Gospel of Matthew. • Elements of ideas expressed therein are known as the Beatitudes, which focus on the sanctity of, among other things, the poor, the meek, the merciful, the pure of heart, and the peacemakers.

5. Christianity: Liberation Theology • In the 20th century, Christian Ethics turned significantly towards addressing the plight of the poor, largely because of the work of Peruvian Dominican priest Gustavo Gutierrez. • His Liberation Theology places a primary focus on the relevance of Jesus’ teachings to ideas of social justice and human rights, and calls for the Church to allow a deeper partnership with its flock in order to more clearly address their needs.

6. Islam: Submission • Worshipping the same monotheistic God of Judaism, Islam refers to both Jewish and Christian believers as “People of the Book,” regarding these traditions as related to their own. • Accordingly, Muslim ethics is largely based on the idea of submission to God’s Will (the translation of the word “Islam”), echoing the idea of Jewish Covenant.

7. Islam: Ethics In Community • Of paramount importance in Islam is the idea that their ethical focus on submission takes place as a community. • All humans should "command the good and forbid the evil" in all spheres of life, since the very nature of existence presupposes a relationship with God. • This relationship requires a disavowal of materialism, in favor of a more spiritual focus on humility and piety.