Scoring top marks when dealing with Christian Ethics at AS or A Level is difficult. Not because the content is hard or difficult to remember (wait until you cover the Trinity or Exegesis at University – now that’s hard) but because of GCSE.
Open your Brains and pour out all GCSE RE.
My three pet hates:
- Your body is God’s Temple
- Life is a gift from God (unless you can specifically quote a reference from the Bible)
- Some Christian argue, other Christians argue…
Snore zzzzzzzz
Replace with:
- Imago Dei: We are all made in the Image of God
- Spark of Divinity: Every life, from the moment of conception, has a Spark of God within them
- Conscience: God given guide within ethical decision making (WWJD – what would Jesus do?)
- Freewill
- Integrity to beliefs: remain consistent in beliefs over different ethical dilemmas. True to yourself and your beliefs.
- Compassion
Recommendations
Do not say ‘religious people‘ – who are religious people? Scientologists, Muslims, Pagans – if you mean Christians say Christians!
Quote the Bible and/or the Pope (any Pope but I think the current one has a lot of important points to make) because it just sounds good.
Areas to revise to actually get the marks (and leave GCSE well and truly behind)
- Agape, St. Paul and Joseph Fletcher
- Link Natural Law: Primary Precepts and Doctrine of Double Effect to Catholics (Aquinas heavily influenced Catholicism)
- Main Christian Teachings including: mercy, justice and forgiveness and integrity and honesty with accompanying biblical stories.