Ethical Theories

INtroduction

• In this presentation, we will examine the 3 world religions of Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism and explore their histories, beliefs structures, and morality.

Christianity

History

• "Christianity is a monotheistic belief system based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ who is believed to be the begotten son of God, born of The Virgin Mary" (Origins of Virtue, pg. 22).
• There are more than 2 billion followers who belong to this religion, which originated in Palestine and is the largest of the world's major religions.

Main Beliefs

• The foundational belief is that Jesus is not only the son of God, but also part of the Holy Trinity, consisting of the Father, Son, and The Holy Spirit.
• Christians also believe that Jesus was crucified, died, and rose again three days later before ascending to Heaven to sit at the right hand of God.

Main Beliefs Con't

• Heaven and hell exist to either reward God's people for obedience and following The Ten Commandments, or as punishment for turning away from His guidance and offering of love.

Morality

• Instructions for right and moral living are found within the 66 books of The Bible, which is the doctrine followed by Christians around the world.
• "To live morally, is to live a good, full life fully within the boundaries of goals and rules and duty and justice and meaningfulness" (Origins of Virtue, pg. 24).

Islam

History

• The religion of Islam was founded in the 7th Century by Siddartha Guatama in the country of Arabia.
• Islam is a monotheistic religion, meaning that the people believe in only one god, whose name is Allah.
• There are an estimated 1.5 billion followers, making it the second largest of the world's main religions.

Main Beliefs

• "The Quaran is the sacred text of Islamic faith; it provides the rights, responsibilities, and rules for people and society, and is believed to have been given to Muhammad by Allah" (Origins of Virtue, pg. 16).
• The Five Pillars serve as the main belief system for Islam and consists of Confession of Faith, Prayer, Alms, Fasting, and Pilgrimage.

morality

• "Muslims believe that human beings are accountable for their behavior during their lifetimes. At death, that behavior is part of what determines how the person will be judged" (Pompia).
• In order to attain entrance into the afterlife, Muslims believe that they must attain "The Perfect Man" status which is made up of five elements: Obligatory, Prohibited, Supererogatory, Disfavored, and Indifferent.

Buddhism

history

• Buddhism is understood to be the religious tradition initiated by the teaching of Siddartha Guatama who lived from around the mid-sixth century to the fifth century BCE, and wjho became Sakyamuni Buddha on attaining enlightenment" (Ghiloni, pg. 88).

history Con't

• Buddhism was founded in India in around 500 BCE and currently has an estimated 500 million followers.
• It is considered a non theistic religion, meaning that the followers do not believe in or worship a god.

main beliefs

• At the core, Buddhism has a very basic belief system which embodies the following principles: attaining wisdom and understanding, living a moral life, and being constantly aware of your thoughts and actions.

main beliefs

• There is no heaven or hell in Buddhism, instead followers attempt to extinguish ties with this life by breaking away from the life cycle in a referred to as Nirvana.
• Buddhists also believe and practice the "four noble truths", which state that to exist is to suffer, suffering is caused by attachment, there is an end to the suffering, and the pathway to the end of the suffering referred to as the "eightfold path."

morality

• Buddhists site that their whole reason for existence is to break the cycle and extinguish life in order to reach Nirvana through the "eightfold pathway".
• These eight beliefs are a right worldview, right intention, action, and livelihood.
• "Those who have followed the Eightfold Path and arrived at the point of achieving Nirvana are called arhat, or saint" (Origins of Virtue, pg. 12).

Summary

• While there are many different world religions, I believe that there is only one true religion and one true God.
• The bible tells us in John 17:3 that "this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."

References

• Ghiloni, A. 2015. World religions and the mission. Peter Lang Publishing. New York, NY. Retrieved fromhttp://fir.indwes.edu/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1590845__Sreligion%20buddhism__Orig...
• Pompia, J. 10 Oct. 2015. Business Insights: Essentials. Web. 3 Mar. 2017. Retrieved from http://0-bi.galegroup.com.oak.indwes.edu/essentials/article/GALE%7CA4312039...
• 2017. Origins of virtue. Retrieved 3 Mar 2017 from http://frameset.next.ecollege.com/(NEXT(3a11cbf9be2e4299b335b249fba79509))/...

References Con't

• Pompia, J. 10 Oct. 2015. Business Insights: Essentials. Web. 3 Mar. 2017. Retrieved from http://0-bi.galegroup.com.oak.indwes.edu/essentials/article/GALE%7CA4312039...
• 2017. Origins of virtue. Retrieved 3 Mar 2017 from http://frameset.next.ecollege.com/(NEXT(3a11cbf9be2e4299b335b249fba79509))/...