UGANDA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
Understanding ethics from a Christian
Perspective
Foundation Studies
Mr. John Vianney Ahumuza
jahumuza@ucu.ac.ug
0779364080
Contents:
Introduction
Course Description
Objectives
Why study this course?
Cont’n…
Comments on state of our
society
Meaning of Ethics
Main Texts
Conclusion
Course Description
Thecourse introduces you to
the basic concepts of ethics
with particular emphasis on
the Christian perspective.
It
gives you opportunity to
apply ethical principles to
various challenges today
Cont’n…
It
introduces some ethical
systems (types of thinking
that underlie the values and
morals in our society)
Course outline
CHAPTER ONE: Introducing Ethics
PART I: ETHICAL SYSTEMS
Traditional African Perspectives on
Ethics
Ubuntu Ethics
Old and New Testament Foundations
Classical Western Ethics
Modern and Postmodern Ethics
PART II: APPLIED ETHICS
Church and Society
Professional Ethics
Making Ethical Progress
Sexuality and Marriage
War and Capital Punishment
Wealth and Poverty
Description…
Teaching Evaluation
Methodology
◦ 10% attendance &
participation
◦ Lectures
◦ 20 % weekly
◦ Tutorials assignments
◦ 10% Ethical Analysis
Papers
◦ 10% test
◦ End of semester
exam– 50%
Objectives
Gain
understanding of
Christian ethics
Apply
the knowledge to
personal life and current
moral problems
Cont’n…
Give
opportunity to give
particular focus on
African perspectives and
ethical problems
Cont’n…
Developability to articulate
the place of God in ethics
and the usefulness of ethics
in contemporary world
Why should we waste our
time?
To appreciate the concept of
thinking & practicing a good
way of living
Know the difference between
JOB-SKILLS and LIFE-SKILLS.
Continuation
Ethical awareness is a
fundamental par t of the
professional practice of
professional workers. Their
ability and commitment to act
ethically is an essential aspect
of the quality of the service
offered to those who use seek
professional services.
What is involved in ethics
Good conduct
Right vs wrong
Good Vs bad
Customs,values,customery codes
Integrity & respect
What ought to be done vs what should'nt be
done
Continued
Ethics observes human conduct
& establishes that there are
some actions that are:
Good praised
Bad
Ought to be done or not to be done
Origin of morality
Primitive societies thought about 'good way of
living' and that 'there existed a bad way of
living':
If people lived a good way of living there would
be:
Good relationships
Tranquility
Peace.
Continued
Customery morality
Customery codes/rules
A l l t h i s wa s a c o m p a n e d b y
punishment if one violated these
rules
Meaning of ethics
FromGreek word – ethos =
character or custom of a
given people or place.
Studyof morality in all its
forms(process of inquiry &
reflection).
Cont’n…
Customsrefer to standards of
right and wrong that people
have and cherish.
The object of ethics is human
conduct( Behavior)
There is a close relationship
between ethics and morality
Morality defined
Morality refers to any set of
norms or standards-traditional
or otherwise-that define , guide
a n d r e g u l a t e
good( acceptable) behavior
among human beings living
together in society.
Note:
Gerald .A. Bannaars(1993), Ethics and development, East African publishers p,13
Sources of morality
1. Religion- divine revelation &
supernatural source of
standards( laws of God as
revealed in holy writings.
2. Society- Social institutions e.g
family, clan, elders, schools etc.
3. Human person-human reason &
conscience
Cont’n…
The
study of ethics examines
the morality of a person(s) and
these are the norms of
behavior that exist to establish
whether they are viable
(acceptable) or not.
Ethics vs Morals
Ethics and morals both relate to
“right” and “wrong” conduct.
However, ethics refer to the series
of rules provided to an individual
by an external source. e.g. their
profession.
On the other hand, morals refer to
an individual’s own principles
regarding right and wrong
Ethics & morals compared
Ethics
defines how thing are
according to the rules
Moralsdefines how things
should work according to an
individuals' ideals and
principles.
Comparison
Source
of ethics; Social
system/External
Source
of morals; Individual/
Internal
Continued
We practice ethics because
society says it is the right
thing to do.
We practice morals because
we believe in something
being right or wrong.
Continued
Failure to practice ethics leads
to peer/societal disapproval, or
even be fired from our job.
Failure to practice morals
leads to different effects on
different people e.g they may
feel uncomfortable, remorse,
depressed etc.
Famous quotation
In
law a man is guilty when
he violates the rights of
others. In ethics he is guilty
if he only thinks of doing so.
( Emmanuel Kant)
Cont’n…
In
this course we examine
using Christian principles
Ethical challenges faced by
professionals in Uganda today
Corruption
Conflict between organization
goals and individual beliefs
Lack of exposure
Balancing between family
demands and work demands
Sexual harassments.
etc
Comments on state of our
society
In Uganda there more
incidence of HIV/AIDS in
married than in unmarried.
White crime has gone up in
almost all countries –
criminals are cleverer.
Cont’n…
The prisons are overflowing or
expanding in each country on earth.
Crimes that cannot be legislated are
far worse e.g. hatred, malice, phobia,
lust, etc
Main Texts
The Holy Bible
UnderstandingEthics from
Christian Perspective –
Course work book
Cont’n…
Atkinson
David (1995) New
Dictionary of Christian Ethics
and Pastoral Theology
ClarkDavid, et al 1996
Readings in Christian Ethics:
Issues and Application, Vol. 2
Concluding Remarks
Itis not a waste of time to
think about a good way of
living.
There is a lot of benefits
associated with being good.
Success in life is associated
with good morals.
