Natural Law – Compatibility with Religious Believers

By the end of this lesson you will have:

• Discovered how Natural Law IS compatible with

religious believers• Learnt how natural law

is NOT compatible with religious believers

• Developed these points in order to get a high

grade

Natural Law and Religious Believers

• We will be answering this question from a CHRISTIAN perspective, meaning we will be looking at how natural law is/isn’t compatible with Christian belief.

• If you get this question in A01 you simply have to list the points with the explanation, evidencing and link

• If you get this question in A02 you must add the evaluation and comment on whether it is a good point.

Group Work

• Complete your Bible worksheets – do you think that the passage supports or goes against natural law?

IS compatible

• Matthew 6v2 – The motive for committing an act is important as well as the act itself – interior and exterior acts

• Genesis1 – God made the world and established in it a sense of order – 4 levels of law

• Matthew 25v31-46 – It should be the ‘final purpose’ of every human being to return to God in the afterlife – Final cause/purpose

• John 8v1 – an adulterous woman - People often fall short of God’s goodness

• Exodus 20 – 10 commandments – absolute laws found in scripture

IS NOT compatible

• Matthew 5v39 – Turn the other cheek – goes against Natural Laws claim that one can hurt someone else in order to preserve their own life

• John 13v34:35 – Love one another as I have loved you – goes against Natural Law’s claim that ethics is based on reason and not love

• Matthew 6v1 – Jesus said good actions should not be done for reward but for their own sake – goes against Natural Law’s idea that you should be good in order to get into heaven

• Matthew 12v10:12 – Jesus opposed legalistic actions such as healing people on the Sabbath when he wasn’t meant to – goes against Natural Law’s ideas that we should always obey the law in an absolute manner

Scholar Arguments

• Michael Hornsby-Smith argues Catholic Social Thought that Natural Law is still the fundamental law in the Catholic tradition and is the foundation for Catholic laws on abortion.

• Pope Benedict XVI argued that Natural Law ‘remains timely’ and is grounded in human nature. He believes Catholics should follow God’s law in order to be good and not their own.

Exam Practice

• Outline the argument that Natural Law is compatible for some religious believers and not for others AO1 – (30)

• 4 paragraphs required

• Paragraph starter• To some extent Natural Law is compatible with

Natural Law for many reasons. One being that…

Plenary – Bible Passages

• Hold up your white board in line with whether the Bible passage IS or ISN’T compatible with religious believers

• Matthew 6v1• Matthew 5v39• Exodus 20• John 13v34:35• Matthew 6v2