Could any of these reasons really “make” someone do something?

Moral Responsibility & FreedomLast lesson, we thought about ways that we are influenced, and whether or not this means we have free will. Today:

•To define moral responsibility•To explain where moral responsibility comes from

1. Explain 2 ways someone could pass on the blame for wrong doing- stealing from a corner-shop.

**Are these excuses enough to let someone off their responsibility? Explain.

Sort out the actions where you are and are not responsible

1. What 2 conditions must be true for someone to be held morally responsible?

2. Describe ONE example where you ARE responsible – what condition is met?

3. Describe one example where you are not responsible – which conditions are not met?

**Why CAN we be held responsible for what we do, despite influencing factors like upbringing & peer pressure?

Free will is a gift. It is one way humans show they are made in the image of God .

We have free will because we can act differently - if we were put in the exact same situation a second time, we could do otherwise. Moral responsibility means that you are responsible for your actions.

To be held responsible for your actions, you must1. Know what you are doing2. Have free will in that situation (be

free to do otherwise)Animals do not have free will – they do not “know” what they are doing, and they cannot act otherwise then their nature or training tells them.

What is moral responsibility?

1. When you are free2. What you are told to do something

responsible3. When you can be blamed for something

you did

A good person is the freest.

How could this be true?

Basing your decisions on THE GOOD

frees you from following other influences

fashion

Peer pressure

upbringing

habits Your biology/ psychology

Culture (The way we do things in the UK)

Random chance

You are free, when you base your choices based on what is good because then you are not choosing things for other reasons - upbringing, fashion, your own desires – so you become free of them. Eg greed, peer pressure or your parents’ views.

If you choose to follow the good, you will not be “controlled” by it. But” if you choose to follow your parents, your greed, your friends, you might be “controlled” by them.

Following the good, is to be free. To help us, God gives us a conscience, and His teachings. But we are the ones who choose.

1. How can you make sure that you are free?

2. How do you tell, what the good thing to do is?

**What would you say to someone who told you that you were a “sheep” because you followed your religion?

Watch the Video: Anthony Walker

How can you be free?1. Don’t care, don’t choose and do whatever2. Follow what trusted people tell you3. Trust in your faith/ in God4. Follow your own deepest values and

conscience

BBC learning zone anthony walker

How does Mrs Walker “stay free” of anger and revenge?

Research a Christian who overcame other influences, to react in a Christian way, for good. ◦ Eg with forgiveness, ◦ Eg by standing up for right, in the face of opposition and difficulty.◦ Eg by doing good instead of evil

◦ DESCRIBE the situation◦ IDENTIFY AND DESCRIBE 2-3 influences/ pressures on them, to

make them react in certain ways◦ EXPLAIN how their Christian faith made them react differently◦ EVALUATE – did the practice of the Christian faith make them

more free, than if they had reacted according to the other influences.