{"title":"Moral Dilemmas and Christian Ethics","authors":"Kate Jackson-Meyer, Lisa Sowle Cahill","doi":"10.1111/jore.12490","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>We take moral dilemmas to be situations where no fully “moral” resolution is possible. Even an action that is, on the whole, justified may involve an injustice against someone affected. Some philosophers and theologians rule out such dilemmas on the basis of logical incoherence, or incompatibility with the nature of a good and all-powerful God. This essay defends the plausibility of moral dilemmas in Christian ethics, in light of Augustine's and Aquinas's reflections on ambivalent decisions; challenges to modern rationalist epistemologies; and contemporary theological hermeneutics of God, God's attributes, and the problem of evil. We propose a Christian ethical response entailing communal support for agents caught in moral dilemmas, as well as social-political remediation of contributing structural injustices. Our focus is individual agents, yet we indicate how analogous dilemmas can arise for agents of institutions.</p>","PeriodicalId":45722,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF RELIGIOUS ETHICS","volume":"53 1","pages":"45-71"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jore.12490","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"JOURNAL OF RELIGIOUS ETHICS","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jore.12490","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"0","JCRName":"RELIGION","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
We take moral dilemmas to be situations where no fully “moral” resolution is possible. Even an action that is, on the whole, justified may involve an injustice against someone affected. Some philosophers and theologians rule out such dilemmas on the basis of logical incoherence, or incompatibility with the nature of a good and all-powerful God. This essay defends the plausibility of moral dilemmas in Christian ethics, in light of Augustine's and Aquinas's reflections on ambivalent decisions; challenges to modern rationalist epistemologies; and contemporary theological hermeneutics of God, God's attributes, and the problem of evil. We propose a Christian ethical response entailing communal support for agents caught in moral dilemmas, as well as social-political remediation of contributing structural injustices. Our focus is individual agents, yet we indicate how analogous dilemmas can arise for agents of institutions.
期刊介绍：
Founded in 1973, the Journal of Religious Ethics is committed to publishing the very best scholarship in religious ethics, to fostering new work in neglected areas, and to stimulating exchange on significant issues. Emphasizing comparative religious ethics, foundational conceptual and methodological issues in religious ethics, and historical studies of influential figures and texts, each issue contains independent essays, commissioned articles, and a book review essay, as well as a Letters, Notes, and Comments section. Published primarily for scholars working in ethics, religious studies, history of religions, and theology, the journal is also of interest to scholars working in related fields such as philosophy, history, social and political theory, and literary studies.
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