COURSE: RLGS 3663
TITLE: Christian Ethics 基督教倫理學

Short Assignment 3

短作業三 (Due: August 3, 2011)

 

細讀下列三個有道德困境的實例,選擇其中一個:(1)引用聖經其他倫理原則去分析這個難題2選擇及解釋你會有何行動。不超過1000字)

 

 

實例(7婚姻:被遺棄的丈夫

 

波比和瑪莎八年前結婚,很快就有三個兒女。經過異常困難的六個月後,波比下班回家時,發現一張字條貼在冰箱上:「親愛的波比,我不能繼續付出了。我需要一些時間給自己,暫時再見了。」之後,波比承受巨大的經濟壓力,因為他的工資只能滿足家庭部份的開支。波比失去了他的房子,他的兒女要搬到他父母的家寄住。兩年過去了,經過多次尋找瑪莎後,波比認為瑪莎已經一去不復返了。他不知道瑪莎有如何的生活,也很少和她接觸。雖然他大置上反對離婚,但他詢問教會的牧師有關離婚的問題。他說:「瑪莎是不會回來的了,而我的兒女需要一個媽媽。如果我離婚並開始約會,神會懲罰我嗎?」牧師應如何應對呢?

 

 

實例(8)同性戀:同性戀女教師

 

布蓮達是一個基督徒,也是一個公立小學的校長。最近她發現三年級的老師辛娜是一個實踐的同性戀者。辛娜是一位優秀的教師,很受學生和家長歡迎,但不公開炫耀她的同性戀趨向。布倫達告訴辛娜說知道她的情況;辛娜回答說,她無法改變她的趨向,她不會在課堂上提倡她的生活方式,也不會放棄她的情人。此外,她也提醒布蓮達說,在法律上校長是沒有辦法可以將她開除

布蓮達應該反對辛娜作教師,而將辛娜的生活方式通知家長嗎?還是將事情保持秘密,只告訴辛娜,自己會為她祈禱呢?布蓮達應該如何對待辛娜呢?

 

 

實例(9)環境:太平洋紫杉

 

科學家在1979年發現,30%的卵巢癌患者對一種名為「紫杉醇」的藥物有反應。紫杉醇來自太平洋針葉林中紫杉的樹皮,足夠每一個病人的藥品需要從三棵 100歲的樹木獲得60磅樹皮。施貴寶藥廠擁有「紫杉醇」的獨家專利權,因此每個病人的費用可能達到25萬美元。由於每年有12,000名婦女死於卵巢癌,為所有病人生產紫杉醇則可能在五年內使太平洋紫杉絕種。環境主義者聲稱,製造紫杉醇引致太平洋紫杉絕種,是摧毀不可替代的資源以獲得短期利益。但是,癌症病人莎莉希望繼續生存,她簡單的指出人比樹木更重要,而且這些樹沒有其他經濟價值。有人聲稱,科學家將在兩年內人工合成紫杉醇,之後其成本將削減1000倍。但莎莉不能再等待。

要決定是否收割太平洋紫杉的官員隸屬你的教會;你認為什麼是最好的選擇?社會是否應該犧牲太平洋紫杉來拯救生命,抑或等待科學家合成紫杉醇?

 

 

 

ENGLISH VERSION BELOW

 

Study the following 3 controversial ethical cases and select ONE. (1) Analyze the case using Biblical and other ethical principles, and (2) select and explain a course of action that you would take. (up to 1000 Chinese words)

 

 

CASE 7: Marriage: Abandoned husband.

 

Bob married Martha eight years ago, and they quickly had three children. After six especially tumultuous months, Bob came home from work one day and found a note taped to the refrigerator: “Dear Bob, I can’t keep giving anymore. I need some time for myself. Good-bye for now.” The financial stress on Bob has been great since his factory wages only partly meet the needs of the family. Bob has lost his home, and the children have moved in with his parents. Two years have gone by and after repeated attempts to find her, Bob believes Martha is gone forever. He has no idea what sort of life Martha is living and has had very little contact with her. Though he is generally opposed to divorce, he comes to his pastor wondering if God will punish him if he gets divorced. “Martha isn’t coming back, and my children need a mother,” he says. “Would God punish me if I got a divorce and began to date again?” How should the pastor respond?

 

 

CASE 8: Homosexuality: Lesbian schoolteacher.

 

Brenda, a committed Christian, is an elementary public school principal who recently discovered that Sheena, the third grade teacher at the school, is a practicing lesbian. An excellent teacher, Sheena is well-liked by the students and parents and does not openly flaunt her lesbianism. Brenda has informed Sheena that she knows of her situation. Sheena replies that she cannot change her orientation. While she will not promote her lifestyle in the classroom, neither will she forsake her lover. In addition, she reminds Brenda that there is no way legally that the principal can remove her from her position.

 

Should Brenda make an issue of Sheena’s presence on the faculty, informing parents of Sheena’s lifestyle, or should she simply pray for Sheena and keep the matter quiet? How should Brenda treat Sheena?

 

 

CASE 9: Environment: Pacific yew.

 

Scientists discovered in 1979 that 30% of ovarian cancer patients respond to a drug named taxol. Taxol comes from the bark of the coniferous Pacific yew. It takes 60 pounds of bark from three 100-year-old trees to produce enough medicine for one patient. Because Bristol-Myers holds an exclusive patent on taxol, costs for a single patient could reach $250,000. Since 12,000 women die of ovarian cancer each year, producing taxol for all of them would possibly wipe out the Pacific yew in five years. Environmentalists contend that making taxol is destroying an irreplaceable resource to gain a short-term benefit. But cancer patient Sally Christensen argues that she wants to live. She states quite simply that people are more important than trees. Indeed, these trees have no other economic value. Some claim that scientists will synthesize taxol within two years, cutting its cost by 1000 times. But Sally cannot wait.

 

In your church are state officials who must decide about harvesting the Pacific yew. What choice is best? Should society sacrifice the Pacific yew to save lives, or should we wait until scientists synthesize taxol?