Readings in the Bible

In the different biblical readings assigned it was easy to see the different types of moral decisions to be made. In the case of Exodus 20:1-17, it is definitely duty-based ethics. God speaks and they follow. They follow Him simply because he is an authority. They assume what He says is right in all ways and intend to follow it. If someone asked them how they determined that the Ten Commandments were true and right morally, those who believed would have responded because God told me it was so. In this type of ethics it is as simple as that. The authority tells you what is right and wrong, and you listen. The next biblical passage to be discussed is Matthew 5:17-48. In this biblical reading it talks about Jesus reinterpreting the Ten Commandments. In this section, he takes the Commandments and tells them what they knew previously. Then he reinterprets it and tells them there is so much more than just the lines given. You have to dig deeper and make sure you don’t focus on just the words given. He wanted everyone to focus internally. He says you are just as guilty if you think it and never do it as the man who completes the action. According to the article provided, this passage is virtue ethics. It is considered this because we grew up with these basic teachings but we most interpret them for ourselves. We must go beyond those words and decide what is good. We have to know the differences from virtue and vices. If we simply followed the Ten Commandments word for word than I believe a lot of “evil” would slip through the cracks and be let off the hook. We have to know who we are and stick to the things we learned at a young age that have developed through the years.