morality: midterm study guide

moral theology and its sources

the part of theology that focuses on how one is to live as a disciple of Christ. its teachings are based on sacred scripture, sacred tradition, the magisterium, and reason

human dignity

the value of the humans person is rooted in his or her creation in the image and likeness of God. given an immortal soul and ability to make free choices, the human person is ordered to God and called to eternal life with Him

freedom and responsibility

the power given to God to perform deliberate actions makes one more accountable for the actions

accountability can be diminished if even cancelled by invincible ignorance, fear, and/or habit

human beatitude and the universal call to holiness

the human person is called to know and love God in this life in order to be with him forever in the next life (i.e. heaven)

God calls all to such sanctity

justification

the process by which God frees us from sin and sanctifies us. it is brought about by God’s grace and our free response in faith working through charity. the process ends when one reaches eternal life with God

grace

the free gift given by God in which human beings share in the life of God and grow in holiness

sanctifying is the kind in which God dwells within us and makes us able to enter eternal life with him. it can be lost through mortal sin

actual is the type given to all people in order to help them grow in holiness

the passions/appetites

natural bodily instincts and/or emotions that are morally neutral in the sense that they can be taken up into the virtues or perverted by the vices

moral conscience

conscience is a judgement of reason which calls one to do good and avoid evil

while conscience can be wrong, it is imperative to form one’s conscience as well as one can. this can be done through learning church teaching, prayer, etc

moral determinants

the factors that determine the morality of a human act. they include:

1) object: the act performed, 2) intention: the reasons/motives behind one’s acts, and 3) circumstances: the specific conditions/setting surrounding the act including its intended effect

for an act to be good, all three must be morally good to neutral

intrinsic evil

an object/act that is evil in and of itself and never morally good, regardless of intention or circumstance. examples include homicide, blasphemy, adultery

natural law

the eternal law of God known by humans through the proper use of their reason in order to guide their action. it is universal and unchanging. ex: do good and avoid evil, the golden rule, the principles behind the ten commandments

old law vs new law

the first is the law given by God to Moses in the old testament. its moral precepts that align with natural law remain binding while its ceremonial or judicial precepts were only for israel and no longer binding on christians.

the latter is the law of Christ given in the new testament which remains binding on christians

ten commandments

ten moral precepts given by God to moses that remain relevant to christians since they are in accord with natural law. the first three are related to our relationship with God and the last seven with neighbor

precepts of the church

they represent the minimum obligations of the spiritual life for catholics: they include 1) mass attendance on sundays and holy days, 2) confessions once a year, 3) reception of eucharist at least during easter season, 4) abstinence from meat and required fasting, 5) providing for the needs of the church

virtue

a habitual and firm disposition to do good

cardinal virtues

virtues that are natural in the sense that they can be lived out by all people

they include: 1) prudence: wisdom, 2) justice: giving others their due, 3) fortitude: courage, 4) temperance: self-control/moderation

theological virtues

virtues that are from God and directly oriented to him

they include 1) faith: to believe in God and all he has revealed, 2) hope: continual trust in God, and 3) charity (the greatest virtue): to love God above all things and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God

sin

an act contrary to God’s law. it harms our relationship with God, neighbor, and self

mortal vs. venial sin

a serious offense against God’s law that involves grave matter, full consent, and full knowledge. it merits eternal separation from God.

a less serious offense against the will of God that weakens charity and leads to temporal (not eternal) punishment

the first three commandments

1) i am the Lord your God: you shall not have strange gods before me

2) you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain

3) remember to keep the Lord’s Day holy

virtue of religion

justice that the human person owes to God such as worship, prayer, and sacrifice

sins against the first commandment

voluntary doubt: to deliberately disbelieve a doctrine of the catholic faith

idolatry: to worship or love a creature or created good above the creator (i.e. God)

superstition: to attribute a power to a creature that belongs to God alone or relying on such powers rather than God

sins against the second commandment

blasphemy: speaking words of hatred against God and/or the saints

perjury: lying under oath

keeping sunday holy

catholics have a grave obligation to attending mass (unless unable for serious reason: illness/caretaking). in addition, they are called to take holy leisure (spending time to learn about the faith, pray, etc.) and refrain from unnecessary work

worshipping on sunday, not the sabbath

christians do not have their day of rest on saturday for the following reasons:

scripture: Jesus resurrected on Sunday and the Holy Spirit was sent on a sunday (pentecost)

tradition: sunday worship traces back to apostolic age

reason: by taking a day of rest, catholics still follow the natural law principle of rest and worship behind the third commandment

the sixth and ninth commandments

the first prohibits adultery and the second prohibited coveting the wife of your neighbor

chastity + modesty

the first is the virtue by which people are able to integrate their sexuality into God’s plan for them

the second is the virtue by which we think, speak, act, and dress in ways that show respect for ourselves and others

all are called to such virtues and can sin against them

sexual identity

since our bodies are a gift from God and not accidental, one should accept their biological sex as can be found in their body

sins against chastity

lust: inordinate desire for sexual pleasure

pornography: the deliberate display of nudity or sexual acts to third parties to invoke lust

fortification: when an unmarried person has sexual relations

homosexual acts (not attraction): sexual acts between members of the same sex that cannot be unitive or procreative

adultery: sexual infidelity in marriage

two ends of the marital act

1) unitive (i.e. the marital act) and 2) procreative (i.e. ordered to children). to intentionally act against either or to seek them when not married represents a serious sin against God’s plan for human sexuality and chastity

natural family planning

the monitoring of a woman’s fertility cycles in order to avoid to achieve pregnancy. this method is morally licit to help avoid pregnancy when pursued by spouses freely and without selfish motives (ex. financial strain) since it doesn’t act against the unitive or procreative ends of the marital act

contraception

intentionally acting against the procreative element of the marital act by means of barriers, pills, injections, withdrawals, etc. represents a grave sin against God’s plan for human sexuality

marriage and children

children are a gift of marriage, not a right. married couples experiencing infertility can:

1) seek morally licit fertility methods (i.e. things that aid the marital act and do not replace it like the sins of invitro fertilization or artificial insemination)

2) adopt

3) seek greater involvement in the church or larger community

the fifth, eighth, and tenth commandments

the first prohibits killing (i.e. murder), the second bearing false witness (i.e. lying), and the third coveting the goods of a neighbor

requirements of the fifth commandment & sins against it

we must take reasonable care of our own physical health and that of others. we must avoid:

anger: an inordinate emotional sense of displeasure and usually antagonism, aroused by real or apparent injury

hatred: to deliberately wish evil on another

gluttony: inordinate desire for the pleasure connected with food, drink, or drugs

duty toward truth

everyone is called to seek and live according to the truth since we tend by nature toward it. we are called to reveal the truth prudently to those who have a right to know. when possible, reparation must be made for lies that have distorted truth

sins against the eight commandment

lying: to speak falsely with the intention to deceive

gossip/detraction: to disclose the faults of another to others without sufficient reason

rash judgement: to assume as true, without sufficient evidence, the moral fault of a neighbor

calumny/slander: to speak falsehood against another in order to harm their reputation

material detatchment

when one loves Christ above material things and is thus freed from material anxiety and more prepared to be charitable in giving to the church, the poor, and community in general

sins against the tenth commandment

greed: a controlling passion for wealth or possessions

envy: sadness at the sight of another’s goods and the immoderate desire to acquire them for oneself