Ch2 and 3 morality

Core components of moral choices

involves our human nature, Human moral decisions involve the human physical and spiritual natures (body and soul). Moral decisions, choices and actions are driven by three essential components.

intellect

The capacity for reason, enabling the person to understand, deliberate, and discern good from evil

Free will

The power to choose and execute deliberate choices

immortal soul

created directly by God, the spiritual soul grounds human dignity and elevates humanity above the animal kingdom.

personal responsibility

each person must accept full moral responsibility for their actions.

deliberate

done consciously and intentionally

popular misconception about authentic freedom

Freedom to do whatever one wants

True Moral definition

As articulated by Pope John Paul the II, Authentic freedom is the "freedom to do one ought". Human freedom directs itself toward the good.

Moral Law

The ethical code, authored and revealed by God and safeguarded by the Church, imposing obligations on the conscience of each person.

Moral Law actually increases our freedom

True freedom consists in knowing and keeping the objective moral law and growing ever closer to God. Conversely, sin is a misuse of Freedom. Bad actions can be habit forming, subjecting the person to excessive passions and causing slavery to sin.

Freedom of excellence

The power to act freely in pursuit of human perfection, holiness and everlasting joy.

What is Not a Moral Act

Some actions we don't really think about (breathing or yawning) some actions have No moral content - that isa, these choices are neither good nor evil ( picking vanilla vs chocolate ice cream).

Moral Act has how many elements?

3 required elements

Deliberation and Choice

moral act, premeditated with thinking and planning: weighing choices before acting

Moral content

Involves a decision between good and evil

personal Act

Engages the whole person (body and soul). Every moral act leaves a permanent imprint on character and virtue, drawing the person closer to or further away from God.

Culpability

means responsibility

knowledge dertermines the level of?

Moral Responsibility

Moral Responsibility and culbability

Moral responsibility (culpability) for an act directly corresponds to a persons degree of knowledge of God's Moral law. An Adult possessing full reason is more culpable for lying than a young child.

Higher standard for Christians

Christians are held to a higher standard of moral conduct because they are presumed to posses greater awareness of Christ's moral law.

Obligation to resolve Doubt

a person cannot perform an action while suspecting it to be sinful; there is a strict moral duty to gather more information and eliminate any moral doubt prior to acting.

Vincible ignorance

lack of knowledge regarding the moral law which can be readily overcome by taking action ( conducting some research asking questions, or seeking moral guidance)

Invincible ignorance

Ignorance that cannot be overcome by ordinary diligence (never having had the opportunity to hear Christs Gospel or acting under severe mental illness/ diminished capacity).

moral responsibility may be lessened if a person is acting with

ignorance(lack of knowledge)

Fear or Duress(external pressure/coercion; panic)

Psychological Limitations (mental illness, severe trauma, or acute shock)

Conscience

a practical judgement of right reason made by the intellect regarding the moral quality (good or evil) of a concrete act when compared to objective moral standards. Conscience is not a feeling, emotion, hunch or mere absence of guilt. Our conscience applies the objective moral truth - not our feelings.

rights regarding conscience

every human person has the right to exercise conscience (especially in moral and religious matters). A person must not be forced to act against their conscience. a person must be prevented from acting according to their conscience.

Duty to Obey regarding conscience

A person must always obey the certain judgement of a "well- formed" conscience

Developing a well formed conscience

1.learn churhc teachings

2.approach with humility

3.engage in prayer and meditiations

4.preform daily examination of conscience

5. recieve the sacrament of penance freqquently

6. Seek Spiritual Direction

learn church teachings

study objective moral standards preserved by the magisterium in Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and the Catechism.

Approach with Humility

Maintain a humble attitude of faith and obedience toward Divine Law and Church authority.

Engage in prayer and Meditation

Cultivate an "interior life' through prayer to discern God's will.

Perform Daily Examination of Conscience

practice careful, prayerful, interior evaluation of thoughts, words and deeds. This leads us to recognize ourr faults and amendment (willingness to change and try to do better).

Recieve the Sacrament of Penance Frequently

At this sacrament of confession, we receive sanctifying Grace. Two elements of sincere repentance are contrition and purpose of amendment.

Seek spiritual Direction

Consult a prudent, well versed priest or spiritual director for guidance about of complex moral matters.

Law's definition

Law is 'an ordinance of reason that exists for the common good and is affirmed by legitimate authority through an official process.

4 Essential Elements

Must be reasonable ( fruit of careful deliberation0, serve the common good ( protect fundamental rights of all), originate from legitimate authority (derived ultimately from God), and be officially legislated/ promulgated.

purpose of Law

to protect our individual, god given freedoms and unalienable rights, and to protect the common good.

Eternal Law

The plan of divine wisdom directing all acts and movements in the universe. Eternal law reflects the nature and goodness of God. Gods Eternal law is reflected in the order and harmony of the universe. God and his eternal law is the origin of ALL law.

Natural Law

The rational creatures participation in the eternal law, written on every human heart; Natural law is imbedded in our soul - it's our human nature, the way God made us; we don't learn about Natural law from scripture or Tradition. Natural law is universal, authoritative, and unchangeable( objective).

Ecclesiastical Law (Church or Canon Law)

Laws enacted by the Church governing the Church hierarchy and organizational structure, liturgies and liturgical practices, and administration of the sacraments.

Civil Law

Laws enacted by civil governments for society's temporal order and common good. (traffic codes, environmental laws, national defense and the military).

promote the common Good

must respect individual human rights, foster spiritual and temporal prosperity, and maintain peace and security for all society members.

Reflect equality of proportion

burdens must be sharded proportionately across society accoring to individual capacitis and limitations (e.g progressive income tax, equitable military draft)

Mandatory Rule For an act to be morally good

all three sources—Object,

Intention, and Circumstances—must be good together. A defect in any single

source renders the entire act morally evil.

The object itself

Carries primary weight; determines objective morality.

A sinful object can never be justified by good intentions or exceptional

The intention (the End view)

The motive or goal behind the act. A good intention can lessen the gravity of a bad act, but can never

transform an intrinsically evil act into a good one ("the end does not

justify the means")A bad intention corrupts an act that is good per se (e.g., going to Mass

with the intention of stealing a purse).

The circumstances

The factors surrounding the act (who, what, where and when). Can increase or diminish moral culpability or gravity (e.g., stealing a

water bottle from a store vs. stealing the last water supply from a stranded

desert traveler). Circumstances can never justify an evil act.

The principle of double effect

a good moral action can have both intended good

outcomes and unintended bad outcomes. This action is morally permissible.

Four Mandatory Conditions (ALL Four Must Be Met Simultaneously)

1. The action itself must be good.

2. The person must have the right intention: The good outcome is the direct intention.

Situation Ethics

Claims that the morality of an action is determined entirely by the individual's unique situation or context, overriding natural law (e.g., justifying

cohabitation outside of marriage for temporary financial convenience).

Consequentialism

Evaluates the morality of an act solely based on its expected consequences or outcomes, subscribing to the false premise that "the end justifies

the means."

Proportionalism

Measures morality by weighing the proportion of good vs. evil effects resulting from an act, rejecting absolute objective moral norms and

intrinsically evil acts.

Prudence

wisdom, caution, or restraint