Christian Morality – Key Vocabulary for RE 3 Midterm

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering the essential terms and definitions from the RE 3 Midterm lecture on Christian morality, law, conscience, and the human person.

Morality

Principles or standards that distinguish right from wrong, guiding human behavior and character.

Christian Morality

Moral system based on Jesus’ teachings and the Church, calling believers to love God and neighbor in both faith and action.

Jesus’ Teachings

Core instructions of Christ, summed up in the Great Commandment of loving God fully and loving one’s neighbor as oneself (Mt 22:37-39).

Eight Beatitudes

Blessings proclaimed by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:3-12) that outline attitudes leading to true happiness and holiness.

Ten Commandments

Decalogue revealed to Moses (Ex 20:2-17); foundational moral laws commanding and forbidding specific actions.

Magisterium

The Church’s teaching authority, held by the Pope and bishops in communion with him, tasked with authentically interpreting faith and morals.

Law (Aquinas)

“An ordinance of reason, promulgated by competent authority for the common good,” possessing obligatory force.

Divine Law

God’s revealed law in Scripture, comprising the Old Law and its perfection, the New Law of Christ.

Old Law

First stage of revealed law given to Moses, summarized in the Ten Commandments.

New Law

Teachings of Jesus that perfect the Old Law by commanding internal conduct and promising divine love and reward.

Natural Law

God’s plan inscribed in creation and human nature, guiding all beings to their proper end and summed up in “Do good, avoid evil.”

Basic Precept

Fundamental moral directive of natural law: “Do good, avoid evil.”

Church Law

Ecclesial regulations that apply divine law to Christian life, e.g., the Sunday Mass obligation.

Civil Law

State-enacted rules interpreting natural law for societal order; enforceable, obligatory, and limited to external conduct.

Properties of Human Law

Enforceable, obligatory, concerned with externals, limited to specific communities, historically conditioned, and fallible.

Human Person

Embodied spirit created fundamentally good, possessing dignity, reason, freedom, and called to community.

Human Dignity

Inviolable worth of every person stemming from who one is, not from possessions or status.

Moral Person

One who discerns right from wrong and chooses the good in accord with a well-formed conscience.

Spiritual Person

Individual open to the transcendent, seeking union with God through prayer, faith, and interior life.

Social Person

Human being naturally oriented to relationships, community, and the common good.

Rational Person

Person who uses intellect and free will to seek truth, understand reality, and make responsible choices.

Conscience

Inner judgment of reason by which a person recognizes the moral quality of a specific act.

Formation of Conscience

Process of informing conscience through education, experience, prayer, and Church guidance to ensure sound moral judgment.

Prudent Education

Teaching that cultivates careful decision-making and practical wisdom aligned with long-term values.

Virtue of Prudence

Moral virtue enabling sound judgments and wise choices in concrete situations.

Erroneous Judgment

Mistaken moral assessment arising from ignorance, bad example, faulty reasoning, or rejection of truth.

Correct (True) Conscience

Conscience that accurately judges good as good and evil as evil.

Erroneous (False) Conscience

Conscience that misjudges, seeing good as evil or evil as good.

Certain Conscience

Subjective assurance about the morality of an act, whether actually correct or not.

Doubtful Conscience

Vacillating conscience unsure of an act’s morality and needing resolution before acting.

Scrupulous Conscience

Overly fearful conscience that sees sin where none exists or exaggerates faults.

Lax Conscience

Morally careless conscience that downplays or ignores the seriousness of sin.

Delicate Conscience

Well-formed, balanced conscience attentive to right and wrong without excess or neglect.

Culpable Conscience

Erroneous judgment for which the person is blameworthy, having ignored available moral knowledge.

Inculpable Conscience

Erroneous judgment made in good faith due to unavoidable ignorance, without personal blame.

Inclinations of Human Nature

Natural tendencies toward good, self-preservation, procreation, truth, and social living, forming the basis of natural law.