Religion Unit 3 Test Review

Search for the Good

explore the good life and our search for happiness

Aquinas Natural Law Theory

suggests that human beings possess intrinsic values that govern our reasoning and behaviour

• rules of right and wrong are inherent in people

Human Freedom

human potential, capacity and power to act and action is the realization of that power

• with freedom comes responsibility

• without freedom there is no morality

Happiness

• not to be confused with pleasure

• is about authentic or good human life with others

Ethics

• from the greek work ethika

• standards of right and wrong behaviour

Morality

• comes from the latin word moralitas

• having to do with customs, habits and manners shaping human life

Difference between ethics and morality

Ethics guide morality and gives vision to action

Morality of Human Acts

choosing to do good brings even greater freedom

• humans have the capacity to make good choices

Moral

• is good

• a life-giving response to a moral decision

• respect, compassion

Immoral

• is evil

• a life-denying response, not acting in accordance to principles of right and wrong

• discrimination, adultery

Amoral

• no moral standards, restraints, or principles

• unaware of or indifferent to the topic of right and wrong

• instinctive behaviours, reflex actions

Subjective Reality

that which a person perceives to be so

Objective Reality

that which actually exists apart from whether or not I think it exists

Subjective Truth

consists of responses that depend on the feelings of the subject

• likes/ dislikes

• response can change

Objective Truth

consists of factual evidence about something observable

• physical laws that govern the world and human behaviour

• cannot be changed

Moral Relativism

takes subjective truth and confuses it with objective truth

• whether or not to perform the right action depends on feelings, mood, impressions at that time

What Conscience IS

• who we are at the deepest level

• prudent judgement of actions as compatible with the best of who we are

• based on objective moral standards

• always to be followed

• always good when well formed

What Conscience IS NOT

• a feeling of guilt or a lack of guilt

• a good angel on one shoulder and a bad one on the other

• one’s subjective opinion or feeling

• not always certain; one can follow their conscience and make a morally wrong decision

Three senses of Conscience

• capacity

• process

• judgement

Capacity

• capacity for knowing and doing what is good and avoiding evil

• we ave a fundamental sense of value and of personal responsibility

Process

• process of discovering the good, discernment and correct seeing and right thinking

• conscience is a process that searches for what is right through accurate perception and reflection

Judgement

• judgement that moves me from correct seeing and thinking to action and commitment

• use of conscience is incomplete without acting

• makes moral decision “your own” and moral expression expressive of “you”

Conscience is a verb not a noun

• conscience is not the same as guilty feelings or a voice in your head. it is not a thing therefore not a noun

• conscience is a process or action — verb

Law

• highest expression of a norm for action

• guide for human action

• meant for the good of society

Human Law

• written and enforced by local, national and worldwide groups

• made for the smooth running of society

  • ex. slavery laws of past, abortion laws of present

Natural Law

• Catholic Church is ‘written and engraved in the soul’

• capacity to reason, what we can learn about human nature through reasoning and divine revelation

  • “Do good and avoid evil”

Divine Law

• given to us by God himself

• framework in sacred texts

  • 10 commandments and the beatitudes

Church Law

• interpretation of divine law

• interprets divine law for everyday situations

  • fasting during lent

Norms

• guides for action

• in the form of laws, rules, principles

Maxims

general truth or rule of conduct

Obligation

something you are bound to do by duty

• your responsibility

Just institutions

• ideal environment constructed so people have liberty to reach for an ethical life

Just laws

• available and known to all

• fair to all people

• do not discriminate

Unjust laws

• made by a few for a few

• often unfair

• often discriminate

Absolute rules

unchanging moral commandments directly from God

• “do not kill”

• apply in all situations

Generally Binding Rules

moral guidelines that usually apply but may have exceptions

• keeping the Sabbath but breaking it to save a life

Sin

• refusal to do God’s will

  • break in our relationship with God

Biblical teaching on sin

we are born with a tendency to self centeredness

• as we grow, we make a conscious decision to accept this part of evil and commit personal sins

• God is not the author of evil, humans are

  • evil came as a result of sin

Mortal Sin

• complete break in one’s relationship with God

• not by accident and are not isolated acts

  • murder, adultery

Venial Sin

• ‘cooling’ in the relationship with God

  • lying, crude behaviour

Social Sin

• human made structures when they offend human dignity by causing people to suffer oppression, exploitation or marginalization

Sin of Omission

• failing to do what is right

• choosing not to act

• a group sin

  • recording a fight on your phone & not helping

Sin of Commission

• knowingly choosing sin over good and disobeying God

• Individual sin

  • stealing

Virtue

• habits we develop over time to help us make good decisions

• played in us by God, we must learn how to perfect them

Cardinal Virtues

• prudence

• temperence

• fortitude

• justice

Theological Virtues

• faith

• hope

• love (charity)

Pride VS Humility

• goes along with vanity; is competitive

• VS

• seeing ourselves as we are and not comparing ourselves to others

Envy VS Love

• resents the good others receive

• VS

• is patient and kind

Gluttony VS Temperance

• greed/ excess in wanting something (food)

• VS

• accepts natural limits of pleasures and preserves natural balance

Lust VS Self Control

• is a self destructive drive for pleasure out of proportion

• VS

• prevent pleasure from killing the soul by suffocation

Anger VS Kindness

• often our first reaction to the problems of others

• VS

• taking the tender approach

Greed VS Self Control

• greed wants to get its “fair share” or a bit more

• VS

• means letting others get the credit or praise

Sloth VS Zeal

• sluggish response to things

• VS

• the energetic response of the heart to God’s commands

12 Fruits of the Holy Spirit

• love

• joy

• peace

• patience

• kindness

• goodness

• gentleness

• faithfulness

• modesty

• self-control

• chastity

Reconciliation

• it is important to recognize what you have done wrong through a conversion

• Greek word metanoia “change of mind”

What happens when you go to confession

Greeting: priest welcomes you and makes you feel at home

Bible: priest reads a passage from the bible about forgiveness

Confession: Penitent confesses sins; priest helps them to be sorry

Penance: Priest and penitent talk about how the penitant can make up for sins

Prayer for pardon: they pray and say sorry

Absolution (forgiveness): priest puts his hands out and says a pray of forgiveness then does the sign of the cross over the penitent

Praise and Blessing; penitent makes a prayer of praise and blessing then the priest says “go in peace”

Forgiveness

• God’s work; needs a power of love that is not within us to give

• first step towards repentance

• is eschatological

Justice

• fairness in how people are treated

Why seek justice?

all of God’s creation is GOOD and has WORTH

• rights are needed for our well being and apply to all of God’s creation

Survival Rights

• basic needs, such as for, shelter, water, basic health care and nurturing our young

Thrival Rights

• things needed to foster the full potential of God’s creation, such as respect, privacy, freedom of speech, religious liberty, education, meaningful work and time for recreation

Types of Justice

• commutative

• legal

• distributive

• social

Commutative Justice

• contractual relationships between people and institutions that have the legal status of a person

  • purchasing clothes; price remains the same whether u are rich or not

Legal Justice

• used to be concerned with the individuals obedience to the laws of the state but now also refers to what the individual in society can contribute to the life of society

  • expected to participate in creating laws that benefit society

Distributive Justice

• deals with all sorts of goods that are not economic

  • citizenship, economic good, security and public assistance

Social Justice

• concerned with obligations that individuals within subgroups have towards their community, the larger society and the world as a whole

• assurance that the basic human rights for all people are upheld

Our responsibility to the world

• always acting with the common good in mind

4 elements of a just world

• concern for basic needs

• concern for personal dignity

• concern for solidarity

• concern for social structures

Justice and Jesus — how we live justly

acting with fairness, honesty and integrity in all aspects of life, reflecting God’s nature

History of CST

• is a central and essential element of our faith

• Catholic doctrine on matters of human dignity and common good in society

• roots are in the Hebrew prophets who announced God’s special love for the poor

• Everyone is made in the image and likeness of God

Encyclicals

• pastoral letter addressed by the pope to the whole church

• Latin word encyclios

• originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the early Roman Church

Dignity

Every human life is sacred and must be respected and protected from conception to natural death because we are all made in the image of God. 

• providing emergency supplies such as shelter, bedding, food, hygiene kits and provide for emotional needs

Common Good and Community

Society should be organized in a way that allows all people to reach their full potential and well-being; this includes respecting individual rights and promoting the welfare of all. 

• community based water management working to strengthen public control and access to clean water in rural and urban areas

Economic Justice

The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Everyone has the right to fair wages, safe working conditions, and access to resources for a dignified life. 

• advocating for living wage ensures workers earn enough to support families

Participation

All people have the right and responsibility to participate in society, seeking the well-being of themselves and the broader community, especially in decision-making processes. 

• encouraging voter participation

Promotion of peace

Peace is not just the absence of war but the presence of justice. It requires respect, cooperation, and the fair treatment of all people. 

• peace building programs in post conflict areas

Preferential option for the poor

The needs of the poor and vulnerable must come first. Society should prioritize their well-being in decisions and actions. 

• food banks and shelters

Rights and responsibilities

Every person has fundamental rights (like food, shelter, healthcare, and education), and with these rights come responsibilities to others and to the common good. 

• defending access to clean drinking water as a human right comes with educating communities about water conservation responsibilities

Solidarity

We are one human family. We are called to stand with and support one another, especially those who are suffering or oppressed. 

• international disaster relief efforts (aid)

Stewardship of creation

We are caretakers of God's creation. We must protect the environment and use natural resources wisely and justly. 

• promoting recycling, reducing carbon emissions

Subsidiary and role of government

Decisions should be made at the most local level possible, but higher levels of government must step in when the common good or justice is at stake. 

• subsidiary: school board making decisions about education

• role of government: aid in a natural disaster