Moral Theology Principles and Marriage Teachings

Parties in every marriage

Man, Woman, and God

Genesis

The book of the Bible that Jesus quotes when he is asked a question pertaining to marriage in Matthew chapter 19

Some Principles learned from Theology of the Body

Man was made for union; marital act is authentic only as an expression of an enduring, exclusive, faithful, and sacrificial love between spouses; the marital act is the language of the body, which communicates spousal unity and expresses the spouses' commitment to serve and love each other for life

Some Sins against 6th and 9th (Marriage/Chastity) Commandments

Any unchaste action, such as fornication or any act designed to bring about sexual pleasure before or outside of marriage (examples = passionate kissing, lust, masturbation, etc.), contraception (or any other action that would violate the procreative aspect of the conjugal/marital act), homosexual acts, adultery, prostitution, and the use of pornography

Characteristics of the Marriage Bond

Permanent, exclusive, indissoluble, and ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and upbringing of children

Requirements of 6th and 9th Commandments in Positive Terms

Practice chastity in thought and deed; truly love, respect, and will the good of each other in this area (chastity)

Marriage is a sign of this

God's abiding and fruitful love for his people and of the union between Christ and his Church

Disorders that normally accompany sex outside of marriage

Jealousy and betrayal, manipulation and insecurity, and stunted communication

This does not break the bond of marriage

Divorce

Divorce and remarriage without an annulment causes this

Adultery

Divine Revelation and Reason (Natural Law)

Two ways to support the view of marriage taught by Christ and His Church.

Natural Family Planning (NFP)

A Church-approved method by which a couple may regulate conception by studying the signs of the woman's cycle of fertility

Chastity

The moral virtue that, under the cardinal virtue of temperance, is directed toward the positive integration of sexuality within a person by moderating the sexual appetite

Some Sins Against the 5th Commandment

Murder, Violence, Abortion, Infanticide, Euthanasia, In Vitro Fertilization, Embryonic Stem-Cell Research, Suicide, Gluttony, Drunkenness, Cult of the Body, Hatred, etc.

Tenets of Just War Theory

The following conditions must be met for a war to be justified: Self-defense, Last resort, Probability of success, Proportionality, Non-combatants: It is always morally wrong for a military force to target non-combatants and unarmed citizens

Formal Cooperation With Evil

Deliberate cooperation or agreement with the evil will of a person doing something evil

Material Cooperation With Evil

When someone does something that of itself is not evil, but has a role to play in someone else doing something that is evil

Principle of Double Effect

The decision to carry out an action which, as a consequence, has unintended bad results, may be made when the good effect cannot be reasonably brought about in any other way and when certain other conditions have been met