Theology III Midterm

Humanities

Academic disciplines studying aspects of society and culture

Happiness

The fulfillment of a desire

Desire

An anticipation of something we do not yet have which causes an emptiness inside and a yearning to be fulfilled

Virtue

A habitual and firm disposition to do the good

Vice

A habit acquired by repeated sin (often linked with 7 deadly sins) that inclines someone to further sin

Character

The combination of a person’s virtues and vices which influence one’s behavior

Tangible

Perceptible by touch

Contempt

To look at others as if their lives are less significant that our own

Empathy

Feeling what others are feeling

Unconditional

Complete or guaranteed with no conditions, limitations or strings attached

Transcendentals

Things we innately want because we are human and we recognize the imperfect world

Justice, truth, unity, beauty and love

Transcedent

“Beyond physical”; something really real, but we can’t see/taste/touch/hear/smell

Love

Desire good for someone else so much, it’s easier to do good for them, than for self

Beauty

Harmony of form

Justice

Giving someone what they’re owed

Unity

Feeling we belong/ at peace with everything that exists

Socrates

Western philosopher who taught happiness comes from cultivation of virtue and is ultimate goal of education, teacher of plato (who was teacher of aristotle)

Aristotle

Father of Western Philosophy; Philosopher who said summun bonum (highest good) is happiness/eudomonia; a lot of catholic teachings come from him through Thomas Aquinas

Philosophy

“Love of wisdom”

Capital/ deadly sins

The bases of other sins

Pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony and sloth

Cardinal virtues

Virtues that help us live within the moral parameters set forth by the gospel; we can increase these virtues through our own effort; prudence, justice, fortiutude and temperance

Prudence

Helps us make a correct judgement about what to do and to choose the best way to do it

Fortitude

Courage; strength when confronted with difficulties and perseverance in pursuing that which is good

Temperance

Self-control and balanced lifestyle

Chastity

The virtue by which people are able to successfully and healthfully integrate their sexuality into their total person; recognized as one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Procreative

The dimension of the marital act which indicates an openness to producing children

Unitive

That dimension of the marital act which expresses love and intimacy.

4 Types of Love

Storgae, phillia, eros and agape

Storgae

a spontaneous feeling of affection or delight toward someone or something

Phillia

friendship; the kind of love that involves give and take (same interests, mutual commitment)

Eros

a romantic love characterized by deep intimacy and commitment (intimate, exclusive, sexual)

Agape

a selfless love that recognizes the unique preciousness of each and every other human being (generous, compassionate, unconditional)

Eternal (Divine) Law

The order in creation that reflects God's will and purpose; it is eternal because it is always true and never changes.

Natural Law

Human participation in Eternal Law

• Due to our human nature all of us access this law- understanding good and evil- through the use of God given reason

  • We participate in God’s wisdom and goodness since we are all created in the imago dei

Truth

Whatever corresponds with what is real

Subjective truth

State of reality that can change depending on who’s perceiving it and where/ when its being perceived

• Ex. Best flavor of ice cream

Objective truth

State of reality either self-evident or verified with people’s 5 senses and doesn’t change based on opinion or bias

Self-evident truth

True by definition, containing own proof and doesn’t need demonstration

Factual truth

Truth verified with 5 senses

Absolutism

Belief that morals are objective regardless of context

• There are universal moral truths that are unchanging regardless of context

Relativism

Belief that morals are subjective and based on context

• No moral rules that apply to all cultures or all people in one culture and no country or person should impose their moral rules on any other culture or person

Morality

Goodness or sinfulness of human actions

Ethics

Set of standards by which a community judges the rightness or wrongness of human actions

Conscience

Judgement of reason whereby a person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act they’re going to perform, in the process of performing of has already completed

Scandal

An action/attitude/ failure to act that leads another person into sin

Culpability

Degree of responsibility assigned to the agent

Agent

The individual who performs a certain action or makes a certain decision (the doer).

3 elements of moral decision making

Object, intention and circumstance

Object

The choice that was made

Intention

Goal of the person choosing the object

Circumstance

Situation/ context

Consequence

Result of an act

Level 1 happiness

Physical pleasure and possessions

• Instant gratification

• Affects no one else

• No skill

• Non-lasting

• Ex. Eating junk food, playing video games

Level 1 crisis

Feelings of living beneath self, boredom, lonliness

Level 2 happiness

Ego Gratification:

• Competition

• More effort than L.1

• More lasting than L.1 but not long

• May effect others negatively

• Requires some skill

• Ex. Winning baseball game, getting good grade

Crisis 2

Comparison trap leads to feelings jealousy, fear of failure, ego sensitivity, blame, bitterness, contempt, resentment or inferiority or superiority

Life becomes aggressive competition

Level 3 happiness

Good beyond self:

• Helping others

• Effects others

• More lasting than previous levels

• More effort and sacrafice

• Want for transcendentals

• Ex. Helping at soup kitchen, donating to charity

Crisis 3

Frustration/ despair that world isn’t different because we can’t achieve perfect transcendentals

Level 4 happiness

Ultimate Good:

• God as priority

• Requires personal sacrifice and effort

• Perfect transcendentals

• Forever lasting

• Living outside self

• Non physical

• Affects all

• Ex. Prayer

Crisis 4

Feelings we’re not worthy of God’s unconditional love/ feelings of abandonment by God

Level 1 success and quality of life and crisis

Physical pleasure, material, possessions

Crisis: Will see others without material possessions with contempt, and will lose identity if don’t have possessions

Level 2 Success/ Quality of Life

Ego gratification

Crisis: Will see others without good physical/ mental capability with contempt, and will lose identity if can’t win/ lose ability to do as well

Level 3 success/ quality of life

Good beyond self (doing for, being w/ others in empathy)

Crisis: Measure people through the loving acts they do (fall into L. 2: I’m better because I did more good things)

Level 4 success/ quality of life

Ultimate good (surrender to God)

We are all loved unconditionally by God (so we should love each other as such)

Relativism’s fundamental flaws

• Truth can not be completely relative, because if there is no truth, you can’t claim it to be true that there’s no truth

• Without objective truth people could hurt people unintentionally.

  • Ex. if Robert thinks he gave his teacher Advil because it looks and feels like it, but it's really cyanide, his teacher will die even though he had the right intentions. 

• Must have rules to guide souls

3 gifts for human beings from God

Soul: The innermost aspect of man, that which is greatest value in him, that by which he is most especially in God’s image; our spiritual principle

Intellect: Gift of reason that gives us the ability to see and understand the order of things that God places within creation and to know and understand God through the created order.

Free will: The ability of choice that individuals are responsible

Church teaching on human sexuality

• Between married man and women

• Open to procreation (procreative)

  • “Be fertile and multiply”

• Unitive (loving communion of spouses)

3 types of conscience

Lax: Doesn’t hear God’s voice although it is speaking; doesn’t consider whether a decision is right/ wrong or empty conscientious decision making

Erroneous: Conscience in which the person thinks they are choosing right, but they are not; following conscience leads to wrong decsion they think is right; ignorant conscience (wrongly fed through society or own fault)

Informed: Conscience educated and developed through constant use and examination

10 commandments

1.  I, the Lord, am your God.  You shall not have other gods besides me.

• Put God 1st in our lives

2.  You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.

• Speak carefully, respect power of words and say only what we mean

3.  Remember to keep holy the Lord's day.

• Take time to worship God regularly and frequently

4.  Honor your father and your mother.

• Appreciate our parents

5.  You shall not kill.

• Appreciate life

6.  You shall not commit adultery.

• Keep our promises and protect sexuality

7.  You shall not steal.

• Respect private property and rights of others

8.  You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

• Speak the truth and never say more than needed

9.  You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.

• Avoid inappropriate relationships

10.  You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.

• Find happiness where we are

Key moral teachings of Jesus found in Scripture

• Greatest Commandment: love of God and neighbor

• Beatitudes: 8 laws on how to live given by Jesus during his Sermon on the Mount

• Forgiveness, faith, love all, humility, etc.

3 elements of morality

Object, Intention, Circumstance

What does it mean to live a good life? What is happiness? What is love?

• A good life is a happy, meaningful and virtuous one in

  • Helping others live a good life

  • Doing the right thing

  • Finding meaning/love/passion in our own lives

  • Can do all of this through faith in God

• Happiness: The fulfillment of a desire

  • Range of happiness from temporary fulfillment to life long commitment

  • Living every moment with love and acceptance of things we can’t control

    • Accepting God’s plan and helping others do the same

• Love: to desire the good for someone else so much that it becomes easier to do good for that other person than it is to do good for yourself

  • God teaches us to love all, even enemies, like Jesus did

What is character? Why does developing a good character matter?

Character: The combination of a person’s virtues and vices which influence one’s behavior

• Virtue helps us make the right decisions, help others and build strong relationships, as well as develop qualities that will help us be better people overall. Courage helps us stand up for others, respect and love mean we help everyone no matter their circumstances, etc.

• Vices can hurt us and society, as it can lead us to make the wrong decisions and ruin relationships, including our relationship with God