RS35 Roman Catholic Unit 1-3 Vocabulary Study Guide

A comprehensive collection of vocabulary terms and key concepts from Units 1, 2, and 3 of the RS35 Roman Catholic study guide, covering ethical theories, human agency, scripture, and family life in relationships.

Autonomy

Free self-direction; responsibility.

Deontological Ethics

Kant’s theory proposing that the search for “the good” starts with the development of a good will and the will to do one’s duty for no other reason than it is your duty.

Ethics

A discipline that deals with the nature of the good, the nature of the human person, and criteria used for making right judgments.

Morality

A system of right conduct based on fundamental beliefs and obligation to follow certain codes, norms, customs, and habits of behaviour.

Obligation

What one is bound by duty or contract to do.

Relativism

The doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute; characterized by the line: “What is good for you may not necessarily be good for me.”

Responsibility

Being morally accountable for one's actions, which presupposes knowledge, freedom, and the ability to choose and to act.

Revelation

The ways God makes Himself known to humankind, fully revealed in Jesus Christ, the sacred Scriptures, through people, and all of creation.

Teleological Ethics

Seeking to understand the ultimate goal, purpose, or end of something; in Aristotle’s view, discovering the purpose of what we are intended to be.

Aristotle ($384-322\,\text{BCE}$)

Ethical theorist associated with teleological ethics, the polis (community), habit, character, virtues, and the doctrine of the mean (moderation).

Immanuel Kant ($1724-1804\,\text{CE}$)

Ethical theorist associated with deontological ethics, practical reason, duty, obligation, and the pursuit of “what we ought to do” via moral maxims.

Emmanuel Levinas ($1905-1995\,\text{CE}$)

Ethical theorist associated with the responsibility to the Other, the face, and seeing goodness as a trace of God.

Agent

One who acts and has the capacity to initiate a course of events; a person to whom we ascribe actions and who is responsible for them.

Action

The realization of the power of human freedom that changes the world through the engagement of capacities.

Conceptual Framework of Action

A series of questions (Who? What? Why? How? With whom or against whom? Under what circumstances? With what outcome?) created by Paul Ricoeur to understand and evaluate human action.

Determinism

A point of view holding that human behaviour is a product of physical, social, cultural, psychological, and historical causes rather than free will.

Intention

That which motivates one to act, often based on values and perceived as a good.

Freedom

The human capacity to choose and to act based on various possibilities and capacities.

Predestination

The view that human behaviour is predetermined, whether by God or by other causes.

Ludwig Wittgenstein

The main proponent of analytic philosophy mentioned in the study of human action and agency.

Naturalism

A challenge to freedom that views behaviour through DNA, the Human Genome Project, AI, and the mind-brain distinction.

Religious Determinism

A worldview involving concepts like predestination versus providence; St. Augustine is noted as a theologian and defender of free will in this context.

Social Determinism

A worldview associated with Sigmund Freud that explores the three aspects of personality: Id, Ego, and Superego.

Commitment

A promise or a pledge; the resolve to carry something out in the future.

Habit

A manner of behaving acquired by frequent repetition; a prevailing disposition or character.

Humanism

A worldview centered on human interest, values, and self-realization through reason, generally rejecting the divine.

Identity

The distinguishing character of a person, determined largely by the moral stance they take in life.

Judgment

The concrete decision of what one must do in a situation based on personal perception and grasp of values.

Moral stance

One’s moral orientation or direction in life; what a person “stands for.”

Narcissism

A disorder marked by self-absorption to the exclusion of others.

Secularism

A worldview that rejects religion and religious consideration, accepting only critical reason.

Trinity

The central mystery of the Christian faith; God revealing Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Timothy O’Connell’s 3 Senses of Conscience

Conscience understood as: 1) Capacity, 2) Process, and 3) Judgment.

Symptoms of a Misinformed Conscience

Includes rationalization, trivialization, misinformation, the belief that the end justifies the immoral means, and being difficult to reason.

Call Story

A biblical pattern of encounter where God speaks, gives a mission, addresses objections, and provides a sign of His presence.

Covenant

A binding agreement or bond of love between God and humankind involving conditions and obligations.

Prophet

A messenger or spokesperson for God who acts as a mediator between God and the people.

Sin

Also referred to as “transgression,” it is a freely chosen decision to turn away from God.

Vocation

A call from God to a way of life founded on love of God and neighbor; includes Priesthood/Deaconate, Religious Life, Marriage, and Single life.

Apocalyptic literature

A style of writing focused on the end of history and God’s purifying judgment, often using frightening imagery of end-time wars.

Beatitudes

Pronouncements of happiness or goodness found in the Sermon on the Mount, such as “blessed are the poor in spirit.”

Eschatological

Pertaining to the fullness of the end of time; an ethics that insists on living now what God will reveal at the end.

Exegesis

The analysis of texts in their original context, including the author’s historical, cultural, and linguistic time.

Gospel

The literary genre of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; means “Good News” (from Old English “godspel”).

Hermeneutics

A way of interpreting texts and events to understand their meaning for the 21st century.

Parousia

The term used to refer to the second coming of Christ at the end of time.

Torah

The first five books of the Old Testament (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) containing core teachings.

Apostle

A title given to the twelve chief disciples of Jesus and later to St. Paul.

Church

The assembly or communion of the baptized followers of Jesus; the community of people rather than just a building.

Grace

God’s self-gift of love in us; the active presence of God’s love and participation in the relationship of the Trinity.

Magisterium

The official teaching office of the Church consisting of the bishops in union with the Pope.

Sacrament

Perceptible signs (words and actions) and great celebrations in which God’s loving presence is made visible in our lives.

Theology of the Body

The title of 129 short talks by Pope John Paul II offering a biblical reflection on the meaning of human embodiment.

Language of the Body

The capacity of the body to “speak” through actions that are either truthful (honesty, love) or lies (dishonest, self-serving).

Authentic Love

Genuine love that is self-giving, sacrificial, and truthful.

Free (Marriage Element)

A choice to enter marriage without social or emotional pressures.

Total (Marriage Element)

The complete giving of one's self to a spouse in mind, spirit, body, and fertility.

Faithful (Marriage Element)

A fully committed love and covenant for life in both mind and body.

Fruitful (Marriage Element)

A relationship that is life-giving and open to procreation.

Mary’s Fiat

Mary’s “let it be done” response to the Lord, modeling free, total, faithful, and fruitful faith.

Seven Stages of Marriage

1) Beginnings, 2) Romantic Love, 3) Power Struggle, 4) Stability, 5) Recommitment, 6) Fruitfulness, 7) Growing Old Together.

Domestic church

The home as a “little church” where members are nurtured and formed in faith.

Chastity

The virtue of successfully integrating sexuality within the person, achieving mastery of self and governing passions.

New Evangelization

Sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ by adopting His message of hope, love, and mercy without judgment.