theology

Which statement best describes Individualism?

A philosophy that promotes the internal freedom of each person. It opposes external influences such as government and religion

*TRUE/FALSE* Every human person is fundamentally good, even if they are responsible for an evil action.

true

*TRUE/FALSE* According to the moral teachings of the Church, an action is good if it gives one pleasure. Therefore, each individual ought to follow their subjective desires in pursuit of their own happiness.

False

Which of the following terms is NOT one of the 7 Steps of Grace?
a. Trust
b. Enter the family structure
c. The innocent little question
d. The Visitation

c. The innocent little question

Catholic Morality can be summed up in one word: \_____.

Love

What is the Principle of Subsidiarity?

The principle of Catholic social teaching that holds that a higher unit of society should not do what a lower unit can do as well or better.

Charity

Love of God and love of neighbor as God loves us.

Fortitude

Courage to persist in living rightly.

Faith

Belief in and personal knowledge of God.

Temperance

Moderation in pursuit of pleasures

Prudence

"Right reason in action."

Hope

Trust in God's salvation and His bestowal of the graces needed to attain it.

Justice

Giving God and each person his or her due by right.

Which statements best describes Minimalism?

A philosophy that can be described as the enemy of ambition, hard work and excellence.

What are the theological Virtues?

Faith, hope, and charity

Dignity can...

...never be taken away because each person is created in God's image and likeness.

The Object of an Act

One of the components of an action that describes what is being done.

Moral Relativism

The belief that there is no absolute moral truth and that the measure of the moral quality (goodness or sinfulness) of an act is only a matter of opinion.

Cardinal Virtues

The "good habits" that serve as the "hinges" for a good, moral life.

The Subject of an Act

One of the components of an action that is dependent upon who is committing the act and their intentions.

Character

Who we really are and who we are becoming through our choices and actions.

Theological Virtues

The "good habits" that are infused into our souls at Baptism and help to relate us to God.

Morality

Knowledge based on human experience, reason, and God's revelation that discovers what we ought to be and what we ought to do to live fully human lives.

Virtue

"An habitual and firm disposition to do the good."

Dignity

"The quality of being worthy of esteem or respect."

Free Will

"The power, rooted in reason and will, to perform deliberate actions on one's own responsibility."

Which statement(s) best describe(s) Nihilism?

A philosophy that maintains our acts have no objective value because there is no meaning to our existence.

The \_________ refers to the "sum total of social conditions that allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily."

common good

What does it mean to be created as complementary beings?

God created us male and female, and each makes up for what is lacking in the other.

Which statement best describes Hedonism?

A philosophy that identifies pleasure as the ultimate goal of life.

What is meant by the term "sexuality"?

It refers to the fact that we are composite beings with a body and soul. Properly speaking, it is an expression of the relationship between body and soul—the material and spiritual unity of our human existence.

Identify each of the Cardinal Virtues:

Prudence
Temperance
Fortitude
Justice

Which of the following philosophies is NOT one of the 3 philosophies that have profoundly influenced our culture according to Matthew Kelly?

Nihilism

*TRUE/FALSE* Freedom is not the ability to do whatever one desires, whenever one desires.

true

Which of the following terms is NOT one of the 7 Steps of Sin?
a. Bypass the family structure
b. Fear
c. The "Magnificat"
d. Blame

c. The "Magnificat"

What do the 7 Steps to Sin and the 7 Steps to Grace tell us about ourselves?
a. We are born into the condition of Original Sin, but God entered the world to redeem us and share His divine life with us.
b. Sin breaks down our relationships between God, self and others, and it causes us to feel shame and even insecurity. However, Jesus forgives our sins, heals us and our broken relationships and invites us to experience the fullness of His love.
c. All of these.
d. It is not good for us to be alone. We are born into families, which shows us unconditional love and teaches us how to live rightly.

c. All of these.

Which of the following is NOT a basic responsibility that citizens have towards their government/community?
a. Citizens who can vote have a duty to do so.
b. Citizens are responsible for paying taxes, as long as those taxes are reasonable and they are able to pay them.
c. Citizens must display patriotism and obey the laws of their country, even if it is corrupt.
d. Citizens are responsible for following the law, and for doing everything in their power to peacefully change laws that are not just.

c. Citizens must display patriotism and obey the laws of their country, even if it is corrupt.

Freedom

The power, rooted in reason and will, to perform deliberate actions of one's own responsibility.

Determinism

The philosophy that holds that every event, action, and decision results in something independent of the human will.

External Freedom

The type of freedom from factors outside of ourselves that threaten our power to choose.

Internal Freedom

The type of freedom from factors within ourselves that threaten our power to choose.

Imputable

Ascribed, attributed or definitely linked to a specific accountable person or entity.

Ignorance

Not knowing what to do or what not to do.

Inadvertence

Not paying attention or being distracted while making a decision.

Duress

Force or pressure.

Inordinate Attachments

Excessive attachments to people or things.

Fear

A response to a perceived physical or emotional threat, be it real or illusory.

What should be the primary consideration before making an important decision?

Moral Norms informed by faith and reason

TRUE/FALSE: Citizens are obligated to follow the norms established by those with legitimate authority over us, including parents, teachers and administrators, law enforcement, and all the branches of government. We are always morally bound to follow the rules or laws they enact, even if a law is not just.

False; We are NOT morally bound to follow unjust laws

Identify all of the Precepts of the Church

-The Faithful also have the duty of providing for the material needs of the Church, each according to his abilities
-You shall confess your sins at least once a year.
-You shall humbly receive you Creator in Holy Communion at least during the Easter Season.
-You shall observe the prescribed days of fasting and abstinence.
-You shall attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation.

Which of the following is one of the rules governing intentions?

Keep the intention good

How could the impediments to freedom affect a person's accountability for an action?

The presence of an impediment to freedom may reduce or even fully remove all accountability

What is the moral quality of the human emotions in themselves?

Neutral: Human emotions do not have a moral quality in themselves. Its how we act on them that matters.

Identify the Holy Days of Obligation

-Christmas (December 25)
-The Immaculate Conception (December 8)
-All Saints Day (November 1) Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (January 1)
-Ascension Thursday (40 days after Easter)
-The Assumption of the BVM (August 15)

Which of the following is NOT one of the four rules or conditions of the Principle of Double Effect (PDE)?

a. The act itself must be good.
b. The good effect cannot arise from the bad effect; otherwise, one would do evil to achieve good.
c. The act must never result in the loss of human life, even if this effect is unintended.
d. The only thing that one can intend is the good act, not the foreseen but unintended bad effect.
e. The unintended but foreseen bad effect cannot be disproportionate to the good being performed.

c. The act must never result in the loss of human life, even if this effect is unintended.

Discernment

A decision making process that attends to the implications and consequences of an action or choice.

Moral Object

The moral content of an action that suggests whether the action is directed towards the true good.

Intention

The aim or motive of a course of action.

Circumstances

The conditions or facts attending an event and having some bearing on it. They can increase or decrease the moral goodness or evil of an action.

The Principle of Double Effect

A set of ethical criteria for evaluating the permissibility of acting when one's otherwise legitimate act may also cause an effect one would otherwise be obliged to avoid.

TRUE/FALSE: The primary responsibility of the government is to protect and defend the basic fundamental rights of its people (ex. the right to life).

true

When it comes to intentions...
a. They are the subjective dimension of morality.
b. It is never okay to do something bad, even if our intentions are good.
c. We should always keep our intentions good.
d. All of these.

d. All of these.

Norm

A rule held by a group or society.

Law

"An ordinance of reason for the common good, promulgated by the one who is in charge of the community"

Natural Law

The reasoned participation of humans in God's eternal law that reveals what God intends us to do and to avoid according to His wise and loving plan.

Civil Law

The application of the higher forms of law to government in order to help the members of society to do good and avoid evil.

The Old Law

The first stage of revealed law; summarized by the decalogue, this Law guided God's people.

The Decalogue

'Ten Words;' refers to the Ten Commandments

The New Law

The Gospel of Jesus Christ; a law of love, grace and freedom. This form of law perfects the Old Law, but does not add to it. Rather, it helps us to understand the core values of divine and natural law.

Canon Law

The full body of officially established rules governing the Catholic Church which was last revised in 1983.

The Precepts of the Church

The six minimal obligations for members in good standing of the Catholic faith community.

Eternal Law

The idea of the government of things that exists in the mind of God; it is the plan of God's wisdom by which all action and motion of the universe is directed.

How are the moral norms of our faith formed?

Our beliefs form our values, which are translated into principles that are finally articulated as norms. The Magisterium is ultimately responsible for articulating norms through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

TRUE/FALSE: Even though Christ instituted a New Law of Love, He did not abolish the Old Law. We are still expected to faithfully keep the Decalogue.

True

Which of the following is an example of Natural Law?
a. It is objectively wrong to torture a child.
b. The Precepts of the Church
c. "I am the Lord your God. You shall have no false gods before me."
d. The Constitution of the United States of America

a. It is objectively wrong to torture a child.

Fill in the blanks in the STOP sign method of discernment:
\_____ out the facts
\______ about alternatives and \_____
\______; consider them and consult them
\______

1. *Search* out the facts
2. *Think* about alternatives and *consequences*
3. *Others*; consider them and consult them
4. *Pray*

Which of the following best reflects the Church's stance on Determinism?
a. We hold Determinism to be true because God has already determined how we ought to live our lives.
b. We hold Determinism to be false because it fails to recognize our freedom to choose, which is essential to the study of morality.
c. Believers may choose to accept or reject Determinism according to their personal philosophy.
d. We hold Determinism to be true because we have the power to determine our own system of morality depending upon our beliefs and what makes us happy.

b. We hold Determinism to be false because it fails to recognize our freedom to choose, which is essential to the study of morality.

TRUE/FALSE: The emotion of anger is never fundamentally evil or sinful.

true

TRUE/FALSE: The Principle of Double Effect can never morally justify a direct abortion.

true

What are the basic divisions of the Decalogue?

Loving God and loving others.

A law must be:
a. Reasonable. People should be able to rationally and conscientiously submit to it.
b. Directed towards the Common Good. It must build up the community and keep its people safe.
c. From a competent authority who is empowered to legislate on behalf of others, for their best interest.
d. Declared and broadcast so that people are informed of their responsibilities toward the law.
e. All of the above.

e. All of the above.

TRUE/FALSE: To the degree that our choices are voluntary, we are responsible for our choices.

True

Which of the following is NOT an impediment to freedom?
a. Habit
b. Ignorance
c. Fear
d. Duress
e. Anger

e. Anger

TRUE/FALSE Contrary to a pharisaical approach to the Law, Jesus encourages His disciples to move beyond mere adherence to the letter of the law and learn to abide by the spirit of the law. This requires a change in our attitudes towards the law from viewing it as a burden to joyfully accepting it as a way to love God and others as He loves us.

true

Which of the following statements best describes a Catholic understanding of concupiscence?

a. We experience concupiscence when we are tempted to sin because of the fun or pleasurable appeal of sinful behaviors. If sin was not fun or pleasurable (if we did not experience concupiscence) we probably would not sin!
b. Concupiscence describes our natural tendency towards God and the grace that He freely offers us.
c. Concupiscence is one of the Biblical images for sin that is translated as "missing the mark."
d. Concupiscence is an impediment to freedom because it makes it impossible to avoid sin. Since we have an inclination to sin (concupiscence), we are not really free to avoid sin.

a. We experience concupiscence when we are tempted to sin because of the fun or pleasurable appeal of sinful behaviors. If sin was not fun or pleasurable (if we did not experience concupiscence) we probably would not sin!

What accurately reflects the Church's teachings on hell?

Hell is a state of separation from God, which is reserved for those who have made a conscious, free rejection of God and have remained unrepentant (not sorry) until death.

Letter of the Law

Strict, cold, heartless and mindless adherence to the literal interpretation of the law, sometimes to an extreme.

Spirit of the Law

Adherence to the purpose with which the law was written in a spirit of justice, love and respect.

Acedia

A deliberate attitude of not caring; apathy; boredom

Superstition

Attributing magical power to certain practices or things.

Blasphemy

Speech or action that shows disrespect or contempt for God or persons or things dedicated to God.

Identify each of the modern-day "false gods.

The State
Ancestors
Power
Pleasure
Race
Money

TRUE/FALSE: Every human person is culpable for the original sin.

False; We are not culpable for the Original Sin, only our personal sins.

What are the two images for sin that can be found in Sacred Scripture (according to your class notes)?

Hardness of Heart
Missing the Mark

What best exemplifies a sin of omission?

Failing to attend Mass on a Holy Day of Obligation.

TRUE/FALSE: While not all superstitions are a violation of the 1st Commandment, we must avoid any and all forms of superstitious practices that attribute any form of supernatural power to objects, actions, or any person other than God.

true

The spirit of the 2nd Commandment urges us to...

mean what we say and use our words to build a culture of respect and love

Sin

"An offense against God; an utterance, deed or desire contrary to His law of love."

Concupiscence

An inclination (or "leaning towards") sin.

Culpability

The degree to which people are responsible for their actions.