Syllabus:

• the relationship between one religious belief or teaching and the lives of people

(Catholic teaching on the moral life)

Key Feature 1: Conscience

• ‘seat’ of reasoning and decision making is called the conscience

• comes from the Latin word conscientia or with knowledge

• said to be “man’s most sacred core and sanctuary” (Gaudium et Spes 16)

• conscience can be weak (due to effects of original sin) and humans can sometimes not reason well

• conscience needs to be developed or an ill-informed or unformed conscience can influence someone to do what is evil even if they think it is ‘good’

  • invincible ignorance - when a person sincerely does what they think is ‘good’ but is actually a wrong decision

Ways conscience can and must be formed:

• Prayer

• Scripture

• Catholic teaching (derived from Revelation)

• By other well-formed Catholics

Physical laws

• observable and recognisable by conscience (apply objectively to all people)

• describe reality and humans recognise that if they live by these laws they will ‘flourish’ and ‘prosper’

• e.g. laws of gravity and healthy eating are not rules which restrict people’s freedom, but in fact, will help people flourish

Moral laws

• govern human nature

• e.g. faithfulness in a relationship (not cheating or lying)

• moral laws are objective - apply to all people, in all places and in every age

• morality is therefore objective (truth of which isn’t dependent on human opinion or thought) and not subjective (individual’s opinion or choice)

Making Moral Decisions with Conscience

*NO ACTION, INTENT, CIRCUMSTANCE INCLUDED IN TEST* (1)

2) A good end does not justify an immoral means

• person cannot achieve a good end/result by doing something inherently wrong

3) The principle of double effect

• explains the permissibility/allowance of an action that causes a serious harm, such as the death of a human being, as a side effect of promoting some good end

Key Feature 2: Natural Law

• laws in harmony with the nature of every human being

• “The natural law, present in the heart of each man and established and established by reason, is universal in is precepts and its authority extends to all men. It expresses the dignity of the person and determines the basis for his fundamental rights and duties.” (CCC 1956)

• Catholic Church’s moral teachings are based on Natural Law

• every moral teaching of the Church is not simply an opinion based on the Bible alone or one person’s opinion; it is based on the moral nature of humanity

• laws of the universe (natural law) and laws of Christ (revealed law) come from the same God and cannot contradict each other

• moral teachings of the Catholic Church always begin with natural law

• Natural Law is not specifically religious or Catholic

• due to the effects of original sin, God revealed Divine Law to help human beings be clear about the natural law

Key Feature 3: Divine Law

• laws given directly by God

• e.g. 10 Commandments and Jesus’s 2 Great Commandments (revealed law)

• God revealed divine moral laws so that human beings could be clear about what is good and what is evil

• good and bad, right and wrong, are taught by God

• 10 Commandments largely focus on what a person should not do in order to protect their relationship with God

• Jesus Two Great Commandments focus on what a person should do in order to protect their relationship with God

Why people need moral guidance

• people were made in “the image and likeness of God” (Genesis 1:27)

• there was a world where people could clearly see what was true and good

• after original sin was committed by Adam and Eve, people lost their complete freedom and struggled to love God, neighbour and self

• people of the next generations experience a darkened intellect (where truth and goodness are no longer seen clearly), a weakened will (where it is now more difficult to choose the true and the good) and disordered desires due to the emotions no longer being completely obedient to intellect and will

How the Catholic Church provides moral guidance to people

• besides receiving Jesus’s healing graces from original sin in the sacraments and prayer, it is necessary Catholics form their conscience

• people within Catholic Christianity are continually seeking to inform people on the truth of Scripture

• bishops have the obligation to “teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19), a directive given by Christ who is the principal teacher

• one of the main resources the Catholic Church encourages people to make use of is the Catechism of the Catholic Church

What categories are in the Catechism of the Catholic Church?

• The Profession of Faith (the Apostles’ Creed)

• The Celebration of the Christian Mystery (the Sacred Liturgy, and especially the sacraments)

• Life in Christ (including the Ten Commandments)

• Christian Prayer (including the Lord’s Prayer)