unit 2 test review

HRE4M1 Unit 2

Test Review – Unit II: Choosing the Good

1. What is the purpose of this unit?

Our faith teaches that living a good life means living virtuously—guided by our relationship with God and our responsibility to others. A life grounded in virtue leads to true happiness, both in this life and in the life to come. However, before we can explore the importance of choosing the good life, we must first ask whether we are truly free to make that choice. We must reflect on the moral guidance God has written on our hearts and minds, which helps us choose what is loving and right. At the same time, we must recognize our human limitations. We are not perfect; we make mistakes. This is why forgiveness is a central teaching in Christianity. The way we forgive others reflects what we can hope for from God. He offers us the gift of salvation—but it is up to us to respond by living the life we were created for. Ultimately, where we find ourselves in the afterlife depends on the choices we make.

2. Discuss what we have completed in this unit that would support the statement above. Explain the connection.

A life grounded in virtue comes from living in a Christ-like manner, where we acknowledge that there is evil in the world but still choose to strive to be good, even when it can be difficult at times. We understand that there is that gift by God of free will, so we should use it to personally choose to follow God’s will and live according to His teachings. God had instilled in us this gift of moral guidance, conscience, and guilt which guides us away from sin and towards good. God knows that we make mistakes, so with the guilt that we feel, we take it as a message by God that we need to reflect and grow more towards virtue. When we make mistakes or have bad things happen to us by others, God would want us to forgive as we should live out our beliefs that we should love everyone as we would want to be loved. If we recite in the Our Father, “and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us,” we should be forgiving and open-hearted to others even when they do us wrong.

Concepts of Freedom: Are We Free?

3. Discuss how each of the three concepts of freedom.

Naturalism

- Understanding of humanity is in the genes

- Humans are like robots, genetically programmed

- Every decision we make is already predetermined

- Denies the possibility of ethics and morality

- A person is not responsible for their actions

Religious Determinism

- God has predetermined the course of the world, including the past, present, and the future

- God has a book of all our decisions and movements, directing every little thing

- Free will technically does not exist as the actions we make are already chosen for us

Social Determinism

- Behaviour is determined by social experiences

- Factors like age, gender, race, religion, education, wealth, and culture are what shapes us

- We are products of our experiences

- The future decisions we make are based solely on our past experiences

4. In your opinion, which of the concepts hold the most truth? Explain.

I believe that social determinism holds the most truth, because many external factors listed under social determinism are what shape who we become. Good things that we experience bring the good things out of us and the bad things that we experience do the same. Religious determinism is not something I believe in, because I acknowledge that God has a permissive will that lets us control our lives without Him dictating it for us.

5. Explain how these concepts are contrary to the concept of freedom.

These concepts are contrary to the concept of freedom because they claim that things, around us or are within us, are what make us choose the decisions we make. Naturalism describes how we are genetically programmed, not really being free to make decisions but rather are doing things calculated from birth. Religious determinism is how God controls us and already has our lives planned out, meaning that our ‘free choices’ are choices that God pre-chose for us. Social determinism is how our experiences are what make us choose decisions, having influences pressure or subconsciously choose our path for us.

6. Using a concept of freedom, relate it to your life and discuss how it plays a role.

I use my concept of freedom whenever I feel peer pressured to do something that I either do not want to do, or know that it is wrong. Sometimes, my friends might try to convince me to go against my parents and go home late or skip school. I know in my heart that lying to them is a terrible thing and the heavy guilt I feel is an indication that it is a bad thing to do.

7. What is the Catholic Church’s stance on freedom?

The Catholic Church believes that we have free will and freedom to make our own decisions because of God’s permissive will.

8. Discuss the concept of moral evil. What is the difference between God’s perfect will and His permissive will?

Moral evil is evil intentionally done and goes against ethics, ignoring what the use of free will should be. The difference between God’s perfect and permissive will are how God would want us to live and how He allows us to live. God will always want the best for us and for us to strive to constantly live a Christ-guided life, but God understands that He gave us free will and that we are now able to choose our paths on our own. God’s perfect will is His ideal plan for how we should live, as loving, righteous, and humble people. God’s permissive will is what He allows to happen even if it does not align with what His perfect will is, due to the gift of free will. We should take the gift He gave and use it to work towards meeting His perfect will for us.

9. Discuss the concept of natural evil. What are two reasons we believe natural evil is permitted by God?

Natural evil is suffering that is caused by natural occurrences, like hurricanes and floods. We believe that natural evil is permitted by God, because it can allow us to grow in faith and compassion for community. We also fail to realize that these terrible things that happen in the world can be something that stops worse from happening. We believe that it is also permitted by God because there can be reasons that we will never comprehend due to the amount of power He has. We should never question such a powerful and loving God who allows natural evil to happen, because God is inherently in everything and cares about everything.

10. Explain each of the three senses of conscience outlined below:

a) Conscience as a capacity to recognize right and wrong

- We have a basic sense of right and wrong

- We automatically determine what the good decision is

b) Conscience as a process of moral reasoning

- We are responsible for forming our own conscience

- We form this through maturing, experiences, education, reflection, praying, discussions, and/or researching

- A child and an adult should not have the same level of moral reasoning

c) Conscience as a moral judgment

- Our consciences are incomplete until we act on it

- We should create a commitment to do what is right and avoid whats wrong

- Like how Aristotle says, we are the sum of our actions which determine who we are

11. What are the different ways we misinform our conscience? What are the dangers of a misinformed conscience? How do they encourage us to continue to act unethically?

We cloud our judgement with things like rationalization, as it counters our conscience and tells us that our actions may not mean a lot to someone even though it does. Another example is trivialization where we think that our bad decisions are not a big deal because everyone else does it, even though deep down we know it is wrong and harmful. It continues to brush away the guilt and responsibility we should feel, making it easier to commit unethical acts.

12. Explain why it is important to have an informed conscience if you want to live an ethical life.

It is important to have an informed conscience to be a more ethical person, because it subconsciously always makes the call for if something is bad or if there's another option which is better. It helps us instinctively choose the more ethical and right thing, guiding us towards goodness and values that God teaches us.

13. Discuss one way that you have informed your conscience in the last year. What have you learned? How did this change you?

One way I have informed my conscience is through trying to think about if it is valid for me to get mad at someone when they do me wrong. When I want to confront them about my feelings, I now start to evaluate why I am mad and how they had wronged me. It taught me to be more thoughtful and fair in how I process my emotions. I’ve learned that sometimes my anger comes more from misunderstanding or personal expectations than from the other person's actions. I believe that my conscience is what tells me to reevaluate my actions and it changes me to be more open minded even when angry and to choose understanding over arguments.

14. Why is guilt considered a blessing and helps lead us to an ethical life?

Guilt is not a curse, it is a blessing because it naturally brings us closer to God by helping us realize wrongdoings and make us think of what God would want us to do in these situations. It makes us want to change and strive to become the best version of ourselves like who He wants us to be. It is a blessing in terms of being one of the reasons we learn from mistakes and grow into someone better than who we were yesterday.

15. Explain the difference between venial and mortal sin. Give an example for each. How does sin hurt our relationship with God, ourselves, and others?

Though all wrongdoings are sinful, there are two big categories of sin. Venial sin is not deadly. It moves us away from God slowly and though a single venial sin is little, it can build up and make it more easier for us to discard the wrongs of sinning, creating a bigger problem. On the other hand, mortal sin is a huge and serious offense that affects the bond we have with God greatly and is a sin done with consent and purpose. It breaks and burns that relationship and ties with God because by committing a huge sin, it shows a next level of disrespect and discarding of our faith and what God tells us to do.

16. Describe what is meant by the terms ‘watered down’ and ‘cherry pick’ when it comes to following our faith.

When someone ‘waters down’ and ‘cherry picks’ in their faith, they only pick the easy and beneficial things that they want from following their faith. They push away the difficult things like commitments and responsibilities that require sacrifice, discipline, and true dedication to the values and teachings of their religion. For example, they ask God for forgiveness and guidance but don’t believe that going to mass is essential.

17. How do ‘watering down’ and ‘cherry picking’ parts of our faith impact our perception of sin?

Watering down parts of our faith impacts our perception of sin, because we would think that God would just easily forgive us and not mind when we sin. We would cherry pick easy things in our faith and think that sin is not as big of a deal as it actually is. Watering down the severity of sin can change our perspective on it, as we may think it is solely a wrongdoing and nothing more.

18. According to Father Michael Schmitz, sin can be summarized within the following statement: “God, I know what you want, but I want what I want.” Describe a time when you acted in a way that you knew God would disapprove of, but you did it anyway.

One example of when I knew what God wanted me to do but did something wrong instead was when I realized in an argument that I was actually in the wrong. I should have voiced that I understood the other person but instead I just continued arguing back and trying to push into the person's head that I was right. I chose to argue and be firm on something even when I knew I was wrong.

19. What are the seven deadly sins? Why were they specifically chosen as the deadliest?

The first deadly sin is pride, which is deadly as it places themself above everyone else, even above God. It leads a person to become self-centered and have a lack of humility. Pride can blind people to make them believe they are better or more important than others, and it often becomes the root of many other sins. The second deadly sin is greed as it creates an unhealthy desire for material possessions, wealth, or power and is a never ending desire of wanting better than you already have. The third deadly sin is lust, as it is a personal and selfish desire of another person rather than truly loving them. It reduces people to objects of pleasure rather than individuals with dignity. The fourth deadly sin is envy, as it creates an unhealthy sense of jealousy of the good of others and always brings the desire to get more better than others or brings the desire to want more than what you already have. The fifth deadly sin is gluttony, as it's a lack of control of not just eating but in other things as well. Wrath is the sixth deadly sin as it's an uncontained anger which can lead to things like hatred, violence, and revenge. The last deadly sin is sloth, which is more than just laziness, but refusing to live out the gift of life.

20. What are the seven virtues that combat the deadly sins? Why are they called lively virtues?

The 7 lively virtues are humility for pride, kindness for envy, meekness for wrath, diligence for sloth, generosity for greed, temperance for gluttony, and chastity for lust. They are called lively virtues because they bring purpose and life to these people who commit a deadly sin, bringing them back to goodness and a God-guided life.

21. Define the heading, ‘Social Sin / Societal Evil’, and describe how it relates to sin.

Social sin is sin that has been normalized and accepted within a culture and society. It relates to sin as it is wrongdoings but instead of it being a personal sin, by only one person, it is a sin that is committed by a community and how society operates in a way.

22. How can a personal sin, left unchallenged, possibly lead to social sin?

A personal sin, left unchallenged, can possibly lead to social sin as it can start being socially normalized and accepted. When a sin is accepted within society, it can become easier to do and in a way justified. When a personal sin is seen and is related by many, they might lose that sense of moral responsibility to fix their mistakes and think of it as a normal thing instead.

23. List three social evils that have taken place in the last 100 years. What impact has this evil had on its victims? What is the impact on the perpetrators?

1) The Holocaust

- Six million Jewish people died

- Survivors face a huge amount of trauma, family loss, loss of their homes

- The perpetrators felt guilt or had been brainwashed to thinking the genocide was good

2) Israel and Palestine

- About 56,000 Palestinans have died (80% of Palestinians killed are civilians.)

- Palestinians are now displaced, homes are destroyed

- Trauma and fear have been built up

- Those who live in poverty do not have access to healthcare

- Perpetrators are desensitized to the destruction of lives and land

3) Rwandan Genocide

- 800000 people were slaughtered in Rwanda by ethnic Hutu extremists

- Survivors and Rwandans feel severe trauma and lost many family members

- Some perpetrators felt guilt, pressure to kill, and had to deal with consequences

What role can we as Catholics play in stopping such horrible evil in the future? How can we help the victims of this social evil?

24. As Catholics, we can stop such horrible evil in the future by informing people when they are wrong, speak out against injustice, and do good ourselves. In cases where people do wrong without knowing, we can inform them on how it might not be a good decision based on morals and ethics, and give them a solution or better alternatives that would align with the virtuous teachings we learn as Catholics. When there is injustice, we should grow courage to bring a change to these injustices and make it known to those that there are bad things happening, straying away from the good. If we believe that something is wrong, despite everyone thinking the opposite, we should still speak up. To live in a good-filled community, we can start bringing the good ourselves. We can help the victims of this social evil by offering support, care, and understanding.

25. What is the difference between objective and subjective morality?

Objective morality is the absolute moral truth, while subjective morality is based on personal opinions, feelings, or cultural perspectives. Objective morality is fact and subjective morality is feeling.

26. For those that believe in an omnipotent loving God, as Catholics do, explain why there can only be objective morality?

There can only be objective morality to those who believe in an omnipotent loving God, because we believe that morality is universal and not up to the individual's interpretation, as morality is given to all of us through God. Sins are sins regardless of if they are culturally acceptable.

27. Discuss how our reaction to another's sin is sometimes sinful in nature itself..

Our reaction to another’s sin can be sinful in nature itself, because we may sometimes not realize that we are judging who they are as well. We tend to judge the sin and the sinner as well when we should only be judging the sin. Judging a person’s heart is sinful because we will never understand their life and how their heart works.

28. Discuss the wisdom behind Ernest Hemingway’s quote, “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.”

We have to be humble and not fight others to be better, but to fight to be a better person than who we were yesterday.

29. What would you say to someone that references the bible passage, “Judge not lest thee be judged” as a way to shut you down when speaking out against an immoral act?

After hearing the quote, “Judge not lest thee be judged,” I believe that Christians are called to approach others with humility and self-reflection. Rather than quickly pointing fingers, we should look at the areas in our own lives where we need growth and change. God doesn’t want us to judge others to feel superior, but to encourage one another lovingly and honestly, helping each other become better.

30. Why should only God be left to judge the heart of a person? Why are we unfit to judge people?

God is the only one to know a person’s heart. No one other than God will ever understand another person’s heart and the true reasons behind people's actions. We have limited knowledge of others, even those we are close to. We often misjudge people and not realize that we are judging their heart and character without even knowing anything about it.

31. What lessons on forgiveness does Jesus give us when he shared the parables i) The Prodigal Son, ii) The Unmerciful Servant, and iii) The Lost Sheep?

i) We should be forgiving to those who live lost in life and lose track of the right path. Rather than being mad at them for walking down the wrong path, we should welcome and love them once they find their way back to a God-guided lifestyle.

ii) There is no limit to forgiveness, and we owe God a bigger debt than we can repay yet He still forgives us of all our sins. God called him to forgive despite it being such a big thing to them. Every time we do something bad to someone (owe debt), it goes back to God and hurts Him as well. We ask God to forgive big things and are sometimes even hesitant to forgive small things to other people. If we expect God to forgive us, why do we have such a hard time forgiving others? If we seek forgiveness from God, we should also be willing to give it.

iii) God does not give up on anybody, and we shouldn’t lose hope in those who can’t find themselves right away but rather be happy to help guide them.

32. What are the consequences of not giving and receiving forgiveness? How does the Our Father relate to this?

Our Father relates to the consequences of not giving and receiving forgiveness, because we recite, “... and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us,” which means that if we want forgiveness we should be forgiving as well. We cannot only receive forgiveness if we are not open to forgiving others who wronged us.

33. Is it ever too late to be forgiven? What does the parable, The Labourers in the Vineyard’, told by Jesus, tell us about this?

It is never too late to be forgiven, because God is loving to everyone and expects us to do the same. Even though it is unrealistic to forgive someone who wrongs us easily, we are still called to forgive and not have a mindset where we could live our whole lives being unforgiving to someone. The parable teaches us that God is accepting to everyone and is happy to let people in His Kingdom any time.

34. Discuss the significance of what Jesus said when on the cross – “Forgive them Father for they know not what they do.”

When Jesus said, “forgive them Father for they know not what they do,” it means that despite all the sin that is both being done to him and by others, Jesus will still forgive even as He is about to die. He made a big sacrifice to forgive our sins and acknowledges that we always make mistakes.

35. List and describe a few secular reasons why forgiveness is an important act for an individual to do.

- Forgiveness can bring personal growth, acknowledging what actions are wrong and learning from them

- Forgiveness can remove heavy grudges and improve health

36. What can we learn from Nelson Mandela’s Truth and Reconciliation Commissions? How is this in line with Catholic teaching?

Nelson Mandela’s Truth and Reconciliation Commissions helped restore social justice and forgiveness by uncovering the wrongs in the world. We can learn from this that taking accountability for our actions and having the willingness to forgive can bring together communities and restore love for one another. This aligns with Catholic teaching because through reconciliation and confessing that we do wrong and ask God to forgive, we can become better as individuals and change for the better.

37. What is reconciliation? What is its significance in relation to (1) forgiveness, (2) our relationship to God?

Reconciliation is when we ask God to forgive us for our sins and to then help us become better. It is significant because we ask God for forgiveness and to heal our connection with Him after sinning against Him.

38. How does the gift reconciliation demonstrate God’s grace? How do the actions of the father in the parable of the Prodigal Son help us understand God’s forgiving nature?

Reconciliation demonstrates God’s grace as it shows how God will forgive us and love us even when we sin. The father in the parable of the Prodigal Son helps us understand God’s forgiving nature as he shows a level of mercy to his sons when they choose to come back to him. It is about the forgiveness, grace, compassion, and mercy the father has. Some people fall away and never return, but some fall away yet still come back. Some people fall towards sin, but God will always be ready to forgive and welcome us back to Him.

39. Compare and contrast the catholic teaching of heaven and hell with the popularized notion many people hold.

The popularized notion many people hold about heaven is that it is a kingdom of happiness in the clouds and that God and those who have passed away welcome us. Catholic teaching of heaven is just about a world of eternal joy and a constant abundance of God. It is like an ocean of eternal joy, where everywhere we go comes joy. On the other hand, the popularized notion of hell is a place of fire and punishment through demons. In catholic teaching, we learn that hell is the complete lack of God. Without God, there is no love, no hope, and no happiness. It is a place of sorrow and loneliness without God.

40. How could a loving God send people to hell? To answer this question, discuss the C.S. Lewis’s quote on this very subject, “Hell is a door locked from within.”

“Hell is a door locked from within” means that we can leave hell and stop living a life without God but choose not to. God does not send people to hell, but rather the people who are in hell have chosen to be there. Choosing to use free will that God gave us and yet still choose to go against what virtues Jesus teaches us that there is no care or effort to try living a life full of what heaven is made of.

41. For God to be just, there must be a heaven and a hell. Explain the rationale for this.

Hell is a place for those who have no priorities, importance, and care for God in their life that even on Earth, they do not put value into God within them. If they are living in a world without God, a place like hell which has the complete absence of God is made for them.

42. Who speaks of hell more than anyone else in the bible? Explain why this is so.

Jesus speaks of hell more than anyone else in the bible, because He wants us to realize a world with Him is much better and that he loves us so much to the point where even in the afterlife, no matter if we do good or bad, that there is Heaven with God waiting for us.