Religion & Ethics Study Guide Notes

Hermeneutics: Study of scripture through interpretation.
Agent: The "who" – one who is free to act, for good or bad. The agent is responsible for their actions.
Narcissism: A personality disorder characterized by excessive self-absorption and a lack of empathy for others.
Gentile: A person who is not of the Jewish faith or ancestry.
Jesus: The saviour.
Ethics: Derived from the Greek word "ethos," referring to character or custom. It involves the study of moral principles that govern a person's behaviour.
Direction of your character: A significant, overarching goal that guides one's actions and shapes their moral identity.
Morality: Originates from the Latin word "mos," meaning customs or habits that shape human life. It encompasses how we seek the good and mold our lives accordingly.
Character: The integration of actions into one's mindset, reflecting consistent moral behaviour.
Vices: Immoral or wicked behaviour are bad habits.
Virtues: Good habits, actions that reflect moral excellence.

Warranted: Guilt felt when one acknowledges and accepts that their actions were wrong.
Unwarranted: Guilt experienced without a valid reason, often stemming from a wrongly formed conscience.
Excessive: Guilt that is disproportionate to the actual wrongdoing.
Too Little: A lack of appropriate guilt, indicating a lax conscience and a sense of immunity to wrongdoing.

Apostle: One of the 12 chief disciples of Jesus; also St. Paul, who was instrumental in spreading Christianity.
Exegesis: The critical interpretation of scripture within its original context, considering language, history, and culture.
Parousia: The second coming of Christ at the end of time.
Providence: God's influence and guidance in events and actions.
Predestination: The belief that behaviour is predetermined (the Church rejects this, emphasizing free will). The Church supports free will.
Vocation: A call from God to a life of love, which can manifest in various forms, such as professions, marriage, or service to others.

Ego: The conscious mediator between desires and reality, balancing the demands of the id and superego.
Superego: The internalized rules and moral standards that regulate conduct using guilt and other mechanisms.
Id: The unconscious source of primal, pleasure-seeking desires.

Freedom: The capacity to act or not act, enabling choices that affect the world and ourselves.
Conscience: An inner guiding voice that operates with knowledge and love to commit to values.
Free will: The ability to choose freely without being forced or coerced.

Striving to ensure the well-being of others and ourselves; being fair and equitable.
Commutative Justice: Fairness in individual exchanges (e.g., paying fairly for services).
Distributive Justice: Fair allocation of resources by society (e.g., public healthcare).
Legal Justice: Duties of individuals toward society (e.g., paying taxes).
Environmental Justice: Responsibility toward the environment (e.g., equal access to clean water).

Life: Valuing life for its own sake.
Knowledge of Truth: Seeking understanding and wisdom.
Leisure: Enjoying beauty and developing skills.
Sociability: The human need for relationships and community.
Religion: Seeking connection with a higher power or transcendent reality.
Integrity: Inner harmony of thought, feeling, and action.
Marriage: A deep, exclusive union through self-giving love (often understood in the context of traditional marriage).

Do good, avoid evil, and do no harm.
Golden Rule: Treat others as you want to be treated.
Do not do evil to bring about good; the ends do not justify the means.
When in doubt, do not act.
Lesser of two evils: Choose the less harmful option if no alternatives are available.
Consider acts, motives, and circumstances (Three-Font Principle).
Double Effect: An act causing both good and evil may be permissible under certain conditions:
- The act is good or neutral.
- The intention is good.
- The evil is not willed.
- The good outweighs the evil.
Balance rights and responsibilities.
Totality: Sometimes parts are sacrificed for the good of the whole.
Cooperation: Some evil effects are tolerated if outweighed by good.
Natural Law: Follow what is natural to humans and creation.
Dignity of Human Life: Human life is sacred as created in God’s image.
Moral Objectivity: Some acts are always wrong regardless of circumstances.

Conscience → Choices → Actions → Habits → Virtues or Vices → Character

Cardinal Virtues: Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, Temperance (acquired through effort).
Theological Virtues: Faith, Hope, Love (gifts from God).

Sermon on the Mount: Teachings of Jesus emphasizing love, humility, and mercy.
St. Theresa’s Body of Christ: Analogy for community where all parts work together, contributing to the whole.
Old Testament vs New Testament Morality: Law (10 Commandments) vs Grace (Sermon on the Mount).
Trinity: God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — three persons, one God.
Norms: Maxims, laws, and rules guiding behaviour.
Secularism: Worldview rejecting religion, relying on reason only.
Eschatological Ethics: Ethics based on response to being loved by God, focusing on the ultimate destiny of humanity.
Revelation: God’s communication of divine truth.
Name of God (YHWH): “I am who I am,” revealed to Moses, signifying God's self-existence and transcendence.