CST

Part A: Short Answer Response (10 marks - 2 questions)



Catholic Social Teachings 

  • Formed and based in scripture. How to treat others, the world, environment and ourselves ethically



Note: The Catholic belief in ethics is grounded in: The 10 commandments (Exodus 20:1-17), The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12), The Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12), Jesus Christ’s Greatest Commandment (Matthew 22:36-40)



The Corporal Works of Mercy (Matthew 25:31-40) Lesson 5

  • Model how to treat all others as if they were Christ in disguise

  • “Charitable actions by which we help our neighbours in their bodily needs”

  • Responds to the basic needs of humanity

  • The devotional and the importance of imagination.

  • The passage from Matthew 25 describes Jesus’s judgement.

  • Jesus invites the righteous to receive the kingdom prepared for them.

  • Serving the needy is equated with serving Jesus.

  • The righteous express surprise at Jesus’s words.

  • Imagining humble servants helps us connect to the passage.

  • Engaging our imagination can deepen our understanding of Scripture.



Seven Corporal Works of Mercy

  • To feed the hungry

  • To give drink to the thirsty

  • To clothe the naked 

  • To give shelter to travellers

  • To visit the sick

  • To visit the imprisoned 

  • To bury the dead 





Kholberg’s Theory of Moral Development Lesson 3-4 (film)

  • Moral development is the process by which people develop the distinction between right and wrong (morality) and engage in reasoning between the two (moral reasoning).

  • People’s motivation for their choices/actions mature as they get older, with most people acting according to their particular stage

  • Moral development focuses on the emergence, change, and understanding of morality from infancy through to adulthood.

  • Morality is defined as principles for how individuals should treat one another, with respect to justice, others’ welfare and rights.

  • There are 6 stages of moral development that are classified into three areas:

  1.  Pre-Conventional

  2.  Conventional

  3. Post-Conventional










The Role of Conscience  Lesson 2 



What is Conscience? 

  • Conscience is the whole person, body, soul and intellect trying to make judgements about what is right and wrong. 

  • Involves judgements about who one should be and what behaviour they should choose/reject 

  • The conscience of a person makes their final decisions in situations, with them choosing the moral paths they believe to be good and true 

  • The conscience is a voice of true self that must be followed

  • A person’s conscience reflects the values they believe in, which will lead them to integrity of life and action

  • While everyone has a conscience, it may be weak, limited and/or uninformed, as well as being strong, clear and knowledgeable. 

  • Everybody can and must develop their conscience, so that the choices they make are the best  they can be. 

  • A person is free to follow their conscience, which is why when genuinely seeking the moral truth in a situation, it is necessary to have as much information as possible, in order to make a good decision



Factors that develop a person’s conscience

  • The social environment of a person

    • Parents

    • Friends

    • Schooling/Education

    • Religion

    • Culture 

    • Acceptability 

    • Discipline 

  • Age 

  • Drugs

  • Influence of the media

  • Mental health 

  • World lines

  • Looking at those deemed to be morally right and following in their footsteps (Christ) 

  • Ability to make mistakes. Deciding to either learn or stay the same 

    • Making and following through with decisions 




Natural Law  Lesson 1-2 

  • Natural law is the principal idea that humanity knows what is right and wrong 

  • Promotes where possible to do the right thing over the bad to avoid doing evil

  • Christianity has an objective understanding of what is right and wrong; regardless of individual thought 

  • Thomas Aquinas believed that God gave us all the tools needed to know what is good, no matter your beliefs. He called this the Natural Law Theory)

    • God wants us to want things

    • Good things for various creatures

  • God instilled all creatures with an intuitive desire for the things that he designed to be best for them

  • We are put in situations to know what is right and wrong → learning



The Basic Goods

  1. Self preservation (survival instinct)

  2. Reproduction

  3. Educate offspring (for offspring to survive and reproduce)

  4. Seek God (God is interchangeable with a higher being)

  5. Live in society

  6. Avoid offence 

  7. Shun ignorance