Isntroduction to Christian Morality and Moral Theology

Introduction to the Christian Moral Life

• The Foundation of Christian Morality: The most fundamental principle of Christian moral life is the awareness that every person possesses dignity because they are created in the image of God.
• Divine Endowments: God has provided humanity with specific gifts that facilitate a moral life:
  • Immortal Soul: The spiritual component of the human person.
  • Intelligence and Reason: These gifts enable humans to understand the order of things established within creation.
  • Free Will: A power given to humans to seek and love what is true, good, and beautiful.
• The Impact of the Fall: Due to the Fall, humanity suffers from the impact of Original Sin, which has three primary effects:
  • It darkens the human mind.
  • It weakens the human will.
  • It inclines the individual toward sin.
• Baptism and Concupiscence: While Baptism delivers a person from Original Sin, it does not remove its effects. The lingering inclination to sin is known as concupiscence.
• The Internal Conflict: Human nature experiences a dual internal pull: a powerful surge toward the good (being in God's image) and darker impulses toward evil (the effects of Original Sin).

Defining Morality through Theological Perspectives

• The Context of Morality: Morality exists exclusively within the context of humanity. Animals are not responsible for their actions or behaviors; responsibility and morality require a human agent.
• Bases of Human Action:
  • Salvation: Humans desire to be good based on their belief in salvation.
  • Reward Orientation: Humans are reward-oriented creatures; God, in His wisdom, rewards humanity both on earth and later in heaven.
  • The Limit of Reason: Moral lives cannot be fully understood or explained through human reasoning alone.
• Perspective of Franz Bockle (German Theologian):
  • Definition: "Morality is that part of Theology that searches for the norms of free human conduct in the light of God’s revelation."
  • Two Primary Elements:
    1. Free Human Conduct: Morality presupposes freedom—the ability to make choices about one's life and actions. It concerns the use of that freedom.
    2. Guided by Revelation: Humans have more than just intelligence to guide them. Revelation is God's self-disclosure or "unveiling" in human history, inviting people to share His life. This is recorded as Salvation History in the Old Testament (Yahweh's dealings with the Jews) and fulfilled in the New Testament (Jesus Christ as God's final word and total self-communication).
• Perspective of Antonin Sertillanges (French Theologian):
  • Definition: "Morality is the science of what human ought to be by reason of what he is. It is concerned with what humans ought to be in the light of what humanity is."
  • Three Primary Elements:
    1. Morality is a Science: It is an open-ended body of study that builds and develops over time.
    2. Refinement of Behavior: Behavior becomes more refined as a person's understanding of themselves increases.
    3. Humanity as a Child of God: Being "right" means acting as a child of God, whereas "wrong" means forgetting one's basic dignity. Christian faith defines humans as created by God, redeemed by Christ, and indwelt by the Spirit.

The Distinction Between Ethics and Morality

• Interchangeability vs. Distinction: While often used interchangeably, there is a technical divide between the two terms.
• Ethics (The Science):
  • Derived from the Greek word ethicos or ethos, meaning "custom," "character," or "customary behavior."
  • Defined as the systematic study of the rightness and wrongness of human actions; the "Science of Morals" or "Moral Philosophy."
  • Provides theoretical knowledge and the reasons why specific principles are valid.
  • Basic Ethical Principles:
    1. Respect for persons.
    2. Truthfulness and confidentiality.
    3. Autonomy and informed consent.
    4. Beneficence.
    5. Non-maleficence.
    6. Justice.
• Morality (The Practice):
  • Derived from the Latin word mos or mores, meaning "custom."
  • Defined as the actual rightness or wrongness of human actions; the practice or "praxis" of ethics.
  • It involves the actualization of theory into real action (Applied Ethics).
  • Example Comparison:
    • Ethics: Killing is wrong because it violates "respect for persons" or "non-maleficence."
    • Morality: "Do not kill" because it is wrong in practice.
• The Relationship: Ethics does not guarantee moral behavior; one is moral only when one applies the theories of ethics to their life.

Concepts of Good and Evil

• The Nature of "The Good": Every person has an innate tendency toward fulfillment and perfection. Anything contributing to the full actualization of human potential and proper development is considered "good" or "moral."
• The Supreme Good: For believers, God is the final purpose and supreme good. Development is undertaken according to God’s will, guided by love.
• The Nature of Evil: Anything that frustrates or acts against the proper growth and development of the person is considered evil.
• Categories of Evil:
  • Pre-moral Evils: Evils in the objective sense before a moral slant is added (e.g., death, suffering, pain, disability, deprivation of freedom, loss of self-esteem).
  • Physical Evils: Pre-moral evils caused by natural disasters or things outside human control (e.g., earthquakes, floods, accidents).
  • Moral Evils: Occur when humans voluntarily and deliberately participate in the spread of pre-moral evil through free, unjustified actions.

Core Tenets of Christian Moral Living

• The Two Dimensions of Love:
  1. Vertical: Pointing toward God.
  2. Horizontal: Pointing toward others (neighbors).
• Faith and Works: Faith in God alone is insufficient for a good life; it must be accompanied by love for one's neighbor.
• Objectivity of Right and Wrong: The Catholic faith teaches that:
  • "Wrong is wrong, even if everyone is doing it."
  • "Right is right, even though no one else is doing it."
• Morality Beyond Religion: One does not need to be religious to be bound by morality. No society functions without an agreed-upon moral code. Right and wrong exist apart from religious expression.
• Authority and Morality: Authority does not create morality. Things are not wrong because they are forbidden; rather, they are forbidden by authority because they are inherently wrong.
• Legal vs. Moral:
  • Legality does not equal morality. Some things may be legal but immoral (e.g., in some contexts, abortion or prostitution).
  • Conversely, some things may be illegal but not necessarily immoral (e.g., driving through a red light when there is no danger to the public or oneself).

Presuppositions and Divisions in Moral Theology

• Two Major Presuppositions:
  1. Freedom of Will: Humans are creative agents capable of self-determination and choosing between alternatives; they are not mere instruments of higher forces.
  2. Accountability to Ultimate Value: Humans are accountable to an ultimate authority (God). This accountability gives moral duty its character and binds the conscience.
• Divisions of Moral Theology:
  • General Morals: Treats the general presuppositions of moral acts. Known as the Ethics of Being, it asks "Why must the action be done?"
  • Special Morals: Treats specific human actions. Known as the Ethics of Doing, it asks "What action has to be done?"
• Subdivisions of Special Morals:
  1. Responsibility in the religious realm (toward God).
  2. Responsibility toward the created world (toward neighbor and creation).

Questions & Discussion

Video Analysis: "2 plus 2 equals 5"

• What strike you most in the video? (Student-led reflection on the narrative of the video).
• How does the video define morality? (Analysis of the social pressures vs. objective truth presented in the video).
• What makes us accountable to the morale of the society? (Examination of social structures and individual responsibility).
• What are the challenges highlighted in the video? (Conformity, authority, and the suppression of truth).
• Are you willing to speak up your truth and protect it at all cost? (Personal commitment to moral integrity).