Personalism
approach to the ethical life based on a keen awareness of the interior value + dignity of the person as a subject of his / her own acts
Objective Morality
claims that our actions are good / evil independently of what we think about them
subjunctive morality
claims that the moral value of our actions depend on the situation + one's opinion
Law
a rule of conduct enacted by competent authority for the sake of the common good
Moral Law (umbrella)
prescribes for man the ways + rules of conduct that lead to the promised beatitude
Eternal Law
God's law known fully by God alone
Natural Law
- human participation in God's eternal law through our capacity to reason / the law "written on the human heart" by God
- basis for all human rights + duties
Old Law
first stage of revealed law summed up in the 10 commandments
New Law
law of the gospel; the perfection on earth of the divine law, both natural + revealed
conscience
A judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act that he is going to perform, is in the process of performing, or has already completed
virtue
an habitual disposition to do the good
2 great commandments of Jesus
- "you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind" (first 3 commandments)
- "you shall love your neighbor as yourself" (rest of the commandments)
4 sources of moral theology
- sacred scripture
- sacred tradition
- magisterium
- natural law + natural sciences
moral theology used in the moral life
We can look to these things to help us in decision making
Moral Revativism
the attitude of the modern world that says our choices don't matter
JPII personalism
as subjects, persons are free to act as they choose, but love (properly understood) is the on,y choice that corresponds to a person's dignity
coming to know moral law
the moral law is not man's creation, we discover it rather than invent it ourselves
Beatitudes
- heart of Jesus' teaching ; taught by Jesus
- reveal the goal of human existence
- respond to our natural desire for happiness
- the New law fulfills the divine promises by elevating + orienting them toward the kingdom of heaven
Sermon on the Mount
- Jesus preaches important moral teachings, including the Beatitudes
- 1 of the teachings revealed by God in the New testament
Sermon on the mount teachings
- love you enemies
- absolute trust in God
- non-violence (defense of the innocent)
- charity to others in judgment + action
- avoidance of hypocrisy
conscience role
- can either make a right judgment in accordance with reason + the divine law, or an erroneous judgment. that departs from that
- a poorly formed conscience leads to sin
Commandment 1
You shall not have strange gods before me
commandment 2
Don't take the name of the Lord in vain
Commandment 3
- keep holy the Lord's Day
- obligation to go to mass
commandment 4
- Honor your father and mother
- honor all who have received authority in society
commandment 5
You shall not kill (abuse to others and ourselves)
Commandment 6
- You shall not commit adultery
- living out the vocation to chastity
commandment 7
- You shall not steal
- destruction of property
commandment 8
- You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
- living + witnesses to the truth (no lying, boasting, judgement)
commandment 9
- You shall not covet your neighbor's spouse
- respect the sanctity of marriage vows, modesty, and purity of the heart (no lust, pornography)
commandment 10
- You shall not covet your neighbor's goods
- no envy / greed
We can't judge the person but we can judge the action
We can't break the 10 commandments and judge the person themself for the decision they made, but we can judge the action the person committed