Transcript AQ Religious Education Part II

What is Human Dignity?
• It is the belief that one is rooted in his or her creation
in the image and likeness of God.
• Each person consists of a spiritual and immortal soul,
intelligence, and free will.
• The human person is ordered to God and called
therefore to love.
• the access and right to the fullness of life i.e. Water,
food, clothing, and shelter.
What is Social Ethics?
• Ethics is a systematic way of thinking that provides a
coherent set of values and principles to guide people’s
moral lives.
• It is shaped by everything they have learned about human
behaviour, including their own experiences.
• the Catholic Church has its own ethical teachings based on
moral theology i.e. Rooted in theology- Mark 12: 29-31 (The
Greatest Commandment- Love) and natural law- reason and
experience- capacity to know and draw on experiences that
lead to sound ethical decisions).
What is the Common Good?
• the conditions of social life that allow all people as
both groups and individuals to reach their full
fulfillment.
• a system of ethics that is based on maximizing the
happiness or good of the greater number. i.e. Human
Papilloma Virus (HPV- STD/ Cervical cancer/ skin to skin
contact with already infected partner/ etc.)
• expected sexual intercourse vs. abstinence debate
What is Social Justice?
• ensures the respect and dignity of each human person.
• it is linked to the common good and to the exercise of authority when
it allows the conditions and rights that are due to each individual.
• the practice of generosity, kindness, and sharing of goods and
resources with all peoples and cultures.
• creating an encounter with God and following it up with intentional
actions (personal realtionship).
• the Charter of Christian living/ the New Law- “The Beatitudes”- Matt.
5: 1-12
What is Natural Law?
• Natural Law acknowledges the capability of reason,
reflecting on experiences in order to reach valid ethical
conclusions.
• to be aware of the present economic, political, and social
realities of the times, and to be informed as much as
possible in order to make moral decisions in light of the
Gospel
• the ability and intelligence to see the logic of some
positions and to make the judgement based on experience
to guide us to conclusions.
What is Relativism?
• the theory that any ideas or thoughts are valid to
the individual that possesses them.
• the approach that does not necessarily lead to
logic, in that, two completely different points of
view can be correct at the same time i.e.- sex
before marriage
• individual choice that is based on what is good
for the individual.
What is conscience?
• It is present in the heart of the human person, is a
judgement of reason which allow the person to do
good and avoid evil.
• It allows for our capacity to reason and innately calls
us to asses all our actions and to strive towards the
good.
• It shapes individuals and in turn, shapes our society,
first through our family, our immediate relationships,
and so on.
What is the Principle of
“Double Effect?”
• the decision to do something that will have two effects at the
same time; one good and one evil.
• an action that will have as a direct intention something good,
while at the same time causing some unforeseen harm or evil i.e.
administration of morphine
• is permissible when the following is present simultaneously:
1. the action itself is good or morally neutral
2. the good effect does not come through the evil effect
3. the evil effect is not directly intended
4. their is good reason to allow the evil effect
What is Human Freedom?
• it is the power given by God to act or not to act,
and so to deliberate action’s on one’s own
responsibility.
• the more that one does that is good, the freer
one becomes.
• the possibility of choosing between good and evil
and thus attaining its proper perfection when all
actions are directed towards God.
What is Charity?
• it is the theological virtue by which we love God
above all things and our neighbour as ourselves for
the love of God.
• It is the bond of perfection and the foundation of
what gives life, inspiration, and order- 1 Corinthians
13: 1-3, “Without charity, I am nothing and I gain
nothing”.
• the practice of giving to worthy causes or people in
need
Gaudium et Spes
(The Church in the Modern World)
• written by His Holiness, Pope Paul VI on December 7, 1965 in response to our relationship as
Christians in society (1 of 4 constitutions written after Vatican II)- Chapter 1, “Dignity of the Human
Person”
• Sacred Scripture teaches that we were created "to the image of God," and is capable of knowing
and loving his Creator
• God did not create man as a solitary, for from the beginning "male and female he created them"
(Gen. 1:27)- holy Scripture reminds us that our innermost nature is as social beings, thus we are
called to relate to one another in companionship and cannot live out nor develop our true
potential without one another.
• Scripture also reminds us that God saw "all that he had made, and it was very good" (Gen. 1:31).
• Conscience is the most secret core and sanctuary of a person. There he or she is alone with God
whose voice echoes in the depths of one’s heart- the conscience therefore reveals that law which
is fulfilled by love of God and neighbour.
In Communion and Stewardship:
Human Persons created in the
Image of God
• written by the International Theological Commission in July
2004
•we exist in relationship to others, God and the world- we are not
isolated individuals
• we participate with the Holy trinity in the divine law through
his or her being
• being made in God’s image and likeness gives us the foundation
of our human dignity- importance of our shared responsibilities,
both civic and religious
Donum Vitae
(The Gift of Life)
• an important Church teaching written in 1987
• we are to be treated as persons from the moment of
conception
• the personhood of the tiny organism that develops
without interruption from the time of conception
• personhood flows from being made in God’s image,
including all persons from our biblical heritage as well as the
embryo
The Role of Scripture in Ethics?
the Catholic Church does not subscribe to the concept of “sola scriptura”, to which the only
legitimate moral principles are those found in the bible.
•
• any study of the Scriptures should include the following four features:
• Exegesis- the meaning of the text in its original context i.e. Inspired by God and written by
humans in a specific period of culture, history, and economics
• Hermeneutics- the meaning of the text for today i.e. The text must not be taken literally and
we must therefore filter the text through our own language, symbols, icons, etc.
• Methodology- the use of Scripture for moral guidance i.e. Moral theology as actions and
decisions- what we should do and not do vs. what we should become in the world- use of
parables
• Theology- “faith seeking understanding”- St. Anselm (11th century), seeking for a fuller
understanding of what it means to be human i.e. To be a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ,
not the Church and its morality. – St. Augustine (4th century), “My heart is restless until I rest in
thee”.
What are Catholic Social
Teachings?
• Catholic social teaching is a body of doctrine developed by the Catholic Church on
matters of poverty and wealth, economics, social organization and the role of the
state.
• Its foundations are widely considered to have been laid by Pope Leo XIII's 1891
encyclical letter Rerum Novarum.
• According to Pope Benedict XVI, its purpose "is simply to help purify reason and to
contribute, here and now, to the acknowledgment and attainment of what is just….
[The Church] has to play her part through rational argument and she has to
reawaken the spiritual energy without which justice…cannot prevail and prosper“.
• According to Pope John Paul II, its foundation "rests on the threefold cornerstones
of human dignity, solidarity and subsidiarity". These concerns echo elements of
Jewish law and the prophetic books of the Old Testament and recall the teachings of
Jesus Christ recorded in the New Testament, such as his declaration that "whatever
you have done for one of these least brothers of Mine, you have done for Me."
Rerum Novarum
(Of New Things)
• is an encyclical issued and written by Pope Leo XIII on May 15, 1891.
• it was passed on to all Catholic bishops, and addressed specifically the condition
of the working classes.
• Pope Leo XIII sets out the Catholic Church's response to the social instability and
labour conflict that had risen in the wake of industrialization and that had led to the
rise of socialism. The Pope taught that the role of the State is to promote social
justice through the protection of rights, while the Church must speak out on social
issues in order to teach correct social principles and ensure class harmony.
• recognized that the poor have a special status in consideration of social issues:
the modern Catholic principle of the "preferential option for the poor" and the
notion that God is on the side of the poor found their first expression in this
document.
What is the Canadian Conference of
Catholic Bishops (CCCB)?
• The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) is the national
assembly of the Bishops of Canada.
• It was founded in 1943 and officially recognized by the Holy See in 1948
and after the Second Vatican Council (1962–65) became an integral part of
the life of the universal Church.
• the Conference is involved in matters of both national and international
scope in areas such as ecumenism and interfaith dialogue, theology, social
justice, aid to developing countries, the protection of human life, liturgy,
communications and Christian education.
• the Conference also provides the Bishops with a forum where they can
share their experience and insights on the life of the Church and the major
events that shape our society.