PRELIM TERM

Christian Morality in our Times

I. BASIC ASSUMPTIONS ON CHRISTIAN MORALITY
 To live a moral life entails that Christians conform to the life and teachings
of Jesus.
 Morality - is a science that deals with the “quality” (goodness or badness)
of human acts/actions.
o How does morality judge human acts/actions? Morality needs
basis/bases which are the rules or standards or technically called
Law. In general, these rules or standards or laws are called Norms.
 Norms - commonly defined as rules or standards that are socially enforced.
In the ancient times, when there were no formal social structures such as
government and the Church; or when the different religions were not yet as
organized as they are now, norms often come in the forms of customs,
rituals, and traditions.
are principles of norms that will be practiced and lived by the people.
o e.g Ten Commandments, the norms of the people of God in the Old
Testament.
 Other sources or Three Bases in coming up with a good/right norm for
human act/ human life:
o Knowing the Origin
o Nature
o End/Destiny of the human person

II. The Human Person as Moral Agent:

 Man as the Image of God is innately good, must be just, compassionate
and loving.
 Man is a rational being who is aware of his thinking ability.
 Man is a social being- as interdependent individuals, human beings
interact in order to survive and find meaning and purpose in life.
 Man as God’s stewards of nature/creation is a part of and connected
with nature and has the moral responsibility to promote justice and
integrity of creation.
  Man is a historical being who is a product of past and has been molded
by his past experiences.
1. Rational being - The human person has intellect/mind/reason. She/he
discovers things by reason, and she/he is the only animal who knows that
she/he knows. He/she thinks, rationalize, reflect and other activities of
the intellect.
2. Has Free-will. The human person is free/ has freedom which means
he/she has two or more options or choices and also has will which is the
power to act or not to act on his/her choices. Will is the power to do or
not to do or to act or not to act.
3. Has Conscience. – is the practical judgment of the intellect on what is
good or what is bad, and is prompting the person to always do/follow
what is good.
4. Loving being – Aside from the love between opposite sex which is
designed for the continuity of the human species, generally, loving
means desiring the good of others.

III. Object of Morality

Acts of Man
Human Acts – (Covered under morality; since these are acts that uses the
intellect, these are the act that should be moralized)
Determinants Huma Act of
n Act Man

Knowledge/ Use of YES NO

Intellect
Presence of Free Will YES NO
Conscious Process/ YES NO
Voluntariness

MIDTERM

IV. SOCIAL NORMS

 Social norms, or mores, are the unwritten rules of behavior that are
practice in a group or society. Norms function to provide order and
predictability in society.
 When people know what is expected of them, they will comply.
 Norms of Morality
 A proximate norm is immediately applicable to the acts while the
ultimate norm guarantees the validity of the proximate norm.
 The proximate norm of morality is subjective.
 Proximate Norm of Morality arises from human nature.
 This is present in everyone for all to immediately find out if the
action they are about to do or the act that they have just done is
good or bad. This proximate norm of morality is Conscience.
 Conscience is the practical judgment of reason allowing the person
to recognize the moral quality of an act. So, Conscience is attached
with our reason/intellect.
 It is considered as God’s voice that echoes in the heart and mind of
an individual.
Conscience
 There are two moments of conscience: (Ante = before,
Consequent = after)
 Antecedent Conscience – is a conscience that judges an act
before it is done.
 Consequent Conscience – judges an act after it is done.
Conscience is further classified into different forms:
 1. Correct conscience - judges a good act as indeed good while a
bad act is indeed bad.
2. False conscience. This conscience judges a good act as bad and
bad act as good.
3. Scrupulous conscience describes that one is always afraid of
committing errors; hence, he/she becomes rigorous in
everything that he/she does.
e.g.
Fulfilling one’s Sunday obligation of attending mass is good act. This is
in accordance with the third commandment. So that when a student of
 a Catholic institution goes to mass despite being sick, scrupulous
conscience is working on the person. In this case, he/she may not
attend mass anymore considering his/her condition but still forces
himself/herself due to his/her fear of committing a sin.
4. Lax conscience is a case where a person keeps on excusing
himself/herself from every mistake committed. It is as if, he/she
does not commit any mistake at all.
5. Certain conscience is a firm judgment that one is not in error.
The person always makes it sure that he will not commit any
mistake.
6. Doubtful conscience is a case where judgment is always
suspended because of the uncertainty of the goodness and
badness of a human action. The word ‘doubt’ denotes the idea
that one is not sure of what he/she is doing.

LEVELS OF CONSCIENCE
 Instinctive Level - Dominated by fear of punishment and desire
for approval or reward. - Natural level, it is normal for children
(it will not do bad because of fear).
 Moral/Philosophical- Operates not just on what is commanded
by authority but from the judgement or awareness of the inner
goodness or badness of an act.
 Christian Level- One’s Christian Faith illumines, clarifies and
deepens what is perceive as truly worthy of being a person. It
places moral striving as a personal call to wholeness and
holiness.
General Norm:
 Always follow your conscience
V. Ultimate Norm
 Ultimate Norm: The Norms Which Govern Human Conduct Norms of
Morality
 If the Proximate Norm of Morality like conscience is subjective since
it is dependent on the person, the Ultimate Norm of Morality is
objective.
 These comes in the forms of laws, decree or ordinances which are
derived or formulated based on higher orders that are found in
Nature and the divine aspects of reality.
The Norms Which Govern Human Conduct
 Law are enacted as standards of life and to promote genuine human
development.
 As stated above, the human person or Nature as a whole is not a
pure material entity but has spiritual aspect. This spiritual aspect of
reality reasonably presupposes that there (God) is a Creator of the
universe and the pattern/order of all things that exist. So, for laws
to achieve its noble purpose, they must be based on higher
norms/orders which are called the Eternal Law and the Natural Law.
 Eternal Law
 1st Commandment
 Eternal Law can be described as the Divine reason and will
commanding that the natural order of things be preserved
and forbidding it to be disturbed.
 Other definitions of Eternal Law are: God’s divine plan for all
His creatures and the “exemplar of the divine wisdom as
directing all actions and movements”/ God-given law.
This Law has the following characteristics:
o a. Eternal – this law is with God who has no beginning and
no end. It governs all the creatures of God from the
beginning until the end of time (for the material realities).
b. Immutable – the Eternal Law is not subject to change.
c. Absolutely universal – this Law is applicable to all
creatures.
 Natural Law
 Natural Law is understood as the light of understanding placed
in us by God so that we know what to do and what to avoid.
 Natural Laws are discovered and understood by people with
the aid of reason.
 In simple words, Natural Law are the pattern or order of all
things which are discovered through experience and
reasoning or even common sense.
o Examples of the Natural Law are the following: Fundamental moral
principles such as “Good is to be done and evil is to be avoided”, “Never
do unto others what you do not want others do unto you,” “the end does
 not justify the means,”” “Honor your parents;” “Preserve life;” “Do not
murder;” and others.
 With the examples above, you might ask about the Ten
Commandments, that are these Natural Laws?
o Except for Commandment Number One, the next nine
Commandments are basically Natural Laws. Actually, people by
nature know or will discover these Commandments using their
intellect and conscience.
This Law has the following characteristics:
a. Universal – This law is applicable to all creatures. Example: the
rule, “you shall not kill” is applicable in all countries.
b. Recognizable - The person will realize or notice the existence of
the Natural Law through observations, interactions with others, and
through deeper reflection of his/her activities or of his/her very own
existence. With our rationality as well, we would be notice and
distinguish right from wrong.
 So, there is no excuse for one not to obey the Natural Law
since they are noticeable or realizable.
c. Obligatory – Since this very law will lead the person to his/her
well-being and to his/her desired destiny, there is no better choice
for the human person than to obey it.
d. Immutable – Since the Natural Law is in accordance with the
divine plan or with the Eternal Law, it will never change or is not
subject to change. Example: The Ten Commandments despite being
an ancient set of law is still relevant all throughout the ages.
VI. Ten Commandments
 God strongly revealed His plan for His people through the Ten
Commandments.
 In full obedience to the command of the Lord, Moses started his
sojourn at Mount Sinai and received the Ten Commandments on
tablets of stones.
 The Ten Commandments reveals the moral responsibility of a Christian
in two (2) dimensions: towards God and towards others.
 The vertical bar of the cross points to a loving relationship with
God and His sovereignty upon one’s life. The horizontal bar of
 the cross reminds the human person’s responsibility towards
fellow human beings and other creatures.
 Jesus Himself revealed that people must make peace with others and
continuously make conscious effort to live harmoniously with them.
 The First Commandment
The First Commandments is: “I am the Lord your God: you shall not have
other gods beside me.”
 God’s covenant with the Israelites is clearly implied in this first
commandment, that it is no longer between Him and Abraham or
with the patriarchs but now it is a covenant with the Israelites as
His chosen people.
 The Second Commandment
You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God in vain. (Exodus
20:7)
 Veneration should not be equated with adoration or worship.
Adoration, praise or worship is only reserved for God while
veneration is for all sacred images. Veneration is simply
giving respect to the sacred images like by touching, kissing
and other ways which may have their cultural origin. CFC
says sacred images and statues can offer valuable help or
genuine aid for Christian prayer and worship (892)
 The Third Commandment
 REMEMBER TO KEEP HOLY THE SABBATH DAY. Six days you may labor
and do all your work but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. No
work may be done then either by you or your son or daughter or your male or
female slave, or your beast or by the alien who lives with you…on the seventh day
God rested… and blessed it and made it holy. (Exodus 20: 8-11)
 There are two things that this commandment is conveying to the
human person -- the time for God and the respect for the human
person. How does one show this respect for God and the human
person? This is shown primarily by going to worship God as one
community, as His people, and by respecting others in providing
their physical bodies a time to rest.
 VIOLATIONS AGAINST THE THIRD COMMANDMENT
 The teachings of Jesus Christ are clear such that anything that does
not amount to honoring God and not giving ourselves and others a
time to rest is a direct of violation of this commandment. Anything
 that does not glorify God and respect the dignity of others must be
avoided.
 The Fourth Commandment
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in
the land which the Lord your God gives you.” (Ex. 20:12)
 The Fifth Commandment
“Thou shall not kill.” (Exodus 20:13)
 The “fifth word” of the Decalogue primarily reveals to us the
sacredness of all human life. The human person is made in the
image and likeness of God and, therefore, has an inalienable
dignity and worth.
 The Fifth Commandment prohibition against killing clearly forbids
direct and intentional killing. Murder is always gravely sinful,
regardless of the form it takes. In a similar way, indirectly bringing
about a person’s death, when done intentionally, is also a clear
violation of the commandment.
HERE ARE SOME SPECIFIC CASES OF MORTAL SINS THAT GO SPECIFICALLY
AGAINST THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT:
 Homicide - the crime of killing another person or human.
 Murder - the same with homicide but with intentions (pre-planned).
 Infanticide - the crime of killing a child within a year of birth.
 Fratricide - killing of one’s brother or sister.
 Suicide - it is the act of taking one’s own life may it be voluntarily or intentionally.
 Parricide - the killing of a parent or close relative.
 Euthanasia
 Abortion
 The Sixth Commandment
“Thou shall not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14)
 Adultery is when a person gives to another the love that belongs
to a husband and wife. This is forbidden by the 6th
Commandment. But implicit in the commandment is any form of
undue sexual activity that leads oneself or another into sin.
THERE ARE NUMBER OF ACTS GO AGAINST THE 6TH COMMANDMENT:
 Adultery - a voluntary sexual activity (as sexual intercourse) committed by a
wife to a married man and should be charged together.
 Concubinage – a voluntary sexual activity (as sexual intercourse) committed
by a husband to an unmarried woman and should be charged together
 Fornication – voluntary sexual intercourse between two unmarried persons or
two persons not married to each other.
  Bigamy – the act of going through a marriage ceremony while already married
to another person
 Polygamy – state of marriage to many spouses
 Polygyny – having more than two wives is not God's will. Jesus said that a
man has only one wife.
 Polyandry – having more than two husbands is not God’s will. Jesus said that
a woman has only one husband.
 Sex partners – is against God’s will as well. It demeans the sex act which
reflects God’s love and the fact that we are temples of the Holy Spirit.
 Homosexuality - two men having sex is immoral in God's eyes.
 NOTE: (The Church teaches that Homosexuality is not a sin but the activity or
unholy ‘sex acts’ are sinful.)
 The Seventh Commandment
“Thou shall not steal.” (Exodus 20:15)
 The “seventh word” of the Decalogue primarily reveals to us
that God wants us to act justly and with charity in our
relationships with one another. It forbids the unjust taking or
keeping of goods belonging to one’s neighbor and the wronging
of another as regards his/her goods.
 The Seventh and Eighth commandments are concerned primarily with
our duties toward two possessions of our neighbor - their material
goods and their good reputation. Since human beings have the tendency
to be selfish and neglectful of the rights of others, God considered it
necessary to lay down the explicit commands: "Thou shalt not steal" and
"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor".
HERE ARE SOME OF THE SINS AGAINST THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT:
The Seventh Commandment expressly forbids: Theft, robbery, cheating, usury, injuring the
property of another, detention of goods that have been found or lent, and the non-payment
of debts.
 Theft refers to the act or crime of stealing
 Robbery is a theft accompanied by personal violence.
 Cheating - consists in injuring one’s neighbor in his possessions by crafty means.
 The Eighth Commandment
“Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” (Exodus
20:16)
 The eighth commandment forbids misrepresenting the truth in our relations
with others. This moral prescription flows from the vocation of the holy
people to bear witness to their God who is the truth and wills the truth.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE OFFENSES AGAINST TRUTH:
Lie is an assertion that is believed to be false, typically used with purpose of
deceiving someone.
 Perjury is lying under oath. If we take an oath to tell the truth but then we lie, we are
telling God that we want Him to lie for us. God is always true to His promises and
never lies! For this reason, false oaths and perjury seriously offended God.
OTHER LIES:
 rash judgment, which assumes – without proof – someone has done wrong

 Detraction - which is telling the faults of another to those who have no

reason to know the information

 Calumny - which is lying about another, and causing others to form false
negative opinions of the individual.
- the making of false and defamatory statements about someone in order
to damage their reputation;
(synonymous to slander and defamation)
 The Ninth Commandment
“Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's wife.” (Deuteronomy 5:21)
 By the 9th commandment we are commanded to be pure in
thought and desire towards our neighbor.
 The Tenth Commandment
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods, his land, and his slaves, his
animals or anything else that he owns.” (Deuteronomy 5:22)

Final Term
VII. Virtues
 Habits:
Bad- Vices
Good- Virtues
 Virtues
 Cardinal Virtues
o Prudence
 Use of practical reason
 Sound judgement
 Being cautious
 Thinking before acting
o Fortitude/courage
 Being patient and persevering
 Bearing with difficulties
  Facing evil or problems
o Temperance
 Controlling oneself
 Knowing one’s limitation.
 Put things in moderation.
 Chastity
 Sobriety
 Abstinence
o Justice
 Giving what is due.

 Theological Virtues
o Faith
 Helps us honor God and the dignity of all his likeness and
image.
 Boldly profess Faith in words and deeds.
 Direct us to our ultimate destiny in life.
o Hope
 Our positive attitude to accomplish and achieve noble
things.
o Love
 reveals the existence of all God’s creation.
 our greatest motivation towards everything we do
 keeps us loyal, faithful, and committed.
o Agape
o Filial
o Erotic