Chapter 3

1. Chapter 3 Law as a Guide to Freedom

2. Review Being made in God’s image gives us: • Capacity to think and choose • Powers of reason and free will • Separates us from other creatures on earth • Gives us power to be master over our own actions • Greatest power because we are free: we can love

3. Freedom and Responsibility • Rationalization: Devising self-serving excuses for one’s behavior • Answer questions p. 72 • Group Activity: • Top 10 Rationalizations used by Teenagers……….

4. Characteristics of Freedom • “ Freedom is the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one’s own responsibility” (CCC 1731)

5. Opposing views: Determinists • Deny humans have power to choose • Believe that every event action and decision inevitably results from something (ie: fate, stars, spiritual force) independent of human will

6. Opposing views: • Psychologists & Sociologists:We lack freedom because our personalities are fixed by environment, upbringing and education • Biologists: Hold that brain cells, genes and emotional drives are so fixed we aren’t free to do anything not caused by heredity. • Nature vs. Nurture

7. Christian point of view: We are self-determining: we can select our goals and perform certain acts to accomplish them We are self-making: our choices form who we are, build our character & give us identity

8. Freedom is… • Selecting our own goals in life and moving toward them • God-given power to do good • More good one does, freer we become • Rooted in reason and will

9. Kinds of Freedom • External freedom: includes freedom from factors outside ourselves that threaten or destroy our power to exercise choice • Internal freedom: includes freedom from interior factors that limit choice • Freedom from internal and external forces provides freedom’s real purpose: freedom for developing our talents, living for others, loving God to serve what is good, just and true.

10. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

11. Freedom means letting go… • Where is line between having as many choices as possible and enslaving people in opportunities? • Monkey example p. 83: grasping after material things we think will make us happy often has reverse effect. Our failure to let go enslaves us!

12. Freedom is not… • Doing whatever I want to do • Absolute • License: unbridled, excessive, undisciplined freedom that abuses true liberty • “When liberty becomes license, dictatorship is near” Will Durant

13. Limits of freedom: • Physically • Intellectually • Emotionally • Psychological/Social factors • Sin

14. Impediments to freedom • Church recognizes obstacles to freedom that can limit our blameworthiness or responsibility for actions: • Ignorance: not knowing what we should or should not do • Inadvertence: not paying attention or being distracted while we are acting • Duress: someone tries to force us to do something • Inordinate attachments: Enslave us to degree we don’t act with full freedom • Fear: Worst case is panic • Habit: Good are virtues, bad are vices

15. We are free to change…. • We can be limited by obstacles but do not have to be enslaved • Cooperate with God’s grace: spiritual practices, use gifts of Holy spirit • One of greatest freedoms is freedom to change!

16. Responsibility • Response= Christian morality is response to God and His call • Ability= Christian morality also involves ability to respond to God and say “yes” or “no”

17. Responsibility • With free will comes responsibility! • To the degree that our choices are voluntary, we are responsible for our actions. • “Every act directly willed is imputable to its author” (CCC 1736) • Imputable=Accountable • We own our actions= we own our choices

18. Voluntary vs. Indirectly Responsible • Voluntary: Directly willed action • Indirectly responsible: Result of negligence or ignorance • How does this affect level of responsibility?

19. Responsibility • Is it easier to “own up” to something you do well or to your mistakes? • We have responsibility for our actions, good and sinful, and must accept responsibility for their consequences.

20. Emotions and Morality • Emotions=Passions=Feelings • Movements of the senses that predispose us to act or not act in relation to something we feel or imagine to be good or evil • Emotions are morally neutral until they engage our reason and will: • Morally good when they lead us to doing something good • Morally evil when they contribute to us doing something bad

21. Emotions and Morality • Having strong feelings is neither moral nor immoral. It is what we do with our emotions that counts! • Examples: • Fear, sadness, anger leading to good action vs. bad action

22. Norms of Christianity • Jesus is fundamental norm • Magisterium: 1 of major responsibilities is to teach norms to help Christians live as Christ lived. Sources include: • Scriptures • Tradition: history and teaching of Christian community • Human reason

23. Process of creating norms: • States in creeds and doctrines certain beliefs- expressions of our faith in Jesus

24. Process of creating norms: • Beliefs lead to values- certain standards or qualities we deem worthwhile or valuable

25. Process of creating norms: • We articulate our values in principles- general, positive guidelines for living out our values

26. Process of creating norms: • Principles are formulated into norms- particular laws that translate our beliefs, values, and principles into concrete policies or courses of action to meet specific situations in human life

27. Law and Morality • Good law: • Guides freedom • Protects us from license • Serves as an objective standard outside ourselves

28. Law and Morality • Law- “An ordinance of reason for the common good, promulgated by the one who is in charge of the community” • St. Thomas Aquinas

29. Important elements of law: • Reasonable • Common good • Made by competent authority • Promulgated ID: Good law vs. bad laws

30. Long Way Gone Wrap Up: • http://www.alongwaygone.com/media.html • http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=82274&title=ishmael-beah • http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1061561.stm

31. Want to Help? Check out these websites… • http://www.fallingwhistles.com/ • https://projectak47.com/index.aspx

32. Natural Law • Natural law refers to principles that are so natural to our human condition that they are “engraved on our hearts”. Imagine you are a member of a UN commission established to formulate a declaration of universal moral principles- a list of principles that would apply to everyone just because they are human. Create list of how people should/should not act.

33. Natural Law • Participation in the divine law • Light of understanding God placed in us at creation • Teaches us what to do and what to avoid • Expresses human dignity as basis of all human rights • Foundation of both civil and moral rules`

34. Corresponds to 3 basic needs: • Preserving life • Developing as individuals and communities • Sharing life with others

35. Natural Law is: • Universal • Permanent • Unchanging throughout history: applies to all people, in all places, for all time • What humans cannot discern: God provides

36. Natural Law Violated American Eugenics Movement: http://www.eugenicsarchive.org/eugenics/

37. Natural Law • Put yourself in the following situations and defend or condemn the practice by appealing to what you consider fundamental principles of morality.

38. Natural Law 1) You are a missionary to an island where infants born with a physical defect are killed.

39. Natural Law 2) You are a member of a society in which women but not men must cover their faces in public.

40. Natural Law 3) You are banned from smoking in public buildings.

41. Natural Law 4) You are a parent who decides that your children will not receive vaccinations for common diseases.

42. Natural Law 5) You are a homeless person who is restricted from panhandling in downtown shopping districts.

43. Old Law • Also called Law of Moses • 1st stage of revealed law • Function is to reveal & condemn what is sinful • Holy, good, & spiritual, but imperfect • Prepares Christians for the Gospel

44. Divine Law • Highest norm of human life is divine law which is found in both old and new law. It has 4 purposes: • Helps us stay on right path • Discern what is right • Speaks to our motivation • Indicates what is sinful

45. New Law • Gospel of Jesus Christ • Law of love • Law of grace • Law of freedom • Evangelical counsels: poverty, chastity, obedience

46. Church Law • Full body of official rules governing the Catholic Church is known as Canon Law • Holds 6 precepts: minimal obligations for Catholics to observe

47. 6 Precepts • Attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation • Confess sins at least once a year • Receive communion at least during Easter season

48. 6 Precepts 4) Keep the holy days of obligation 5) Observe the prescribed days of fasting and abstinence 6) The faithful also have the duty of providing for the material needs of the church, each according to his ability

49. Chp 3 Test: • Both chapter outlines • Notes on law • Understand how to apply content

50. Article Review • Read article • ID external and internal factors that may limit freedom • ID any specific limits of freedom • ID impediments to freedom and explain the impact they have in article