Religious Education 104 – Morality

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 104 –  MORALITY

Faculty: Ms Jen May Filoteo

1.   Introduction

A. Definition of Terms

               1. Theology          – the field of study and analysis of God and his relations to the universe

               2.  Moral              - the distinction between right and wrong

               3. Moral Theology – study of a human being’s action in the light of the Gospel teachings of Jesus

          B. Faith

   1. Faith as the Knowledge of revealed truths

   2. Faith as the trusting obedience to God and personal encounter with Him

       a. This concept about faith pre-supposes self-disclosure of God and of the mystery of hid inner being.

       b. Faith is man’s trusting, humble submission and personal submission to God, which includes acceptance of his will and his word

       c. It is premised on the belief that God who is superior and sovereign good and trustworthy

       d. It is not a relation to things and propositions but a personal act, confrontation between the human I and the divine YOU.

   C. Review of the concept of “Covenant”

         1. Covenant

• It is a contract, or a promise, and those making it called down punishment on themselves if they should break it.

• A contract according to Article 1305 of the Civil Code defines it as "a meeting of minds between 2 persons whereby one binds himself with respect to the other, to give something or to render some services.
• The word covenant is also a Latin translation of the Hebrew word "hessed" which means devoting mercy, or loving kindness.

      2. Different kinds of covenant in the Bible

          a. God’s covenant with Adam and Eve

              God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.

               Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and of every living creature that moves on the  

               ground.

          b. God’s covenant with Noah

              (,”) I will never destroy the earth again with a flood.

               c. God’s Covenant with Abraham

                Content of the Covenant

• I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you, I will curse, and in all peoples of the earth will be blessed.

                 Condition of the Covenant

• I will be your God and you will be My people.

                 Sign of the Covenant

• All the male descendants of Abraham will be circumcised.

d. God’s covenant with Moses

    “I will make you a priestly and a holy nation, if you listen to My words and obey my commands.”

e. Jesus institutes a new Covenant

    “Love one another as I have love you.”

   D. Distinction of Moral theology, ethics and legality

        1. Moral Theology

            = it studies the guidelines a person must follow to attain his or her final goal in the light of Christian faith

                and of reason.

        2. Ethics

            = is derived from the Greek “ethos” which means “characteristic way of acting,” “habit or “custom.”

           = Latin word is mos, mores, from which come the word moral and morality.

           = It studies the characteristics behavior of man as endowed with reason and freewill.

           = the science of the morality of human acts.

  II. Kinds of Person According To Morality

       A. A - Morality

            1. Independent of moral evaluation but are valuable in themselves but it does not mean that he is

              acting contrary to any moral rules but simply acting without moral concern.

              Example.

                a. Artist is concerned about the beauty of his art but not about morality whether or not to paint nude

                    women on canvas.

                b. Businessman sells cigarettes to earn more profit. He does not think about the morality about selling

                    cigarettes to people.

                c. George Bush attacks Iraq. His main concern is to find Saddam Hussein. He does not care whether

                    people are hurt or killed. It’s only his job to oust the Iraqi leader.

     B. Moral Humanism (Confucius)

         1. Morality is ever present and is necessary for man’s humanity. He needs to recognize rules and follow

             them since they are basic guidelines for anything he does.

         2. When each person fulfills his moral obligation, the most perfect society is achieved.

             Example.

              a. Businessman does not sell cigarettes nor liquor in his store because they are bad for the health.

              b. A woman will not prostitute herself even if it’s the last resort to save her mother’s life.

     C. Middle Position (Evaluation)

         1. There is a moral dimension to all these activities which a mature person should recognize.

         2. While pursuing goals of beauty, health, success, money and productivity, he must be aware of the

             moral demands of his actions (good/bad)

III. Foundation of Christian Morality

       A. What is Christian Moral Life?

           1. Christian Moral Life is the call to become loving persons, in the fullness of life with others in