Moral Authority Flashcards
Describe St Thomas Aquinas’ Natural Law
-Natural Law is the moral law of right and wrong, these are universal and not dependent on human laws. It is the belief that moral law can be known by every human, and it is the same for all people, in all places and at all times.
-Natural Law was put forward by St Thomas Aquinas, all humans have purposes in common: preserving life, living in society, seeking the truth, procreation, and worshipping God.
-Natural Law states that a good action is one that fulfils the purpose of the agent. Therefore, actions such as abortion are bad as it goes against the purpose ‘preserving life’.
-Natural law can influence the human laws we should obey, for example laws against murder, based on the idea that humans should “avoid evil and do good.”
Describe Catholics Beliefs About Natural Law
-Some Catholics may believe natural law is the best guide for humans as it is universal and not dependent on human laws. Natural Law states that a good action is one that fulfils the purpose of the agent.
-Therefore, an action will be objectively good or bad rather than subjective meaning that it will be easier to know right from wrong which will make living a good life easier.
-As a result, natural law can influence the human laws we should obey, for example laws against murder, based on the idea that humans should “avoid evil and do good.”
-Hence, only natural law needs to be followed to live a good life.
How are Catholics Influenced by Natural Law
-Catholics will be influenced to protest over the legalisation of actions such as euthanasia and abortion as they go against the human purpose to ‘preserve life.’
-As a result, Catholics will also be opposed to contraception as this opposes the human purpose of ‘reproduction’.
Evaluate Catholic Beliefs About Natural Law
-Catholics provide an unconvincing argument because natural law can lead to the inequality and persecution.
-For example, in abortion, natural law causes the rights of the foetus to be prioritised over that of the mother’s and natural laws view of homosexuals may be seen as discriminatory.
-Moreover, the precepts can be further debated such as preserving life as it can be debated over when life actually starts meaning the laws may not always be objective.
-Therefore, in a modern, secular society, laws should be based on human reason rather than the eternal law of a Creator God to ensure we are living a good life.
Describe Catholic Beliefs About Conscience
-Catholics believe that following our own conscience will help lead to a good life.
-This is because in Genesis it says, “Let us make mankind in our image,” which teaches that God made humans as a reflection of Himself.
-This includes our conscience, meaning that our moral compass reflects this divine imprint.
-Therefore, following conscience is the best way to live a good life as it is God given and a way for Him to guide us to do the right thing without directly interfering with our free will.
How are Catholics Influenced by the Belief in Conscience
-Catholics will be influenced to listen to teachings from the magisterium to ensure their conscience stays strong and is not tempted.
-Therefore, they will also make sure to attend mass weekly to keep their conscience well informed.
Evaluate Catholic beliefs About Conscience
-Catholics provide an unconvincing argument because conscience can sometimes be corrupted as mentioned by St Paul such as in Tit 1:15.
-Therefore, Catholics will need to listen to other sources of moral authority to ensure they are loving a good life as following the conscience may not always lead to the best choices.
Describe Atheist Beliefs About Conscience
-Atheists don’t believe that conscience comes from God so therefore, will not be perfect.
-Sigmund Freud argued, “Conscience is the internal perception of the rejection of a particular wish operating in us.” This teaches that our conscience arises from our inner conflict between desires and societal expectation.
-As a result, some argue that conscience is a product of society and our upbringing. This creates a set of rules in our minds and in turn, we feel guilty if our actions go against these rules.
-Therefore, conscience is not the best source of moral authority as it can be weakened through our experiences such as a negative upbringing.
How are Atheist Influenced by the Belief in Conscience
-Atheists will be influenced to find more appropriate sources of authority for our modern society.
-For example, they may argue human reason is a better source of moral authority as it is mainly formed personally rather than from outside influence.
-Some may also say that a mix of sources is best to reduce bias in decision making.
Evaluate Atheist Beliefs About Conscience
-Atheists provide a convincing argument because no source of moral authority may be seen as perfect so none may be classed as the best.
-Therefore, the best source of moral authority is a mix of multiple to gain a more neutral view on a situation.
Describe Jewish Beliefs About Conscience
-Many Jews would consider conscience as the ‘small voice’ which guides actions but that it is the Torah that represents the ‘powerful voice’ directing actions.
-This is because although there are references to a human ability to make moral decisions in the Torah, there is no actual reference to matzpun.
-Instead, they believe that everyone is born with a balance of two inclinations – to do good (yetzer ha tov) and to do evil (yetzer ha ra).
-All can make their own choices and will all be held responsible for them as humans have been given free will whether to keep the mitzvot of the Torah or not.
Explain how Jews are Influenced by Belief in Conscience
-Jews will be influenced to choose the right inclination as in Deuteronomy, they are warned, “I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse.”
-God warns curses if they choose the wrong inclination.
-Hence, Jews will choose the inclination to do good to gain the blessings promised for following God’s commands and in turn, keep a good, clean conscience.
Describe how the Existence of Conscience and Natural Law Show the Goodness of God
-Catholics would argue that the ability to find out natural law shows the universe is created by a God who is good.
-The ability to recognise suffering as an evil is a sign that we have this God-given ability to tell the difference between good and evil.
-The existence of conscience is also another proof of the goodness of God who created human beings in His own image.
-St Thomas Aquinas defined conscience as “the mind of human beings making moral decisions.”
-Catholics believe that if humans followed their conscience more often, there would be far less moral evil in the world and far less suffering as a result.
Describe Jesus’ Teachings from the Sermon on the Mount.
-In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave clear instructions on how people should live their lives.
-It began with a list of blessing called the Beatitudes.
-The key messages of the beatitudes is that those who are closest to God are often those that the world does not recognise or value.
-Jesus also gave the Golden Rule- “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
-Catholics will therefore try to model themselves on Jesus as His teachings and actions are the perfect example.
Describe how the Sermon on the Mount is the Fulfilment of the Law
-Jesus is a source of moral authority as He came to fulfil God’s law. Jesus says the requirements of being a follower of Jesus goes further and deeper than the Law of Moses.
-Jesus repeats a phrase which begins “You have heard that it was said…” and ends with “But I say to you…”
-Here Jesus shows the ways in which being a follower of His is more demanding than the religious Law (Torah) which His listeners had been living by.
-For example, murder was wrong, but now being anger was unacceptable, adultery was wrong but now looking at someone lustfully was wrong.
-It wasn’t just about an action, intention and the reason behind it was significant as well.
