RE104- Prelims Flashcards
five (5) approaches to morality
- as law
- as inner conviction
- as personal growth
- as love
- as social transformation
- emphasizes the external
- morality is not something that originates from us but IMPOSED on us
as law
- associated with authority figures
- see our moral role in terms of duty or obedience
as law
emphasizes the value of conscience
as inner conviction
deep within our conscience we discover a law that we have not laid upon ourselves, but which we must obey
as inner conviction
- we experience this approach when we no longer need someone to tell us not to do bad
- able to see and feel the injustice that we bring to ourselves, and others when we do it
as inner conviction
the inner peace of a good conscience accompanies the knowledge that we have been true to our principles.
as inner conviction
shifts from the action that we do to we, who are doing the action
as personal growth
- more dynamic
- allows us to see change in the person
as personal growth
the primary moral experience is an experience of the I, with the other.
as love
It focuses on a loving relationship, becoming alive, and being responsive to the demands that it entails.
as love
when present, we know there is an implicit call for us to be kind, courteous, fair, and sympathetic
as love
we understand that the outcome of being moral might be expressed in terms of togetherness and communion
as love
- sees morality as a relationship
- goes beyond the small world of interpersonal relationships, to the larger world, the society
as social transformation
To be moral here means to be personally affected by the suffering of the poor and the marginalized.
as social transformation
involves not only a preferential option for the poor and marginalized but also a preferential option for the care of and responsible stewardship of our environment
morality as social transformation
four (4) images of god
- strict lawgiver
- a judge who rewards and punishes
- tester (sufferings come from god as a test)
- controller
TRUE/ FALSE: the intimate connection between the image of God and the perception of Christian morality/how we live our lives.
TRUE
We often use ____ as an analogy for God’s love.
human loving
We sometimes make the mistake of thinking that God’s love is like imperfect human love (3)
selective
arbitrary
conditional
Distortions can also come from some scripture passages that use ___ to describe God, particularly in the Old Testament
human metaphors
come from childhood experiences with strict authority figures who emphasized obedience to rules.
god as a strict lawgiver
can come from biblical passages that portray God punishing rule breakers (e.g., Adam and Eve, Israel and the golden calf)
god as a strict lawgiver
we end up with a life that overemphasizes observance of the law.
god as a strict lawgiver
begin to measure our goodness and the goodness of others based only on obedience to rules
god as a strict lawgiver
unable to deal with situations that are not covered by existing rules of the Church. We either become paralyzed or insist on a forced application of the rules.
god as a strict lawgiver
“I think God is always watching and judging my every move. if I am good, God will love me more and I will have many blessings in my life; if I am bad, God will withdraw his love and I will get punished with bad things in my life.”
god as a judge who rewards and punishes
problem: does not match what we see in reality – evil persons seem to prosper and bad things happen to good people
god as a judge who rewards and punishes
perceived inconsistency can lead people to question God’s love – some would conclude that God is cruel, has favorites, or is blind to human suffering.
god as a judge who rewards and punishes
interpret every tragedy as a punishment from God for some past or unknown sin and blame themselves for deserving such a punishment
god as a judge who rewards and punishes
Such an image of God will foster a morality that justifies the strict punishment of sinners.
god as a judge who rewards and punishes
lead to a morality that equates goodness with prosperity and sinfulness with suffering.
god as a judge who rewards and punishes
- God’s love has to be earned as a reward for good behavior.
- can affect how we relate with others – we seek to earn other people’s love and other people have to earn our love
god as a judge who rewards and punishes
- loving is reduced to a transaction
- it is not freely given; it is something one has to earn.
god as a judge who rewards and punishes
people view many difficulties in life as challenges sent by God to test one’s faith.
god as tester
This view can come from a literal reading of bible passages where God is presented as testing a person’s faith (e.g., Abraham; Job)
god as tester
- negative emotions are signs of a weakening of one’s trust in God’s love
- to give in to these feelings is a sign of a lack of faith and a failure in God’s test.
god as tester
- feel guilty about questioning God about bad things that happen
- they think that one should never question God’s ways – it would be a sign of disrespect
god as a tester
- god plans everything that will happen in their lives
- they believe that a person cannot escape the will of God.
god as controller
- “Everything that happens in my life has already been planned by God.”
- “God has a reason for allowing things to happen to me.”
god as controller
when dealing with difficulties in life, they either become passive or resigned to suffering or rebel and blame God for being cruel
god as controller
they try to make deals with God to influence God’s plan for their life.
god as controller
