Sin and Forgiveness

Question 1

What is absolute morality?

Answer 1

The way you make decisions never changes

Question 2

What is relative morality?

Answer 2

Your view on something changes depending on the circumstances

Question 3

What does the Catholic teach us about what the morality of human acts depend on?

Answer 3

• the object chosen (the act we do)
• the end in view or the intention (the motive)
• the circumstances of the action (is it done in the right way?)

Question 4

What did Jesus say about judging others?

Answer 4

• Jesus warned us to not judge others is we wish to avoid judgement ourselves
• Jesus was talking about judging hearts and minds which only God can do

Question 5

What are the different types of punishment?

Answer 5

• reform, rehabilitation
• retribution
• deterrence
• expiation

Question 6

What is reform, rehabilitation punishment?

Answer 6

• the only way to really stop crime is to reform the criminal so they don’t commit more crimes
• criminals should be taught not to commit crimes again
• most criminals only commit crime because they don’t know any better

Question 7

What is retribution punishment?

Answer 7

• criminals suffer what they’ve done wrong
• criminals should pay for their crime
• it punishes the criminal

Question 8

What is deterrence punishment?

Answer 8

• the punishment should put other people off committing crime
• this is done through a severe punishment in proportion to the crime
• if someone knows they will have their hand cut off for stealing, they won’t steal

Question 9

What is expiation punishment?

Answer 9

• punishment is willingly accepted by the guilty party, it is making up for what’s done
• 1 problem here - crime and punishment that ‘pays for’ the crime can never perfectly match

Question 10

What is capital punishment?

Answer 10

A death penalty or where people who have been sentenced to death by the state

Question 11

For arguments - Capital punishment

Answer 11

• murdering family/ relatives/ friends builds up rage - gives closure to the families
• for those who are 100% guilty
• murder, torture, rape, taking away liberty of life - should resolve the death penalty
  “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”
• by consenting to the death penalty, a criminal makes up for their crime and might escape eternal punishment in hell
• in the face of death, the criminal may repent and reconcile with God

Question 12

Against arguments - capital punishment

Answer 12

• mistakes will be made - innocent people being accused of being guilty (injustice to innocent people) - 143 people have been exonerated and freed from death row since 1973 in the US (how many times they’ve been wrong)
• capital punishment is barbaric, it’s seeking revenge
• it brutalises society - humanists - to commit a crime, it reflects on society
• Repentance - put people in prison
  “Turn the other cheek”
• not all criminals repent for their sins on a death row

Question 13

St Augustine’s thoughts on capital punishment

Answer 13

“…. We should prefer to have them set free than to have the sufferings of our brothers avenged by blood”

Question 14

Pope Francis’s thoughts on capital punishment

Answer 14

• responsibility to protect and defend human life at all costs
• as part of his ministry, he wants to abolish the death penalty
• every life is sacred
• encouragement to those to end death penalty
• rehabilitation

Question 15

What is salvation?

Answer 15

The action of Jesus which saves humanity from the consequences of sin

Question 16

Christian Beliefs on salvation

Answer 16

• humans started sinning when we were born - this is because they went against God’s will
• Christians believe that without God’s help, they will continue to sin, when they sin they should repent
• Christians also believe that when Jesus was crucified he saved humankind from sin and they now have a chance to be saved (salvation)

Question 17

What are beliefs on Hell?

Answer 17

• God does not send anyone to Hell
• rather we decide our eternal destination through our choices in life
• if we are not the sort of person who wants to live with others and love others in Heaven, we won’t want to be there
• God cannot allow us to spoil eternal life for others

Question 18

What does Mary’s Magnificat teach us?

Answer 18

That Mary felt she had a mission to serve God
- she calls herself his servant and shows that she was very faithful
“My soul magnifies the lord” - her love for God is getting stronger
“My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour” - sees God as a saviour
“Lowliness of his servant” - she considers herself a lot less important than God

Question 19

How is Mary as a disciple presented?

Answer 19

She is faithful - trusted and had faith in God when an angel told her she was going to have a baby - ‘let it be done’ - she is willing to trust and follow God
She is courageous - she accepted the challenge of pregnancy especially at a young age - it takes courage to do what God wants us to do
She is a mother - Mary is the mother of Jesus - therefore the mother of God - the catechism describes the Magnificat as the song of the mother of God and the mother of the church - she gives herself fully to God like a good disciple should
She is first and last - Mary was present when Jesus was born and was present when he took his last breath, she stayed with her son when he died - God came first before anything else in her life

Question 20

What did St Paul refer to the church as?

Answer 20

The body of Christ with Jesus as the head and us as the body
- we are the ones who have to be Christ’s body on earth today, helping people
- we are all one body of Christ
“… All its many parts form one body”
- when Jesus ascended to Heaven, he trusted his followers to continue his mission because he no longer had a body on earth to do it