Sin and Forgiveness Flashcards
What is absolute morality?
The way you make decisions never changes
What is relative morality?
Your view on something changes depending on the circumstances
What does the Catholic teach us about what the morality of human acts depend on?
- 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?)
What did Jesus say about judging others?
- 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
What are the different types of punishment?
- reform, rehabilitation
- retribution
- deterrence
- expiation
What is reform, rehabilitation punishment?
- 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
What is retribution punishment?
- criminals suffer what they’ve done wrong
- criminals should pay for their crime
- it punishes the criminal
What is deterrence punishment?
- 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
What is expiation punishment?
- 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
What is capital punishment?
A death penalty or where people who have been sentenced to death by the state
For arguments - Capital punishment
- 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
Against arguments - capital punishment
- 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
St Augustine’s thoughts on capital punishment
“…. We should prefer to have them set free than to have the sufferings of our brothers avenged by blood”
Pope Francis’s thoughts on capital punishment
- 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
What is salvation?
The action of Jesus which saves humanity from the consequences of sin