Christian Morality

Chapter 3 Notes
Law as a Guide to Freedom

Freedom and Responsibility:

• ______________:
– Makes us responsible for our choices and actions, either good
or evil
• CCC teaches that:
– “______________ is the power, rooted in ____________ and
________, to ______ or ______ to act, to do ________ or
________, and so to perform _________________ actions on
one’s own _____________________.”
• Not everyone believes human beings are truly free:
– Those who believe in ___________________ deny that
humans have the power to choose.

Kinds of Freedom:
• ______________ Freedom:
– Freedom from factors ______________ ourselves that
threaten or destroy our power to exercise ____________.
– EX: freedom from ____________, _____________
• _______________ Freedom:
– Includes freedom from interior factors that limit choice.
– EX: freedom from ________ and ___________________
• ________ freedom liberates us to develop our God-given
___________ in a responsible way so we can live our lives for
__________ and for our loving ______. Freedom serves what is
________, ________, and ________.

Limits on Freedom:
• Human freedom is not _______________. Human freedom is, in fact,
______________.

Abuses Against Freedom:

• Abuse of freedom results in ______.
 • The Catholic moral tradition has recognized a number of impediments
to freedom:
– ________________~ simply not knowing what we should do or
not do. We always have the duty to overcome ignorance. It does
not free us from responsibility.
– _________________~ not paying attention or being
distracted while acting.
– ____________~ our freedom being impeded when being
forced to do something.
– ________________ ________________~ money and other
possessions can enslave us
– ____________~ repeated behavior leads to habits. Bad habits
are vices.
• These things should not enslave us. We have the ___________ to
____________.

Responsibility:
• With the marvelous power of free will comes __________________.
• ________________:
– Actions that can be ______________, _______________, or
definitely ____________ to a specific accountable
____________ or ____________.
• If a deed is imputable, someone can clearly be held
“________________” for it.

Emotions and Reality:

• Catholic morality traditionally has discussed emotions under the term
________________, that is, our “________________.”
• The most basic emotion or passion is ________.
• Emotions are morally ______________.
• Having strong feelings does not mean we are either ________ or
____________, __________ or _____________. It is what we
____ with our emotions that counts.

In Union With Christ:

• __________ is the fundamental norm of Christian morality.
• Beliefs lead to ____________, that is, certain standards or qualities
that we deem worthwhile or valuable.
 • Our belief in Jesus’ teaching on __________________ makes us
value qualities like __________, ___________________, &
________________.

Law and Morality:

• ______:
– An ordinance of reason for the ____________ good.
• Civil law is a particular application of the ______________ law for
members of a given society
• ______________ ______:
– The reasoned participation of humans in God’s eternal law that
reveals what God intends us to do and to avoid according to his
wise and loving plan.
– Light of understanding God has placed in us

The New Law:

• The highest norm of human life is ____________ law.
• __________ law:
– The full body of officially established rules governing the
Catholic Church, which was revised in 1983.

Precepts of the Church:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.