Christian Morality What is morality Morality has to

Christian Morality

What is morality? Morality has to do with the way we live our life. It helps us decide what is right and wrong behavior All Christians and non-Christians has morality Jews and Christians share many similarities regarding teachings about morality (for ex. To kill or to steal)

The Commandment of Love Christian morality: It is summed up in the word LOVE Great commandment You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind You shall love your neighbor as yourself LOVE IS FREELY GIVEN AND FOR THE GOOD OF OTHERS

“Love one another as I have loved you”

God’s love: Open or Closed to it? Christian vision: We lead a moral life of love not to gain God’s love, but we love because God loved us first Each of us is precious to God We have to choose to be open to God – let God’s love fill us up and overflow into our words, thoughts, and actions We can also choose to be closed to God – being selfcentered, small, and alone

The Law of Love – 10 Commandments The Great Commandments are summed up in the 10 commandments The first three commandments are about the love of God and the next seven are about love of neighbor Jesus told us to go BEYOND the letter of the LAW (the literal meaning) and EMBRACE the spirit of the LAW (it’s deeper meaning of love)

Catholic Moral Teaching The Catholic Church talks about the problems of our world and society through the CATHOLIC MORAL TEACHING in 3 themes

The Dignity and Worth of All Human Life Protect life at every stage of existence – from the fetus in the womb to the old person dying This theme is directly related to – murder, abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, war Other problems dealing with this – racism, discrimination, terrible living conditions, malnutrition and hunger, domestic violence, reckless driving, alcohol and drug abuse, torture, exploitation of others

Every person from “WOMB to TOMB” has dignity and worth because everyone is created by GOD in God’s image

The Necessity of Social Justice Everyone’s needs in society should be provided for, not just for the few or majority The theme of social justice is related to the 7 th commandment – YOU SHALL NOT STEAL We must foster the common good – the well-being of all in society This theme deals with work and employment, poverty and global economics, war, healthcare, education, racism, development of the world’s poorest nations, the environment, farmers, and homelessness

The Sacredness of Human Sexuality and its Expression In our society, sex is often used to sell products and make money, to manipulate persons, to exert power over another, or to express temporary attraction Human sexuality and its genital expression are SACRED; gifts from God meant to be treated with love and care Themes: condemns rape, sexual harassment, pornography, prostitution, advertising, and the abuse of children and other vulnerable people

Freedom and Grace Conscience – ability to recognize the difference between right and wrong Free will – we can choose between moral good and evil Responsibility – we are responsible for our actions good and bad; we have to own them To form our conscience – we look at the Church’s teachings and let those teachings guide our thinking

Sin Can Be Overcome By Grace Christianity puts hope in the promise that God’s grace is stronger than all the sin in the world The power of love, peace, joy, forgiveness, reconciliation- God’s power – can transform even the worst situations of sin and suffering into new life God does not force us to be good but INVITES US

The Big Question What kind of person are you? What kind of person do you want to become? Habits you form (virtues and vices) -> who you are (character) -> what you do (acts)