St. Louis U. High Junior Morality

Section I: Natural Law

1. Why do we as Americans speak so frequently about our �rights�?
2. When God directs His people in His law, what does He lay down instead of �rights�?
3. What are the different meanings of the word �good�? Which meaning is most important for this study?
4. What is the common good? What is an example of the common good?
5. What are the problems of living in a �secularized� society?

1. What is a papal encyclical? Why is Rerum novarum considered important for Catholic social teaching?
2. How does the Old Testament contribute to Catholic social teaching? How does the New Testament contribute to Catholic social teaching?
3. What is the difference between a Church Father and a Church Doctor? What are the contributions of the Fathers and the Doctors to Catholic Social teaching
4. Why do we study the writings of the Popes? Are the writings of the Popes addressed on to Catholics?
5. Why are the differences between Popes unlike the differences of secular leaders, such as the President of the United States?
6. Why is it that the Popes of ages long ago still have teaching that should be important for us today?

• Homework assignment: Where do the beginnings of a person's morality occur? What are the other influences as one gets older?
• How does the song "Cain's Blood" illustrate the need for the examined life and for morality?
• How does the Universal Declariation of Human Rights and the various versions of the Golden Rule offer evidence of natural law. What does Kavanaugh say about natural law in the article "Natural Law Applies Regardless of Religion, Race or Gender"?
• Newsweek article "What is Virtue?" What is the dominant school of philosphy in most universaties today? List and describe the four classical virtues. Can ethics be taught? What is the argument for Aristotle's Virtue Ethics?
• C.S.Lewis "The Law of Human Nature & Some Objections" from his book Mere Christianity
• Mr. Linhares introduction

• Buddhism. Great site is at The Big View/Buddhism. What are the origins of this morality? Know something about Buddha's life. Be able to list and explain The Four Noble Truths. Be able to discuss and relate The Eight fold Path, including The Five Precepts. Add other key moral terms and teachings: nirvana, karma, enlightenment. Here is a great site detailing Buddhist ideas concnering certain moral issues. Thanks Dan Behr for these last two links.
• Confucianism. Steve Kelly has a good web site on Confucianism. What are the origins of this morality? Know something about Confucius. Be able to list and explain his "Five Key Relationships." Add other key moral terms and teachings: jen, chun-tzu, li, te, wen.
  
• Islam. Will Huddleston's site is really good. What are the origins of this morality? Know something about Mohammed. Be able to list and explain the Five Pillars of Islam. Add other key moral terms and teachings: jihad. Is this jihador is this jihad? All the above is minimal requirements. You are urged to do more.

Section II: The Moral Teachings of Jesus

1. Why did Pius XI institute the Feast of Christ the King?
2. How do the Scriptures of the Old Testament show that the Messiah would be a king?
3. How is the kingship fulfilled in Jesus Christ?
4. Why is religion not merely a private or personal matter, but public and social? How do we see this in the Old Testament?
5. Why do all people owe obedience to Jesus Christ, even if they are not Christian?

1. How are worship and sacrifice part of human nature?
2. Why did God give instructions to the Hebrews about worshipping and sacrifice?
3. How is the death of Jesus on the cross a �sacrifice�?
4. How doe the Mass share in the Sacrifice of the Cross?
5. What is �secularism,� and why is it wrong?

1. What does it mean to taek the Lord's name in vain?
2. What is "blasphemy"?
3. Why cannot "free speech" include the freedom to blaspheme God?
4. Who could unrestrained freedom of speech destroy a community?

1. Why did God command his People to rest onteh Sabbath? What happened to them when they disobeyed this commandment?
2. How was this commandment modified in Christian practive?
3. What respect do people have for this commandment today?
4. Why is forcing people to work on the Sabbath an injustice even when they do so voluntarily?

• Key Teachings of Jesus
  • Jesus's Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7, RB pg 48, worksheet
  • The story of the rich young man
  • The judgment of nations
  • The Parable of the Good Samaritan
  • The parable of the talents
• William O'Malley's "The Moral Practice of Jesus" RB pg 54
  
• O'Connell's Elements of a Biblical Morality, RB pg. 41 ( We did not get to this article in 2007).
  
• C.S.Lewis The Great Sin, in class
  
• Video: Weapons of the Spirit and handouts

Section III: Basic Catholic Moral Teachings

1. Why is it naturally just that parents have authority over their children, according to St. Thomas Aquinas?
2. What was the position of the Socialists and the Communists with regard to the government�s respect for parental authority?
3. Why is it wrong for the state to force religious families to for non-religious schools?
4. Why have the Popes criticized secular schools?
5. How do religious schools act for the common good of society?

1. Why is it false to believe that all authority comes from the choice of the people?
2. What does the Old Testament teach about he origin of authority? What doe the New Testament teach?
3. How does the authority of God offer a foundation for all obedience?
4. How is it that all laws come from the law of God? Give an example.

• Assignment: Catechism worksheet and test
• Assignment: Conscience and a method of moral decision making
• Block Day Class: Jury Duty
  
• Catechism on Morality, 1743 to 1876, RB 101-114. Use this Catechism worksheet to guide your study.
  
• Sin in the Catechism RB pg. 21
  
• "Three Parts of Morality," from C.S.Lewis' Mere Christianity, RB pages 11-13.
• Two articles from FR. Knapp
  
  
  • Conscience as a Power and a Process
    
  • Three Methods of Christian Catholic Moral Decision Making
  
  
• Video: Fr. Ralph Huse, SJ. The examen of consciousness

What we will have taken all the above in the Third Quarter

Section IV: Key Catholic Social Teaching

1. Why are the fifth, sixth and seventh commnandment given in that order?
2. Why are men allowed to take the life of plants and anmals?
3. How si the murder of the innocent �a sin that cries to heaven for vengeance�?
4. Why are countries not allowed to pass laws in favoer of murder?
5. Why is it not permissable to perform harmful experiments on some group for the benefit of the common good?
6. Why is it wrong to destroy human embryos for the sake of medical advances.

1. How do we know that �you shall not kill� does not forbid capital punishment?
2. How does St. Thomas show the necessity of capital punishment?
3. How does Pius XII answer the objection that capital punishment violated the criminal�s �right to life�?
4. Why does Pope John Paul II believe that capital punishment should be abolished? Is this a �change� in the teaching of the Church?

• "The Ten Building Blocks of Catholic Social Teaching" by William J. Byron RB pages 88-91
• �The Four Components of Justice� by Jim McGinnis, RB pages 92-98
• �Three attitudes to cultivate justice� by Pedro Arrupe, S.J. RB pages 99
• Ignatian ideals of indifference, discernment.
  
  

• "Five decisions you made over spring break that had to do with good and bad, right and wrong."
• Assign research project; discuss "illegal downloading."
• video: "The Bad Samaritan"
• video: "In the Footsteps of Jesus: Catholic Social Teaching at Work Today" How does God call you to make a difference in the world?

What we will have taken all the above by the Easter break

Section V-1: Medical Ethics

1. What does it mean for a country to have �a collapse in the birthrate�? How many children must the average couple have to replace themselves? Why are large families necessary for population stability?
2. What could Pope John Paul II mean when he says that a drop in the birthrate is a harmful development of a society?
3. In what ways are the wealthier nations imposing their problems on poorer nations?
4. What problems do many nations have as a result of severely limiting the number of children they have?
5. What are good reasons for limiting the number of children one has? What are bad reasons? How do people misunderstand the purpose of family?
6. What us the advantage of a big family for the family itself? What are the advantages of big families for the society as a whole?

1. How do we know that it is fair for human being to use plants and animals as food and clothing? Do we know this only from the Bible?
2. Why are we not allowed to use plants and animals any way we please?
3. What commands did the Old TEstament give about the care of animals? Does this mean that animals have rights?
4. Why do some people fall into the error of thinking they have to �save� the earth from destruction?
5. Why have the popes in modern times spoken on the importance of farm life?

Section V-I: Just War

• Bush's Just War Doctrine, Us. News & World Report, 2/4/91
• Obligations and Formation of the Just War Theory
  • Three Types of Obligations
  • Jus ad bellum
  • Just in bello
  • Selective Conscientious Objection

1. Does the commandment �you shall not kill outlaw every kind of war?
2. Why does St. Augustine believe that Jesus did not outlaw warfare?
3. What are the three conditions for s a just war?
4. Who is �due authority?� What makes a cause �just�?
5. What does St. Thomas Aquinas mean by �right intention�?
6. Under what circumstances may a Catholic �conscientiously object� to participating in a war?

1. Why should we consider lying form the pint of view of the one being lied to?
2. Why is truth-telling necessary in society?
3. Why do we as Christians have a special regard for the truth?
4. Why does our own age have such a hard time respecting the eighth commandment?
5. How is truth a �common good�?
6. Why do people make the error of thinking truth is a �private good�?
7. Why are moral relativism and other forms of denying universal truth dangerous to society?

• Tim O'Brien's "On the Rainy River." Worksheet covering key moral teachings applied to his story.
• Video: Remember My Lai. Click here for Court TV's The My Lai Cases. Look into Tiger Force. Look into what happened in Haditha in Iraq.

• Hiroshima: Tim Hunt and Matt Self
• The Firebombing of Tokyo and Dresden: Matt Vonderheide, Andrew Zack and Pete Hock.

What have taken all the above. What is below is coming.

1. How does the sixth commandment pertain to society?
2. Why do human beings need to join in permanent unions for their offspring?
3. Why id divorce contrary to God�s law?
4. How does history show the seriousness of the Church in the defense of the marriage bond?
5. What are the social problems that divorce allows?
6. Why cannot one allow divorce for �exceptional� cases?
7. Why is it important to remember that marriage is a sacrament?

1. Why is it that men alone of all the animals must divide up land in the form of �private property�?
2. Why do people fall into error of thinking that people will be happier and better if there is no private property?
3. What three reasons does St. Thomas give for the defense of private property? How do you see his reasons confirmed in your own experience?
4. Why does God allow inequality in possessions? What responsibility do the rich have toward the poor?
5. How has the Church helped the poor through the ages? How did this change?
6. Why is it that government programs can never replace the work of Christian charity?

1. What are three different forms of economic justice?
2. Why is robbery a greater sin than theft?
3. How does the story of Alexander the Great and the pirate show that governments are capable of breaking the seventh commandment? How do governments fail to respect private property?
4. What are the errors of the Socialists and Communists about property? How did they treat the property of the church?

1. What does the Bible teach about defrauding man of his wages?
2. What does Pope Leo XIII teach about �just wage�?
3. Briefly, what are the three considerations relevant to determining a just wage?
4. What is a �family wage�? Why is it important that mothers stay home with their children?
5. What can limit a business from paying a just wage?
6. How doe the common good pertain pertain to a just wage?

1. Why should we guard out thought from evil desires? What is the virtue of modesty? Who bears the responsibility for promoting and protecting it?
2. What distinguishes good kings of entertainment from bad? Why did the first Christians avoid the theater?
3. Why have the Popes of the 20th century been so concerned about immoral entertainment's?
4. Why are obscene of immoral forms of entertainment not protected by free speech?
5. What responsibility do we have as lay people to help promote and protect good forms of entertainment? How did Catholics fulfill this responsibility in America?
6. What responsibility does government have for promoting modest entertainment?

1. How does Our Lord perfect the Old Testament commandment about covetousness?
2. What is the vice of avarice? Is someone greedy just because he is rich?
3. What is envy? Is it ever right to be sad at the good fortune of others?
4. What happens to a society when its members put all their happiness in material goods?
5. How is a society wounded by greed? How is a society wounded by envy?
6. How are greed and envy causes of conflict between societies? How are greed and envy cured?

1. Why is it that a society is doomed to unhappiness once it rejects Catholic teaching?
2. Why is it that man cannot make himself happy without the help of others?
3. Why do common goods contribute the most to human happiness?
4. How do we know that common goods are more important than private goods?
5. Why is it an error to think that the Catholic Church is part of a larger human society?
6. What is the virtue of charity? How is it related to the common good?
7. What distinguishes the �City of God� from the� City of Man�?
8. . Why is it that in helping man to the common good, society should also be helping man to his salvation?