What have we learned?
• We are aware of different descriptions of what it means to
be moral.
All of us have to make choices. Choices that involve right
or wrong and good or bad are called
moral choices. The basis for making moral choices is called
morality.
• We have an understanding of the consequences of actions
and decisions at personal and communal levels.
The consequences of our actions extend out from our interpersonal
relationships to our communal relationships and even to our global
relationships.
Example 1.
Example 2.
The Niall Mellon Township Trust is an example of how one person’s
actions can have amazing consequences of a positive nature on
relationships at an interpersonal, communal and global level.
It is clear that combining alcohol and driving can have very negative
consequences, which can be experienced in relationships at
interpersonal, communal and global levels. (See page 407)
• We are able to identify the variety of influences on
human behaviour.
What influences our moral choices?
An influence is something that has an effect on
the way we might think about a person, a place
or a thing. Our opinions and choices are all
influenced by many different factors. For
example, our morality, what we believe to be
good or bad, right or wrong, is influenced by our
upbringing, the opinions of our family and
friends, the place where we live, our religion and
so on. (See chart on page 413)
What have we learned?
• We are able to identify sources of morality, especially sources
of morality in our own lives.
Sources of Morality
Our morality (i.e. our sense of what is right and what is wrong) comes
from our set of values. We get our values from the people and the
traditions that surround us from the very beginning of our lives – our
family, our friends, our school, our community, our religion and our State.
Sources of Morality
Our morality (i.e. our sense of what is
right and what is wrong) comes from our
set of values. We get our values from the
people and the traditions that surround us
from the very beginning of our lives – our
family, our friends, our school, our
community, our religion and our State.
Family
Our family is the first source of our
morality, as it is here that we first learn to
differentiate between good and bad, right
and wrong.
Friends
Our friends and peers are another source
of morality for us. Our friends can have a
positive or a negative influence on our
moral values.
School
Our school community is a very important
source of morality. The ethos and mission
statement of our school describes the kind
of place it tries to be. This influences how
people within the school behave and how
they treat others.
Religion
The followers of a religion are greatly
influenced in their moral choices by the
teachings of their faith. We call the values
that come from religion religious values.
The State
State representatives make decisions based
on the ‘common good’, i.e. what they
consider to be for the overall benefit of
those who live in the country. This concern
for the common good is a core belief or
value of the State.
• We understand the meaning and implications of a moral
vision.
Religious Moral Vision
A religious moral vision is based on the set of beliefs, the sacred text and the life and
teachings of the founder of each faith tradition. The moral choices of a believer give
expression to that believer’s religious moral vision. The Christian moral vision is based on
the example of Jesus’ life. In section B, we learned that Jesus expressed his moral vision
through his words and his actions. He expressed that moral vision in the Beatitudes
(Matthew 5:1-12).
• We are able to describe the vision articulated in different sets
of rules and moral codes.
The Law – Rooted in the Past
Ever since the first communities of people gathered
together, they saw the need to formalise laws in the
interest of the common good. The purpose of these
laws or codes was to help people to live in community
with one another. The laws upheld the values that the
community lived by, such as respect, freedom, peace
and so on. Each new generation interpreted the codes
of the past in line with their own moral vision, instead
of starting the process from scratch.
What is different about a religious moral vision?
A person can have a moral vision without necessarily being a person of
faith. Many good people throughout history have been motivated or driven
to act justly out of concern for other human beings, rather than out of a
religious moral vision. A religious moral vision has an ‘extra’dimension or
element. For example, a Christian is motivated to do good and to live a
moral life out of the belief that:
• Human life is a God-given gift;
• God is creator and Father of all people;
• Every person is created in the image and likeness of God and, therefore, has
unique value, worth and dignity;
• Each person must take full responsibility for their actions in order to maintain a
right relationship with God and with others;
• The world is God’s creation and we have been given responsibility to respect,
protect and develop it.
What have we learned?
• We have a sense of the
development of personal
morality.
From the five stages of moral
growth, we can see that a person’s
motivation to do the right thing
moves from the stage of reward and
punishment, through the need to be
liked and to have approval, towards
the stage where a person behaves
out of a personal conviction. In other
words, we move from selfishness to
altruism (selflessness). We no longer
think only about ourselves; we
consider the other person as well.
This is what it means to develop a
personal morality.
• We understand the meaning of conscience and its importance
in moral maturity.
Our conscience helps us to respond to moral situations. It is a guidance
system working within us. We can think of it as our ‘SIM card’, without
which we would not operate properly. Our
CONSCIENCE (our SIM!) guides us in three ways:
S
It sees the difference between right and wrong, good and bad,
and lets us know when we have made a choice that is good and
when we have made a choice that is bad.
I
It gives us an inner sense of what is right and wrong, even if we
cannot fully explain why this is so.
M
It makes us want to choose what we think is for the best. It acts like a
magnet and draws us towards what we feel is right and good.
An Informed Conscience
When we are making a moral decision, it is
really important to have as much information
as possible. This means that we must inform
our conscience with the necessary
information to make good moral decisions. An
informed conscience will be up to date with
the moral teachings from all the sources of
morality, i.e. family, school, friends,
community, religion and State.
What have we learned?
• We have an understanding of the process of decision-making.
• We know how religious moral visions can influence the moral
decisions of believers.
•For example, in relation to euthanasia:
The Christian moral vision goes
against euthanasia. This is
because Christians believe that
each person is created by God
and that human life is sacred
(holy).
The Islamic moral vision goes
against euthanasia. Islam teaches
that men and women are sacred
beings because God has created
them, and all that God has
created is dependent on God.
• We are able to describe the religious visions of moral failure
and the understanding of forgiveness.
The Christian Vision of
Moral Failure
For Christians, sin refers
to anything that goes
against God. This includes
bad moral decisions,
through which people
hurt themselves or others
or damage the
environment. Selfish
choices usually lead to
sin.
What have we learned?
• We have a basic understanding of the relationship
between State law and personal morality.
Personal Morality v. State Law
Our personal morality is guided by our conscience and our
sources of morality. Personal morality and State law cannot
be totally separate because it is individuals who shape and
enforce the law in the first place. What binds a community
together is the sharing of core values. For example, Irish
society believes that stealing is wrong, and Irish State law
reflects this value. The conviction that it is wrong to steal
comes from each person’s conscience, so personal morality
is also a foundation for State law.
• We have a basic understanding of the relationship between
State law and religious morality.
State Law and Religious Morality
Different people have different views or theories about the relationship that exists between
State law and religious morality.
Pluralism reflects the belief that State laws ought not to be
based on or determined by any single religious tradition. Each
group within the society – whether ethnic, racial, religious or
social – has a right to participate in and develop its own culture
and interests. A pluralist society is enriched when the views or
outlook of different groups are accepted and people are
encouraged to be tolerant of others’ viewpoints.
Religious Fundamentalists stick
rigidly to their sacred text or
teachings. Attempts to modernise
or update beliefs are strongly
resisted, and those who seek to
do this are excluded from the
group. So, for example, a
Christian fundamentalist may
take the Creation story from the
Bible as the literal truth. Any
truths based on scientific
discovery that appear to conflict
with their religious text or
teaching are likely to be
dismissed as lies. A religious
fundamentalist would like if the
laws of their religion were
implemented as the laws of the
State in which they live.
Libertarianism is the belief that
each person has the right to
control their own body, actions,
speech and property. Libertarians
believe that they are free to do
what they choose once they do
not interfere with the right of
another person to do as they
choose. Libertarianism rejects
laws that restrict the freedom of
the individual. It believes that
moral issues should be left to the
individual’s conscience. From a
libertarian point of view, the
Government’s role is only to
protect the individual from harm,
violence or fraud.