FAMILY AWARENESS DAY……..RESPECT LIFE……..CONFIRMATION I AND II
The Catholic Church has a consistent ethic of respect for all life from the moment of conception until the
moment of natural death. The Church’s teachings on matters of life and death stem from the deep
seated belief that God is the author of all life and, therefore, all life belongs to God. It is only logical,
therefore, that no person has the right to willfully take from God that which God has created.
The fifth commandment states “Thou shall not kill.” This commandment involves far more than the
taking of life through murder. The taking of life through abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, even
war in some cases, and through drug and alcohol abuse also falls under this commandment.
Once we have established that God is the author of all life and, therefore, all life belongs to God as
our umbrella reality, then the responses to life and death issues must logically proceed from there.
The Church teaches “Thou shalt not Kill.” As we know, there are many forms of killing. Each of them
has to be examined under our main premise.
-Murder is obviously not allowed because God, not man, is the author of life and all life belongs
to God. The only exception to this rule is if one were to kill in an act of self defense.
-War is a more complicated issue. “ The Just War Theory,” which was first put forth by St.
Augustine in the 4th century and has since been re-examined and updated to deal with new
forms of weaponry and new techniques of war, outlines the criteria which must be met if a war
is to be declared “just.” Although this is a Catholic teaching, it is respected and utilized by every
civilized nation in the world in determining whether a war is “just” or not. In fact, before
committing the U.S. to military involvement in other countries, several presidents of the United
States have consulted with their respective ministers to discuss whether U.S. intervention would
meet the criteria of “The Just War Theory.”
The criteria for a just war are:
- LAST RESORT -A just war can only be waged as a last resort. All non-violent
options, such as negotiation, trade embargos, economic sanctions must be
exhausted before the use of force can be justified.
-LEGITIMATE AUTHORITY-A war is just only if it is waged by a legitimate
authority. Even just causes cannot be served by actions taken by individuals or
groups who do not constitute an authority sanctioned by whatever the society
and outsiders to the society deem legitimate.
-RIGHT INTENTION-A just war can only be fought to redress a wrong suffered.
For example, self-defense against an armed attack is always considered to be a
just cause (although the justice of the cause is not sufficient--see point #4).
Further, a just war can only be fought with "right" intentions: a war cannot be
waged to gain land or power or to wipe out a people due only to hatred.
-REASONABLE CHANCE OF SUCCESS-A war can only be just if it is fought with a
reasonable chance of success. Deaths and injury incurred in a hopeless cause
are not morally justifiable.
-The ultimate goal of a just war is to re-establish peace. More specifically, the
peace established after the war must be preferable to the peace that would
have prevailed if the war had not been fought.
-PROPORTIONALITY-The violence used in the war must be proportional to the
injury suffered. States are prohibited from using force not necessary to attain
the limited objective of addressing the injury suffered.
- Civilians are never permissible targets of war, and every effort must be taken to avoid killing civilians.
The deaths of civilians are justified only if they are unavoidable victims of a deliberate attack on a
military target. In a “just war” no one may knowingly attack a school, orphanage, hospital, etc.
In addition, the Just War Theory states that under no circumstance may any party use biological,
chemical or nuclear warfare.
It also states that the conscience of both the dissenter who refuses to kill and the soldier who goes
into battle must be respected if their decisions were made in good conscience.
-Abortion , the stopping of life pre-birth is not allowed because the Church believes that life
begins at conception. If life begins at conception and all life belongs to God, then man has no
right to end what God has begun. The Church does not give credence to the idea of “viability”
that many in the secular world use as an argument on the Pro-Choice side which says that since
the fetus is not viable, i.e. cannot exist on its own, independent from the mother, it is not yet a
person. The Church tells us that the growing fetus is, indeed, a person and that the time in
utero, is only one stage of a person’s life, no different in value and dignity, than later stages
when the child is out of utero. The Church also points out that there are times when a fully
grown person is not “viable,” i.e. when a person is dependent on a feeding tube, or ventilator to
keep him alive for a time. No one would suggest that such a person were not fully human and,
therefore, could be disposed of. The same, then, holds true, for the growing fetus.
-Euthanasia, sometimes called mercy killing, is the taking of a person’s life in response to that
person’s request, usually as a result of severe pain and suffering near what would be the natural
end of life. The Church does not allow euthanasia because, since all life belongs to God, no one
has the right to stop a life.
-Capital Punishment is the execution by the government of a criminal who has been found
guilty of a heinous crime, usually 1st degree murder. The Church recognizes the severity and
offensiveness of the crime and believes that the person ought to be punished, but it does not
allow capital punishment. The reason for the Church’s ban on capital punishment comes from,
first of all, the belief that God is the author of all life and, therefore, all life belongs to God. The
Church also cites other compelling arguments against capital punishment, including:
-People have been erroneously put to death who were never guilty.
-Capital punishment does not give the prisoner time and opportunity to repent and
change
-Capital punishment, according to all studies, does nothing to deter crime
-Drugs and Alcohol While the Church certainly does not condemn occasional and safe drinking
of alcoholic beverages, it does ask us to look at the seriousness of dangerous patterns in
drinking and it prohibits the use of non-prescription drugs, just as the government does.
Because God has created our bodies, and because as Catholics we believe that we have some
responsibilities for and towards others, we have a responsibility to take care of our bodies. For
example, a pregnant woman who takes drugs (depending on the drug) is doing, at the very least
some harm to her baby and could be doing irreparable harm. A person who has taken no steps
to curb dangerous use of alcohol/drugs could cause himself to experience an early death,
thereby robbing his family of his presence in their lives and, on a deeper level, of the man he
could have been for them. Therefore, this becomes, on some level, a form of killing.
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In asking us to live up to such high standards of living, the Church stands beside us to offer help. Aware
that many of these issues involve complex human emotions and difficult decisions, the Church does not
leave us alone, but extends itself in every way possible. For example, the Church runs orphanages for
mothers who wish to place their babies with other families, it runs compassionate retreats for women
who have undergone abortions and are subsequently dealing with regret and/or guilt. The Church
provides priest chaplains who go to war with soldiers and minister to them as they experience the
horror of war. The Church runs hospice centers which sends caregivers either to the hospital or the
home to help make the last days of a suffering person as comfortable as possible and to help them
retain their dignity and their spirit.
The Church understands the pain and complexity of life, but it upholds at all times the belief that GOD IS
THE AUTHOR OF ALL LIFE AND, THEREFORE, ALL LIFE BELONGS TO GOD.
The following terms from the Circles of Grace Curriculum will be a part of
the conversation with the teens:
Conscience: The gift from God that helps me to know the difference between right and
wrong.
Morality: The way we put our beliefs into action for good.
Intimidation: Using words or actions to threaten, scare, or overpower another person.
Intimidation may also include bringing public attention to another
person’s weaknesses.