Christian Ed 10
Name: _______________
The Principles of Morality
“Freedom makes humans moral subjects”
Freedom: ___________________________________________________________________
Morality: ___________________________________________________________________
 Humans have inherited the wisdom and goodness of the Creator who gave
humans mastery over their acts and the ability to govern themselves with a view
to the _______ and the _________.
 In order to believe this you must believe that there is such a thing as objective
truth and good
Subjective: based on somebody’s opinions or feelings rather than on facts or evidence.
 Ex.
Objective: based on facts rather than thoughts or opinions.
 Ex.
Immoral – contrary to accepted moral principles
 Depends entirely on your definition of moral (what is right and what is wrong)
 Ex.
Amoral – lacking any moral standards or simply not caring about good morals
 Ex.
Conscience – the ____________ ___________ of a person guiding a person to do good and
avoid evil.
 “Humans have in their hearts a law inscribed by God… A conscience is a person’s
most secret core and sanctuary. There a person is alone with God whose voice
echoes their depths.”
 Conscience is a “__________________ of_______________” whereby the
human person recognizes the moral quality of an act
Christian Ed 10
Name: _______________
What is Morality dependent upon the Moral Law?
0 There are four expressions of moral law:
1. ____________ Law – the plan of God’s wisdom to direct human activity to good.
2. ____________ Law – written in your heart that helps you know what is good
and what is evil.
3. __________________ Law – written in Old and New Testaments
4. _______________ and ______________Law – established by nations and the
Church to promote the common good.
Natural Law

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
God’s fatherly instruction that is written on the human heart and accessed by
_____________ _______________
It is what distinguishes us from other of God’s creatures
With our ________________________we have the ability to discern and choose
between Good and Evil acts
God has placed in our souls a moral compass that points the way to make good moral
decisions.
Human Dignity


Refers to:
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Two Forms:
o ________________________
o ________________________
How does Jesus help us to uphold human dignity?
•
He is ___________________-– both human and divine in nature
•
True God and True Man
•
He is our role model
• Does morality on the run
• Shows us his morality as he encounters people and proclaims his message
•
WWJD – when we are faced with morality on the run.
Christian Ed 10
Name: _______________
Code of Ethics
•
Ethics: ________________________________________________
•
Ethical Code: refers to a set of guidelines and standards for governments and
professions to abide by
• Examples?
• Hippocratic Oath for Doctors
• Business Code of Ethics
• Universal Declaration of Human Rights, United Nations
Why do we have them?


People often make ethical choices _______________________.
Ethics are applied to an individual’s personal conduct in daily life. These are a few
examples of one’s personal code of conduct.
o _____________________________________?
o What moral values we take in?
o _____________________________________?
o How we maintain our own integrity?

One recent example of high standards of personal ethics was set by Barack Obama.
During his presidential campaign, when others resorted to maligning the opponents
name through unfair practices and scandals, Barack Obama stood firm on his political
social and global agenda. He was equally rewarded for his ethics by the American
people, when he was finally elected.
Personal Code of Ethics


The best antidote to ethical lapses is to commit in advance to a set of ethical principles - your personal ethical code. Your code defines your standards of right and wrong. It
helps you resist temptation and becomes your basis for making ethically sensitive
decisions.
A personal code of ethics puts into writing those ideas and philosophies that are the
essence of your life and allows you to say “I will do this because I believe this”
YOUR TASK:




Create your own Personal Code of Ethics.
State each principle, then provide an explanation of why you believe it to be important.
Each principle should be no more than a couple of sentences. Aim for a minimum of 5
principles.
Due at the end of class.
Hand it in and then take a Case Study: Are Certain Actions Simply Wrong?
Christian Ed 10
Name: _______________
An Example:
Integrity – I will be honest in everything I do – always forthright – always sincere –
always reliable – always dependable.
This is important to me because all people deserve to be treated with respect. When you truly
respect someone, you are honest and sincere. Lying only breeds hurt and ill will.