Download Principles of Morality Part II

What is Morality dependent upon
the Moral Law?
0 There are four expressions of moral law:
1. Divine Law – the plan of God’s wisdom to
direct human activity to good.
2. Natural Law – written in your heart that helps
you know what is good and what is evil.
3. Revealed Law – written in Old and New
Testaments
4. Civil and Church Law – established by nations
and the Church to promote the common good.
What is Natural Law?
• God’s fatherly instruction that is
written on the human heart and
accessed by human reason
• It is what distinguishes us from
other of God’s creatures
• With our Conscience 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.
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What is Human Dignity?
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The respect owed to all human beings because
we are all made in God’s image
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Two forms:
1. God Given – Never Lose
2. Actions – Can Lose
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Why is this fundamental to morality?
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Caster Semenya
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Female athlete from South Africa
She or he? South African track star
Caster Semenya to take gender test
South African teenager Caster Semenya, whose rapid
improvement has prompted officials to order a gender
verification test, won the women's world 800 metres title
with a crushing performance on Wednesday. Female
800meters winner at Worlds medal winner’s dignity was
impacted after questions were raised regarding her gender.
0 Disturbing International headlines set things straight for the
entire world to see.
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How does Jesus help us to
uphold human dignity?
• He is incarnate – 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.
The Code of Ethics
• Ethics: a set of principles of right conduct
• Ethical Code: refers to a set of guidelines and
standards for governments and professions to abide
by
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Examples?
Hippocratic Oath for Doctors
Business Code of Ethics
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, United Nations
Article 1: All humans are born free and equal.
Article 5: No one shall be subjected to torture.
Article 24: The right to rest and leisure.
Article 26: The right to education.
Why do we have them?
0 People often make ethical choices automatically.
0 Ethics are applied to an individual’s personal conduct in daily
life. These are a few examples of one’s personal code of conduct.
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How we behave with others?
What moral values we take in?
How we look upon humanity?
How we maintain our own integrity?
0 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.
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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 next class.
My Personal Code of Ethics
An Example:
0 Integrity – I will be honest in everything I do – always
forthright – always sincere – always reliable – always
dependable.
0 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.
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