Rory Faust

5/10/06

1.) One paragraph summary of the key idea summarizing the major idea of the section.

     This week in theology class we have been studying the key moral teachings of the Catholic Church. To study the morality presented by the Church we looked at the Cathechism of the Catholic Church in depth concerning several ideas such as conscience, freedom, and sin. By trying to decipher the exact meanings of the Catechism we have found the Church's stand on certain issues concerning morality. Morality was given a different spin in Fr. Knapp's handout on conscience where we learned how conscience is a power as well as a process. Also, Fr. Knapp said that there are some methods we can follow when making a moral decission. The LISTEN method for example, is one of the methods that guides us and gives us a six step process to go through when making a tough moral decsion. The Ten Building Blocks of Catholic Social Teaching also provide a guide as to what we should as good Catholics hope for, strive for, and follow.

2.) List and explain three of the most important ideas you want to remember from this week.

1. First of all, I want to remember what freedom is according to the Cathechism. Freedom is defined as "the power to act or not to act , and so to perform deliberate acts of one's own. Freedom attains perfection in its acts when directed toward God, the sovereign Good." Being truly free means that we know what we are doing, we have knowledge of what we are doing, and we take responsibility for our actions, accepting the consequences. It is also important to remember that freedom is "an inalienable requirement of the dignity of man."

2. Secondly, I want to remember the LISTEN method presented by Fr. Knapp. If we simply go through this method when faced with a tough decision, we can make a better and smarter decision.
   
   Look for the facts. Get a good perception of the reality of the situation. If we do not know the facts and information before making our decision, we could be making a faulty decison. Absolute certainty is never possible, but knowing all of the facts we can can help us make more sure decisions.
   
   Imagine the possibilities. There are many many ways to solve our problem or make a decision and with those decisions, a huge amount of possible consequences of our decision. In thinking about all of the possibilities, we can think of the one way we might want to solve our problem.
   
   Seek insight beyond your own. Others' viewpoints or insight is invaluble. We ourselves can not know everything and thus it is wise to ask for other peoples' help.
   
   Turn inward. Reflection is an important step in making a moral decision. We must know ourselves, our thoughts, feelings, insights, motivation, and values so that we might make the best decision.
   
   Expect God's help. God is present in us and cares about us. If we follow our conscience and seek the truth, God will assisst us.
   
   Name your decision. Once we can tell ourselves or others what we have decided, we commit ourselves to what we have decided. We "own" our decision and come closer to closure.
   
   See Webassign 4 about Johnny's Tough Decision to see more about the LISTEN Method.

3. Lastly, I want to remember the Church's teaching about passions. Passions are misunderstood by many people and they many times think the wrong things about human passions. The truth is that passions are part of being a human. Love is the most fundamental passion of the fundamental passions, love, hatred, desire, fear, joy, sadness, and anger according to the Cathechism and it is present in many, however many people accuse others who show their passion of being sinners or wrongdoers. The Church teaches that "passions are neither good nor evil." Morality comes into play after our emotions. Say we are angry at at someone. THis is a passion and perfectly normal. If we stay angry and then punch the person who made us angry, this would be a morally wrong action. We have let our passion take hold of ourselves instead of calming down.
   

   3.) Images that remind you of key ideas.

   
   Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a man who made a tough moral decision to return to Nazi Germany to aid those persecuted under Hitler. Bonhoeffer led the underground Confessing Church and was ultimately executed for his actions.
   Image from "Dietrich Bonhoeffer"

   4.) 4) One good question you should keep with your to ponder.

   Can two different peoples' consciences contradict each other and still be correct?
   For example, Fr. Gabriel in The Mission ultimately decided to stay with the villagers in their Church while Fr. Roderigo decided to fight for the people against the Portugese. Both of these two men's consciences were solid being upright, informed, and well reflected on(interiority). Both men also took responsibility for their choices, dying in the end, yet Fr. Gabriel was a pacifist while Fr. Roderigo fought to the death for his people. It seems that consciences can contradict in some cases and still be a good conscience.

   5.) 5) What should you try to do to make you a better person, a more moral person, from this study of the key moral teachings of the Catholic Church?

        To become a more moral person, I should try to think more about my moral decsions in life, especially the tougher ones. A guide like the LISTEN method or the OPTION method can be extremely helpful. I need to be more of a thinker rather than just one who acts. I should think first about the morality of things before just making a quick decision.
   
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