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Freedom and the Moral Act

Freedom and the Moral Act . Chapter 3. Questions to Ponder. Are we responsible for disciplining ourselves and ordering our lives in such a way that we can be truly free?

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Freedom and the Moral Act

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  1. Freedom and the Moral Act Chapter 3

  2. Questions to Ponder • Are we responsible for disciplining ourselves and ordering our lives in such a way that we can be truly free? • Who has an easier, more pleasant afternoon: the child who plays outside with his friends or the child who practices the piano? Who is more truly free to make beautiful music? • Which moral acts make us truly free?

  3. Introduction Chapter 3

  4. Introduction • When does an act become good or evil? • What is the role of freedom in the moral life? • When does a person take full responsibility for a particular act?

  5. A Christian… • Has reasons that justify his moral life • Different from non-Christian • Accepts right conduct • Why? • Knows that God gives us a particulary way of acting

  6. A Christian… • Rational Principles applied to everyone: • Freedom • Conscience • Law

  7. Importance of the Moral Life Section 1

  8. Moral Conduct • Right/Good • Perfects the human being • Wrong/evil • Degrades the human being

  9. Good and Evil • Greatest of Man’s writings centered upon Good and Evil • Socrates: “the science of good and evil” is the most important of all the forms of knowledge, since it places us on the road to true happiness • Plato: “but still I should like to examine further for no light matter here is at stake, nothing less than the rule of life.”

  10. Man’s Ability to Choose Good and Evil Section 2

  11. EVERYONE • Moral human being • Can choose good or evil • Can be just or unjust • Can be honorable or dishonorable

  12. EVERYONE • Can be MORALLY good or evil • Intelligence • Free Will • Physical good and evil is only attributed to the animals • Is morally RESPONSIBLE for his or own actions • Do key identifying factors play a role in how we act –in the moral decisions that we make (gender, class, race, etc.)?

  13. The Human Act, The Moral Act Section 3

  14. Major Points • Consequences of think we are “basically good” • Bad that we do caused by external • If good is natural, bad must be unnatural, sick • If we are good –no need to teach children to be good • If evil comes from outside sources –then we need to change the outside-not ourselves • People only need to be held accountable to themselves –not to God

  15. Moral Good and Evil • Cannot be attributed to EVERYONE in ALL circumstances • Why? • MUST have… • Knowledge • Free Will • Human Acts • Acts done with Knowledge and Free Will • Determines the goodness or evil or the person • Acts of Human • Acts done without the Knowledge and Free Will • Involuntary

  16. What is an Evil Act?How do we know when an act is Evil?

  17. Knowledge as a Condition of Morality Section 4

  18. First Requirement of a Moral Act • Act MUST be done with knowledge • Full Knowledge • Agent knows CLERLY what he/she is doing • Agent is AWARE of the acts moral dimension • Knows whether the act is good/evil • He does Not need to know if the act offends God • Knowing if it is good or bad is enough

  19. First Requirement of a Moral Act • Partial Knowledge • The act is clouded by some obstacle that interferes with correct moral judgment • Examples: • Medication, psychological alterations, etc.

  20. CBS News Story : What do you think?

  21. The Free Human Act Section 5

  22. Freedom • Our greatest quality • God created and destined us to reproduce the image of Christ –His Son • Proper exercise of freedom is performing acts that imitate God’s Son • When we reach high levels of freedom –we have reached high levels of morality

  23. The Loss Freedom • A sinful person becomes a SLAVE to his passions • His Freedom is reduced • It can be lost entirely

  24. Existence of Freedom • Some say that mankind lacks freedom • Behavioral sciences –human conditioning/psychology • Human freedom is only limited because the person is a limited being • Limitations are the circumstances in which a person is born and the capabilities with which he is born

  25. Existence of Freedom • We are NOT free to be whoever we wish to be • Why? • God has chosen us for Himself –to share in His eternal life • Rejecting this makes us SLAVES to our passions • Sirach 15: 14-17

  26. Freedom and Knowledge of Truth • Freedom has a fundamental dependence on Truth • “the Truth will set you free” John 8:32

  27. Freedom and the Good • Human freedom ordered toward good • Doing evil is NOT freedom • It is a sign of Freedom

  28. Freedom and Responsibility • Freedom is NOT independent of Responsibility • To acquire/grow Freedom you need…. • RESPONSIBILITY!

  29. Freedom gOD’s Respect of Human Freedom • God will NOT destroy Human Freedom • Why? • B/C it would Reduce us to animals • We CANNOT blame God for human evils • He does NOT desire these things

  30. Freedom and Divine Grace • Aid given to us by God does NOT diminish our Freedom • It just helps us see the Truth more clearly • It aids our Freedom • Gives us fortitude to conquer our passions

  31. Freedom and Law • Freedom is the POWER that a person has over their actions • Freedom and Law CANNOT oppose one another • The key to Freedom… PRUDENCE

  32. Works Cited • Our Moral Life in Christ . United States : Midwestern Theological Seminary , 2006. • Prager, Dennis. Think a Second Time. New York City: Reganbooks, 1995.

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