Christian Morality

Christian Morality Section 3: Obedience, honesty, and Justice

Part 1: The Fourth Commandment: Respecting Authority The final Seven Commandments all deal with loving your neighbor. The Fourth Commandment tells us to honor our Father and our Mother, yet it goes beyond respecting just our family members, but also those in seats of authority, such as police officers, teachers, priests, etc. Families are the most basic building block in God’s plan for communal life, being the place where children grow in faith and in Christ’s love.

Part 1: The Fourth Commandment: Respecting Authority In Biblical times, the extended family, as opposed to the immediate family, was the center social institution in which grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins all lives under one roof or close to one another. In such households, fathers worked hard to support the family while mothers stayed home and cared for the children, showing each member had a social role. Daughters would work with their mothers and sons would take up the trade of their father, as Jesus became a carpenter like Joseph was, his “stepfather.”

Part 1: The Fourth Commandment: Respecting Authority Besides faithfulness to God, being loyal to one’s family was the strongest value in biblical cultures. A way to show such loyalty was honoring thy father and mother. God connected the Commandment to respect one’s mother and father, their family, with the Covenant by saying to have a long life in the Promised Land, one must honor their parents. Jesus respected and loved Mary and Joseph, yet Jesus sought to delve deeper into the Fourth Commandment.

Part 1: The Fourth Commandment: Respecting Authority Jesus left the family trade of carpentry to teach about the Kingdom of God, which in itself was a questionable action to take when one was to honor thy father and mother. Part of Jesus’ mission was to form a new “spiritual family” of brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers of Himself by doing the will of God. Loyalty to God was more important than blind loyalty to family, said Christ.

Part 1: The Fourth Commandment: Respecting Authority Jesus called us to deeper understanding of the Fourth Commandment since people were respecting their family only because of custom and obedience, not because they truly did so. In the New Covenant of Christ, we are called to respect our mother and father, as well as all followers of Christ, not because of blind obedience, but because they are our brothers and sisters in a new spiritual family. Those who listen and do the will of God form the Body of Christ, the Church, and Christ’s new spiritual family.

Part 1: The Fourth Commandment: Respecting Authority

Part 1: The Fourth Commandment: Respecting Authority The most basic meaning of the Fourth Commandment is to respect, love, and honor one’s parents, yet with further and deeper reflection, shows a meaning of respecting all people God place in our life that has authority. The New Law takes the Fourth Commandment further by telling us to love all family members as God, our Father, loves us. Parents also have a duty to their children, which is to love, protect, and raise them in the faith.

Part 1: The Fourth Commandment: Respecting Authority • To honor one’s parents does not just mean a list of obligations; the Church defines it as the attitudes that lead to specific actions, specifically the attitudes of: • Respect • Gratitude • Obedience • Assistance • Respect is the foundation of any healthy relationship. • The Fourth Commandment requires us, even when we disagree with our parents, to listen patiently to their view point and see a situation through their eyes (even when we know we are right).

Part 1: The Fourth Commandment: Respecting Authority Gratitude is due to parents, from birth to college and throughout all of life, since parents sacrifice so much of themselves through time, finances, and wellbeing to make sure their children prosper and have the best in life. Obedience is one of the obligations teenagers and young adults hate to hear when it comes to dealing with parents. The Fourth Commandment helps us to understand that sometimes we need to trust out parents, even if we do not see eye to eye with them, unless they are demanding us to do something that we know is wrong, i.e. cheating.

Part 1: The Fourth Commandment: Respecting Authority Children must assist their parents throughout their life, not just as children doing chores, but caring for their parents in old age and ill health, which shows true honor and love to one’s father and mother, who took care of their children and now may need their children to care for them. Parents tend to know what is right for us, as we sometimes realize after we disobey them in hindsight. Parents do not want to prevent us from living life, but they want to assure we live life properly, with faith, love, and responsibility.

Part 1: The Fourth Commandment: Respecting Authority Parents not only provide for physical, emotional, and spiritual needs, but also for our intellectual needs as teachers for us in the home. Parents are a child’s first catechist, or person called by God to the ministry of the education and formation of Christians by teaching others the essentials of Christian doctrine and forming them as disciples of Jesus Christ. This is why the home is called the “domestic church.”

Part 1: The Fourth Commandment: Respecting Authority As we grow older, it is true parents must give us some space so we can make our own choices, become responsible, and learn first hand right from wrong. This can be difficult for parents, as it was for Mary and Joseph when they found Jesus in the temple at around age 12, telling His parents He was doing the business of God, something Mary had to ponder. We must find out what vocation, or a calling from God to embrace holiness as a member of His Church (in this case it means job), we want to pursue, and our parents should be there to support us and help us decipher what we are called to be in this life.

Part 1: The Fourth Commandment: Respecting Authority Our faith should strongly influence our public life. The Fourth Commandment also applies to our public life, such as organizations we belong to like sport teams and clubs, since these groups usually have an influence on public life. The natural law, based on human reason, should be the basis of all public groups, since the natural law calls for the respect of all people and the protection of their God given rights of freedom, respect, and the common good.

Part 1: The Fourth Commandment: Respecting Authority The Holy Trinity calls Christians to be part of public life. The Father sent the Son to teach us how to live the Beatitudes and be in communion with God; the Father and Son sent the Holy Spirit to empower us to live a life of faith and holiness that is defined as a Christian life. No public group or organization perfectly reflects God’s will of moral law; however, it is Christians who should participate in such groups to help bring about God’s moral law more clearly.

Part 1: The Fourth Commandment: Respecting Authority If a sports team’s members play together, respecting one another, their coach, and their opponents, they will succeed in fulfilling the team’s purpose; however, when a teammate lacks respect and is selfish, then team can fall apart, lose sight of success, and suffer greatly. This is what happens when public organizations do not line up with God’s Eternal Law: they cannot achieve the success meant for their organization.

Part 1: The Fourth Commandment: Respecting Authority Many times throughout history however, public organizations, such as governments, have allowed slavery, unjust wars, and injustice to flourish. When this happens, Christians are called to be “in this world, but not of this world.” This means we must be in this world and around people who do not always share our beliefs and values so that we can challenge them with God’s values, which means we are not of this world when we live God’s values.

Part 1: The Fourth Commandment: Respecting Authority Being in this world but not of this world is extremely difficult since it puts us in a position to stand out against choices that some people, even many people, may agree with. However, if we stand firm in what we believe and understand why we are right, we will gain a sense of great joy and peace at having brought God’s values to a world that is slowly losing sight of God. Civil authorities are leaders of public groups that are not religious; they carry great power and should be in this world, but not of this world, in their views.

Part 1: The Fourth Commandment: Respecting Authority Faithful citizenship has a dual meaning, firstly in that we are to be active members of our country and political system, but also that as active citizens, we must be faithful to God to be informed by our faith when voting and making political choices. A basic moral principal is that the state exists for the citizen, and not the other way around. The state exists to protect the common good of all its citizens, such as food, water, housing, and medicial care.

Part 1: The Fourth Commandment: Respecting Authority Making sure all people are cared for requires patience, sacrifice, and solidarity. Solidarity is the union of one’s mind and heart with all people; leads to just distribution of goods, creates bonds between opposing groups, and leads to spiritual goods like prayer and friendship. If a state does not use patience, sacrifice, and solidarity, the state with degenerate into rich and poor, where the poor have power through violence, and the rich by withholding goods from the poor.

Part 1: The Fourth Commandment: Respecting Authority • Some of the most important values the state must support and give to its citizens are: • Protect basic freedoms, many of which are listed in the 1st Amendment • Provide education for citizens • Allow people to form social justice groups, such as political parties • Provide stability and just order that comes from peaceful and secure societies • Develop international laws so people from one country are not exploited by another

Part 1: The Fourth Commandment: Respecting Authority Solidarity has grown strong in today’s world as people from different nations unite in the causes of protecting the environment, monitoring economics, and assuring all people live a life of dignity due to everyone, rich, poor, and in between. We are also called to show spiritual solidarity, a commitment to the principle that every person is a child of God, our spiritual brothers and sisters, that deserve the rights God set forth in the order of the universe at the time of Creation.

Part 1: The Fourth Commandment: Respecting Authority Governments and civic groups are part of God’s plan to create communities that achieve the common good for His people. We also must be active citizens then of such groups and our government to assure God’s plan is properly being fulfilled. Unless a law is truly unjust, all people must abide by the laws set forth by their government. If a law is morally wrong, we are obliged not to follow it, since it is contradictory to the common good and the will of God.

Part 1: The Fourth Commandment: Respecting Authority Civil Disobedience is deliberate refusal to obey and immoral demand from civil authority or an immoral civil law. As citizens of the United States, we are blessed to have the opportunity to vote on laws before they go into affect, fighting against the one’s the hurt people, and assuring the passage of those that support the common good. As Christians, we are called to be active citizens that are responsible for making civil laws reflect those of God’s moral laws.

Part 2: The Eighth Commandment: Reality versus Illusion The Eighth Commandment tells us to “not bear false witness against our neighbor.” Since God is the source of all truth, for us to be in communion with Him, we need to tell the truth too. We lie to ourselves to make everything seem okay in the end when its not; we lie to others to avoid being caught in an act that we know is wrong. The danger of lying is that we begin to lose sight of reality and live in a illusion-filled world based only on our lies; God does not live in illusion-based worlds.

Part 2: The Eighth Commandment: Reality versus Illusion • Lies destroy trust, they hurt, may lead to other crimes, and are a direct contradiction of the truth, meaning they are a direct contradiction of God. • God is Truth because of the following logic: • What is true is also real • Creation is real • God is the Creator of all reality • Conclusion: If God is the origin and Creator of all reality, the He is also the origin and basis of all truth.

Part 2: The Eighth Commandment: Reality versus Illusion Truth Real Creation God

Part 2: The Eighth Commandment: Reality versus Illusion • This is why Jesus said of Himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life..” • So when we lie, even if it’s a little lie, we are essential going against the truth, and then logically, against God. • The Johannine Writings, which consist of the Gosepl of John and the three Letters of John, compares light and darkness with spiritual truth. • “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” • “I am the light of the world.”

Part 2: The Eighth Commandment: Reality versus Illusion • God calls us to live in the light, the truth, and not in the darkness that is spawned from our lies. • The danger of lies is that we can actually begin to believe them ourselves, even when we make the lies up on our own. • Satan is the root of lying, going back to the Garden of Eden where Satan lied to Eve telling her she would not die, like God said, if they ate of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. • From the one lie came the downfall of all humanity.

Part 2: The Eighth Commandment: Reality versus Illusion The truth that should have the highest priority in our life is the truth the Father revealed for our salvation. We are to testify to this truth, that God sent His only Son, Christ, to redeem man from that first lie in the Garden of Eden and to bring an end to the reign of lies, sin, and death. Many martyrs have died proclaiming the truth of God’s love for us by following in the footsteps of Christ and giving up their own lives to further spread the “truth” that we are called to proclaim today.

Part 2: The Eighth Commandment: Reality versus Illusion

Part 2: The Eighth Commandment: Reality versus Illusion When we feel guilty of sinning, we want to make amends for something we did wrong that caused harm to another person or led to loss, which is called reparation. One of the greatest gifts God has given us is our conscience, which is the inner voice of a person and a God given sense of moral law. Our conscience makes us realize we are responsible for our actions and tells us it is better to do good than evil.

Part 2: The Eighth Commandment: Reality versus Illusion To make good judgments, one must have a well-formed conscience. Trust is one of the most important values when it comes to any relationship, whether in marriage, dating, or close friends. Honest builds personal integrity (acting or speaking honestly), which it turn builds up trust. We, as humans, are inclined to tell the truth to gain trust, so to lie means we must have a motive.

Part 2: The Eighth Commandment: Reality versus Illusion Sometimes we lie to avoid telling an uncomfortable truth, yet this is still not morally right, because in the end usually the person finds out and is now hurt by the truth and by your lies. Any form of deception, whether cheating, lying, etc., all weaken our ability to be trusted and form stable relationships with people. When Cain murdered Able in the Bible, Cain tried to cover it up from God, yet God saw Cain’s actions, as He will see ours too when we lie, whether telling a small “white” lie, or digging ourselves into a 12 foot deep hole.

Part 2: The Eighth Commandment: Reality versus Illusion Perjury (lying under oath) is a sin against the Second, Fourth, and Eighth Commandments. Telling a lie is the most direct offense against the Eighth Commandment. Public lies, such as by large businesses and companies, can be disastrous since they can affect a large population of people. Public lies can also be deliberately withholding important information from the public; not giving relevant information is just as bad as lying.

Part 2: The Eighth Commandment: Reality versus Illusion Detraction is another sin against the Eighth Commandment, also known as gossip, which is unnecessarily revealing something about another person that is true, yet harmful to their reputation. Calumny, or slander, is ruining someone’s reputation by lying or spreading rumors. Rash Judgment is when we assume the worst about someone before possessing all the facts, which in turn, does harm to a person’s reputation if we talk about them based on illegitimate facts.

Part 2: The Eighth Commandment: Reality versus Illusion To avoid gossiping, slandering, or judging others, we should put ourselves in their position, see how we would feel if someone said the same thing about us behind our backs, so we will avoid doing such things to other people. Adulation is excessive flattery, praise, or admiration for another person. If we praise someone for stealing their parent’s car, then that’s a sin because we are encouraging another person to act against their conscience’s call to do good, so we become an accomplice to the sin.

Part 2: The Eighth Commandment: Reality versus Illusion Boasting or bragging is a sin against the Eighth Commandment because it often involves the misuse of truth so as make one appear greater than they actually are. We must act with humility, not pride, to gain trust from others. Making fun of another person to humiliate them is the misuse of truth in the worst sense, especially today, where teenagers commit suicide due to being harassed on Facebook and Twitter for no reason whatsoever. We need to be people of integrity and act honestly not just for our own sake, but for the betterment of our relationships with others all around us, who are all our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Part 2: The Eighth Commandment: Reality versus Illusion • We should only reveal the painful truth about someone, not to detract from their reputation but protect them and other people, to proper authorities in situations such as: • If someone commits a serious crime • If someone intends to cause any type of harm to other people • If someone is abused in anyway, shape, or form • If you not speaking up puts you in danger and make you a criminal accomplice to a crime

Part 2: The Eighth Commandment: Reality versus Illusion • The Eighth Commandment has an important “social” dimension that should guide us when using social media, such as when writing posts, message, tweets, or comments. • Media, whether print, online, or televised, must be fair and balanced, presenting only the truth to its viewers without any bias that can sway people from making decisions based on their morals. • Art is a form of media too in that it conveys a message of truth about the image, artist, and subject matter. • When icons are created, they are not drawn, they are “written.”

Part 2: The Eighth Commandment: Reality versus Illusion Art that portrays the realities of life can either be beautiful, reflecting God’s goodness as Creator, or dark and bleak, showing us the effects of sin in this world. Sacred Art evokes faith by turning our minds to the mystery of God through depictions of the Bible stories, Tradition, and the lives of Christ, Mary, and the saints. Whatever form of media we speak about, media should be based on the truth, not on speculation or exaggeration, since it is the place we gain information about the world we all share together, locally, nationally, and globally.

Part 3: The Seventh and Tenth Commandments:Justice versus Injustice The Seventh Commandment, “Thou shall not steal,” and the Tenth Commandment, “Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s property,” can be sinned against due to laziness, greed, envy, and jealousy. Stealing through phony tax return forms, planarization, or misleading information all go against the Seventh Commandment. Both Commandments point to a deeper reality: God has given the entire human race the resources it needs; however, the rich take all they want and leave the poor with nothing, going against God’s will for the common good and taking care of the poor.

Part 3: The Seventh and Tenth Commandments:Justice versus Injustice Having the most things materially, whether numerically or financially, does not mean that we are going to be given just as much or more after we die. The Old Law points to this principal about material possession: That God has given the human race the Earth and all its resources to care for and enjoy. God gave man “dominion” over all creatures for their enjoyment and sustenance. Even though we are to all share God’s gifts to us, we also are allowed to have private property, like clothing, food, and shelter for survival.

Part 3: The Seventh and Tenth Commandments:Justice versus Injustice The most fundamental law regarding private property is the Commandment that tells us not to steal. Theft brings chaos and injustice, upsetting the order and fairness that societies need to survive. The right of private property however is subordinate to just and equal distribution for the common good of all people.

Part 3: The Seventh and Tenth Commandments:Justice versus Injustice The Jubilee Law found in the Book of Leviticus tells of how the Israelites, every 50 years, had to return any land bought to the original landowners at a fair price so as to avoid the cycle of poverty occurring over long periods of time by redistributing land. Jesus taught that wealth was not a sign of God’s blessing, as society had thought; instead, Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount that those who are rich now will be hungry later and those that are hungry now will be filled later (later meaning in God’s Kingdom).

Part 3: The Seventh and Tenth Commandments:Justice versus Injustice Detachment from wealth is key to entering the Kingdom of God. Jesus taught to not build up treasures on Earth which decay and rot with time; rather, build up treasures in Heaven which will never vanish. Where your treasure is, so will your heart be. Jesus used parables, or stories rooted in daily life that use symbolism as a teaching tool and which usually had surprise endings, as ways to teach about material possession.

Christian Morality