REVIEW EXAM - MORALITY RELIGION
Part A-
1. What are the five? Write out a definition
a. Uliitarisum
b. sentimentalism
c. consumerism
2. Which -ism matches the description below? (Write UT, UN, R, S, C)
a. Seeks to maximize pleasure/gain and minimize pain/loss
b. Based on the belief that truth is universal
c. Acquiring more and more material possessions
d. Makes decisions based upon what feels good
e. Relates everything back to a standpoint or framework
f. There is no universal truth
g. Sees a correlation between the sentiments aroused by an action and its corresponding goodness
h. Judges the moral quality of actions - actions are good/bad in themselves, not based on opinions or consequences
i. Judges the badness of an action by its outcomes
j. There is no universal morality
Morality, Moral Law and Moral Theology
1. What is natural law?
2. What are the characteristics of Christian moral law?
3. What is the difference between positive moral law and negative moral law?
Thou shall thou shall not
4. What do we mean by the universal call to holiness?
5. In the passage from the gospel about not insulting your neighbor or calling him a fool, how was Jesus in the NT exceeding the law of the Old?
6. What is the relationship between the law of the Old Testament and the New Law of Love proposed in the gospel?
a. Does the new law replace the old? No, I builds up of it
b. What is the summary of the New Law of Love?
7. What does the passage "A tree is known by its fruits" (Mt 7:15-20) refer to with respect to the moral life?
8. What is the role of freedom in making moral decisions?
9. How does making good moral decisions effect our freedom?
10. How does making bad moral decisions effect our freedom?
11. What are the "fruits" of a moral life?
12. What is moral theology?
13. What are the sources of moral theology?
14. Historically, how has moral theology been articulated in the history of the Church?
15. What is the Magisterium?
16. What is Sacred Tradition?
17. Why are moral expectations higher for Christians?
18. What is a Christian expected to do.
Part B-
1. What is a moral act?
a. What are its three attributes
b. Why are human beings necessarily moral agents
c. Why is it a personal act
d. How do moral acts affect the person doing them
e. What is the relationship between moral acts and freedom
2. Conscience
a. What is it?
b. How is it properly formed
c. The duties and rights of conscience
d. When is it properly formed
3. Ignorance/knowledge
a. What is vincible v. invincible ignorance?
b. Relationship between knowledge and moral responsibility
c. How does knowledge/will increase or decrease our culpability
4. Freedom/Free Will
a. What is a common misunderstanding of free will?
b. What is a more proper understanding of free will?
c. What are the 6 aspects of human freedom? Explain them.
5. Possible Short Answers (can be a few words; must be complete idea)
a. Why is the virtue of humility an asset in forming one's conscience?
b. Give an example of vincible ignorance.
c. How does examination of conscience aid one in forming their conscience?
d. Give an example of each of the following:
i. A morally good act
ii. An amoral act
iii. An immoral act
e. Give an example of a responsibility that accompanies a freedom
6. Possible 1-paragraph answer.
a. What is the relationship between human freedom and morality? How does one effect the other?
b. How does free will make love possible? Is love worth all of the negatives that come along with human free will?
Part C-
1. List and describe the 4 types of Law; give an example of each
2. Thomas Aquinas' 3 conditions for a civil law to be considered "just"? - Define/Describe.
3. Describe the three criteria for a moral act to be "good" - which is the most important and why?
a. Object
b. Intention
c. Circumstance-
4. Principle of Double Effect
a. What is the principle of double effect?
b. Describe the conditions below that must be met for the act to be morally "permissible" in this situation?
i. act itself -
ii. intention -
iii. means -
iv. proportionality -
5. Errors in Moral theology (know the definition)
a. Situation ethics-
b. Consequentialism-
c. Proportionality
6. Sin
a. know the three definitions given
b. How is humankind's sin like an unfaithful spouse and God the faithful one? Which book(s) of the Old Testament explicate this idea?
c. Distinguish between mortal and venial sin
d. Explain the three components of a mortal sin?
e. The effects of a mortal sin?
f. The effects of a venial sin?
g. Does one HAVE to confess venial sin? Should one confess them?
7. Define and describe the 4 Last Things:
8. 10 Commandments
Written in order of ___________________
a. What are they?
b. Where in the Bible?
c. Where/Who in Salvation history?
9. Precepts of the Church -
a. What is a precept of the church?
b. What are the 5 precepts of the Church?
Part D-
1. Define and describe sins against faith
2. Define and describe sins against hope
3. Define and describe sins against charity
4. Describe the use of statues/paintings, images of God or saints in the Church.
a. Describe
b. What are the parameters for their legitimate use?
c. What are the limitations?
d. What council determined this?
5. What are the holy days of obligation?
6. Differentiate between an oath, vow, swearing, cursing
7. What did Jesus say about swearing?
8. Differentiate between the Lord's Day and the Sabbath, both in the early church and now.
Part E-
Major Concepts
1. 5th Commandment - Thou Shalt Not Kill
a. Jesus' furthering of the command
i. Love, protect, and serve human life (love you enemies, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who persecute you)
ii. Jesus associates murder with anger - whoever is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgement
b. Human life is sacred
i. Based on our human dignity
1. Image and likeness of God
2. Jesus himself became human, further elevating human dignity
ii. Sacred from womb to tomb
iii. God has ultimate authority (dominion) over life and death (we are stewards of human life)
c. We have a duty to ___________, ___________, ___________human life
1. Our own and that of others
2. In our actions, inactions, laws, etc.
d. Beginning of life
i. Life begins at ___________
ii. Anything that ___________and ___________ends a human life is immoral
iii. Includes:___________, ___________, ___________, ___________, ___________, ___________
e. During Life
i. Our ___________are temples of the Holy Spirit
ii. ___________in all things (Eating, drinking, exercising, dress, etc.)
1. Overdoing and underdoing, overvaluing/undervaluing can all lead to sin
f. End of Life
i. Offenses against life: ___________; ___________, ___________
ii. ___________- is ok to end another's life if it is necessary to save your own; should be proportional; should not be aggressive/payback
iii. Capital punishment:
1. Write out the conditions which must be present to justify capital punishment
2. In ___________, we generally can contain such "threats" to society through incarceration, thus removing the threat to society and making capital punishment unnecessary as a means to defend ourselves against that individual;
3. Should seek to ___________the murderer - seek the conversion of his soul
iv. Just War
1. War should be ___________if at all possible
2. Identify and describe/define the criteria for just war below. In self-defense (not as an act of aggression)
2. 6th and 9th Commandment- Thou shalt not commit adultery/covet thy neighbor's wife
a. What is the negative moral command?
b. What is the positive moral command?
c. How did Jesus speak about this commandment?
d. Not just the act of adultery but unchecked thoughts, habits, etc. that could lead to it
e. What is the positive command?
i. 2 purposes of marriage: ___________ and ___________
ii. Properties of marriage: ___________ and ___________
f. Sexuality in marriage
i. ___________: sexual desires lead to sin and are linked to original sin; even within a marriage; sex is viewed as disdainful and only valued for its procreative end
ii. ___________: sex is viewed entirely for selfish reasons - for pleasure, for gain, for power and control; not viewed as a sacred mystery; irreverent, open, and casual
iii. ___________: believes that sex is a good given by God, a sacred way in which humanity images the life-giving ___________; the ___________is the language of communicating this theology; should be within the confines of God's teachings; has neither a negative view of sex that it is condemned by God, nor a permissive of view that sex is totally at the whims of man. Rather, sex is a theology, a way of communicating the sacred, in accordance and respect for God's law.
1. Continual act of loving sacrifice toward one's spouse and one's marriage
2. Becomes a total ___________
3. Attributes of this type of union: ___________, ___________, ___________, ___________
4. Involves ___________ (not celibacy): free total gift of self; proper orientation of one's sexuality to one's state in life
g. Sexual acts that do not meet this standard: should be both unitive and procreative within the context of marriage.
h. Planning in Marriage
i. Condoned method of family planning:
ii. Other non-condoned methods of planning:
1. ___________ (using an artificial/chemical barrier to prevent contraception)
2. ___________- of either the man/woman in order to prevent having further children
3. Direct conception of a child outside of the marital act (sperm donors, surrogacy, ivf, etc.)
iii. A child is a ___________, not a right nor an absolute conclusion.
3. 7th and 10th Commandment - Thou Shalt Not Steal/Covet thy neighbors' goods
a. Negative command: don't steal/covet/avoid materialism and associated vices (greed, envy, avarice); don't ignore the material needs of others, esp. in your own abundance
b. Positive command: practice poverty of spirit; abandonment to divine providence, detachment; provide for the material needs of others as your own
c. Additional sins against the 7th/10th commandments:
i. Borrowing and not returning; vandalism, underperformance at work, gambling in excess, and sins of omission (not contributing to the good of neighbor or relieving the suffering of the poor)
d. Related social teaching:
i. Solidarity, Dignity of work, just wages, right to private property, right to form associations, preferential option for the poor, universal destination of goods, stewardship
ii. Social documents: Rerum Novarum (1890, Leo XIII) and CentessimusAnnus (1990, JPII)
4. 8th Commandment - Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness
a. From Jesus:
i. I am the Way, the Truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me
ii. You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free
iii. Jesus to Pilate: To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Every one that is of the truth hears my voice. (Pilate responded: "What is truth?" right before condemning Jesus)
iv. (about Satan) "When he lies he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
v. Simplicity/verbal integrity: Let your yes mean yes and your no mean no. anything else is from the evil one.
vi. Fraternal correction - bring your friend's fault to him first; only after to broader circles
vii. Don't be a hypocrite - "why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye and yet ignore the plank in your own?"
b. Discretion - determining who has a "right to know"
i. Do not unnecessary divulge another's secrets
ii. Sometimes people need to know: authorities; when it is for the common good
c. Know the Sins against Truth
d. Making reparation and restitution after bearing false witness
5. Possible Short Answers/Essays:
a. Explain the Christian concept that human life is sacred from womb to tomb. Give concrete relative positive and negative examples.
b. Identify and explain the necessary conditions to justify going to war.
c. Under what circumstances is capital punishment permissible?
d. In a well-constructed essay, explain the purposes, properties, and attributes of Christian marriage.
e. How is a theology of the body a better approach to human sexuality than either a puritanical or a self-centered view?
f. Discuss the ideas of detachment, poverty of spirit with respect to the 7th commandment.
g. Discuss when truths known about another should be revealed and when they should be kept secret.