Following your Conscience

Conscience and Authority

Who are authority figures in your life?

Do you have an obligation to listen to and follow their rules?

What would happen if we did not follow authority?

Where does their authority come from?

We therefore have a duty to respect those with legitimate authority

Authority is to be exercised as a service, not as power seeking to control others

Authority and Responsibility

Exercise it in a reasonable way Proper sense of priorities Recognize values that are more

important than others Danger that they will try to grab power

over others People shouldn’t exercise any more

control over others than they really need to.

Servant leader

What qualities do we look for in a leader? What principles do you think they should embody

Civil Authorities

Must respect basic human rights Must put communities welfare before

own self interest Serve the common good Promote freedom and autonomy

Take away freedom Reason must be justifiable and

proportionate

Citizens Duties

Obey just laws Vote Defense of country for just cause Global good Samaritans

Subsidiarity

Keeping in mind the common good: a community with greater power should not interfere in the internal affairs of a community with lesser authority.

The greater should assist the lesser and help blend its activities with the rest of society’s.

Politics and morality

State: promote, serve and defend the common good

Legitimate only when it uses morally allowable means to do this

We are not obligated to follow dictators

Church: assesses social policy to be sure it is morally good

Helps people adjust social policy

Common Good

All the social factors that help people become humanly fulfilled

What are some of these factors? We need to work for the

universal common good as well Society is us…things will change

for the better only if we work for it

The Church and Individual Conscience Pope and other church leaders

Guide Catholics in understanding and applying Jesus’ message

It is not to make decisions for us We have an obligation to seek what is

right and true God has given us free will and the ability

to use it by reasoning and acting according to truth

Church teaching and morality Church leaders are obligated to study and

teach about matters of faith and morals Jesus, through the Church, has given pope

and leaders authority to teach religious truths we need to live by in order to achieve salvation

Teaching is developed through Creed, Lord’s prayer, law of love, Ten Commandments, natural law, Scripture, Tradition

In forming our conscience we need to attend to the sacred doctrine of the Church

All who are baptized are called to teach about religious truth as well

We worship God not just in church but in how we live

Infallibility

Catholics believe that God will not let the entire community be mistaken regarding beliefs about matters essential for salvation

Bishops and church leaders have responsibility to interpret the gospel and the moral law for the Church

Infallibility

Limited in its nature scope and implications

Applies in matters essential for salvation Magisterium may use it to defend faith

Highest teaching authority, the pope and the bishops in union with him

Society and Individual Conscience We belong to a number of communities We owe certain loyalties to these Are you ever justified in breaking the

law?

What does Jesus say about the Law? Love one another Obey legitimate laws

Rules of conduct enacted by a rightful authority to promote and safeguard the common good

Just Laws

Moral Laws Reasonable and in accordance with

God’s law What is God’s law?

Not Civil Law Written on our hearts Is always everywhere, binding

What did MLK say about just laws? Man-made code that squares with the

moral law or the law of God Majority compels minority but is happy

following themselves

Unjust Laws

Immoral laws MLK Says:

Not rooted in eternal law or natural law Majority compels minority but not obligated

themselves Why is segregation immoral?

Martin Buber-”I” - it vs. “I” thou

Conscientious Disobedience

When is it right to deliberately disobey a legitimate law or command?

We have a moral and legal obligation to follow just laws

We may have a duty to obey poor laws We do not have an obligation to follow

unjust, oppressive, and abusive laws

When conscientious disobedience is called for

When we in good conscience can break a law

Conscientious objectors: Those who carefully deliberated reasons

of conscience, actively and responsibly oppose civil laws they consider unjust

What are examples of conscientious disobedience?

Choosing Conscientious Objection We have a duty and obligation to disobey

laws or commands which contradict the moral order or violate basic human rights or gospel teachings

We must do so openly, lovingly, and with willingness to accept the penalty

Non-violently Not defiantly Includes teachers, parents, employers

Just War

Societies have the right to use morally acceptable means to defend themselves

Under strict conditions which must exist at the same time

Given to us by Thomas Aquinas

Must meet three criteria

1. It must be declared by a legitimate authority not by private groups or individuals

2. It must be waged for a just cause like protecting innocent life or preserving conditions necessary for basic human life

3. It must be waged with the right intention, not for vengeance, cruelty, or power

Later theologians added:

The war must be a last resort The means used to win the war must be

moral The suffering and damage caused by

the war must be proportionate to the good to be accomplished

There must be a reasonable chance of success

The terms of peace must be fair

With modern warfare is it likely that a war today could meet these criteria?

Nuclear, biological and chemical warfare present the danger of global destruction

How should we work to fight against such weapons?

Disarmament The reduction, elimination or rendering

harmless of destructive weapons

What is the only way to “win”? Peace This should always be our goal How can we promote peace in our

world? Begins with us

Do on loose leaf:

What are the main sources of tension or aggression among the teenagers you know?

List ten practical ways of addressing these problems and achieving a greater peace among the students at your school.

Review

Conscience and authority Legitimate authority Civil authority Justifiable Proportionate Politics and the Church Common Good

Review

Society and Individual Conscience Just/unjust laws Objectively/subjectively right/wrong God’s law

Conscientious Disobedience MLK’s letter When is it called for? Why? How should we do it?

Just war Disarmament Peace