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8/13/2019 Law part 2

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LAWPart II

8/13/2019 Law part 2


CLASSES OF LAW

Divine LawGod has provided men and women the grace to discern His

will and thereby formulate laws and codes according to His

plan.

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Decalogue – 10 Commandments

10 commandments Basic Human values

1. I, the Lord am your

God…

We recognize the One

God , center of allreality.

2. You shall not take the

name of the Lord, your God,

in vain.

We reverence God’s

transcendent holiness and all

things associated with Him.

3. Take care to keep holy

the Sabbath day.

We value the indispensable

role of worship.

4. Honor your father and

your mother.

We see the family as a

community and sacrament of

God’s love.

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10 commandmentsBasic Human Values

5. You shall not kill. Cherish and uphold

God’s gift of life.

6. You shall not commit

adultery.

9. You shall not covet yourneighbor’s wife.

We must respect the gift of

our human sexuality as well

as the sacredness ofmarriage.

7. You shall not steal.

10. You shall not covet thy

neighbor’s goods.

We must respect the property

of all persons and foster

Justice for all.

8. You shall not bear false

witness against thy neighbor.

We must value the right of

all persons to a good name

as well as the value of

honesty in all our

interpersonal human

relations.

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Questions of the Day…

Is it Right because God

commands it?

or

Does God command itbecause it is Right?

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THE DEGREE THAT YOUR MORAL

REFERENCE POINT IS DRIVEN FROM

DIVINE COMMAND, MAYDETERMINE HOW YOU RESOLVE

CONFLICTS IN YOUR DECISION

MAKING.

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NATURAL LAW

NATURAL MORAL LAW

DIRECTIVE, ORDERING MAN TOWARDS ULTIMATE EN

ICH ARISES FROM THE NATURE OF MAN AND CREATI

ND WHICH CAN BE RECOGNIZED BY MAN’S REASON.

IT IS ALSO DIVINE NATURAL LAW

AUSE ITS ORIGIN IS ULTIMATELY TRACED BACK TO THE WILL OF G

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Natural Law

Two important things about natural law theory:

(1) Natural laws are prescriptive; they tell ushow we ought to behave.

In this sense, they are unlike physical laws akalaws of nature (e.g., gravitation), which tell ushow things do in fact behave and are,therefore, descriptive.

“Unlike rocks, we are always at liberty to

disobey the natural laws that pertain to us.This is how we sin.”

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Natural Law

(2) Natural laws are absolute, because the

goods in which they are grounded are

incommensurable

- that is, there is no common metric thatwould allow us to compare them.

Hence, there can be no ‘trade-offs’

between, say, protecting life and seekingknowledge; or, more importantly,

between protecting this life rather than

that life.

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The Properties of the Natural Law are

a)Universality

b)Immutability

c)Indispensability

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Church laws

Some examples of Church laws pertinent to our study of Morality

includes:

1. The fundamental understanding of who we are, what our final

goal is, how we are to get there, what constitutes authentic

freedom and love.

2. The role of the family in the formation of the youth and in thetransformation of society.

3. The marriage laws of the Church.

4. The specific teaching of the Church on moral issues like

abortion, euthanasia, suicide, and human sexuality.

5. The social teaching of the Church pertaining to human rights,

social justice, and the dignity of labor.

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CIVIL LAW

Human made decrees of civil government bindingits citizens.

Often particular application of natural lawmade by duly elected or assigned officials forthe welfare of society.

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Definitions

• Eternal Law – The law of God’s regulative reason

• Divine Law

– The Law that man receives by special revelationfrom God

• Natural Law – That part of God’s Law that is incorporated into

human nature

• Human Law – Law devised by man for specific purposes

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Divine, Natural and Civil Law

Natural Law(from Reason)

“Divine” or

“Revealed” Law (From Deity)

Law of

Nature(Descriptive)

Human Laws

Civil Laws

Eternal Law (Divine+ Natural)

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Summary1. Moral laws express basic values and are grounded on the

inviolable dignity of persons.

2. Just laws protect and promote our true freedom. Hence, we are

obliged as persons to understand and obey just laws.

3. St. Thomas Aquinas defines a just law as “an ordinance of reason

promulgated by competent authority for the sake of the commongood.

4. Different types of laws have different goals. We may classify laws

into four categories: natural law, divine law, church law and civil

law.

5. As Christians, our ultimate moral law is not merely a set of do’sand don’ts but a person – Jesus Christ. Through His teachings

and deeds, he has proclaimed that love of God and love of

neighbor are the greatest commandments. To be authentically

free is to follow Christ’s example.

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Quiz – ½

• 1 – 5 Give 5 of the tencommandments and

opposite eachcommandment the basic

values they uphold. ( 10 pts.)• 6 – 9 The 4 classes of laws.

law part 2

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