Rachel Lai

EXAM REVIEW
HRE 4M1a
Vocabulary
Abortion the ending of a fetus' life, the Church sees this as immoral as human life must be
respected and protected
Anthropocentrism "human-centered" approach to life
Aristotle
- explored natural world and human experience
- thrived on hands-on observation, experience and classification
- his first concern is not the individual, it is the state
- human life is shaped to its full extent in the content of a community. It is there that the citizen
will find happiness
- pleasure is momentary, happiness goes on, it is the condition of the good person who
succeeds in living well and acting well
- ethics aims to discover what is good for humans, what permits us to reach our potential, what
we are intended to be
- you are only happy if over time you perform the most perfect typical human tasks
- Teleological Ethics: discovering the finality of what we are intended to be
o Good is that at which all things aim
- intended to be rational
- to act ethically is to engage our capacity to reason as we develop good character
- to act virtuously is to do things well and to act successfully
o allowing reason to guide ones actions
- be moderate in all things, stay in a middle that suits you, the individual
Artificial Birth Control not much experience is needed to be fully aware of human weakness
and to understand that human beings-and especially the young, who are so exposed to
temptation-need incentives to keep the moral law, and it is an evil thing to make it easy for them
to break that law. Another effect that gives cause for alarm is that a man who grows accustomed
to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding
her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the
satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should
surround with care and affection.
Atheism the idea that there is no God
Autonomism emphasis on the will on its own-on doing whatever one pleases
Autonomous freedom as a will to power, I alone am the moral law
Beatitudes things that should be followed, God's morals implanted on human community
Benevolence good will or disposition to do good
Canon Law laws of marriage
Cardinal Virtues virtues that include: prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude
Catechism a summary or exposition of doctrine and served as a learning introduction to the
Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult
converts
Character the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual
Charism - any good gift that flows from Gods love to humans
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Charity - the voluntary giving of help, typically in the form of money, to those in need
Civil Law also known as common law, relates to civil wrongs
Commodification the transformation of goods and services, as well as ideas or other entities
that normally may not be considered goods, into a commodity
Common Good offers us wisdom and assistance in building a just society
Three elements:
1) respect for the person
2) the social well-being and development of the group itself
3) peace and security
Commutative Justice pertains to contractual relationships between individuals, and between
institutions that have the legal status of a person
Conscience "the voice of God in the depths of our being. By being informed it enables us to
discover what is right and wrong and apply this insight to concrete situations
Consequentialism the class of normative ethical theories holding that the consequences of
one's conduct are the ultimate basis for any judgement about the rightness of that conduct
Consumerism an attitude to life that rates material goods and personal appearance as more
important than inner development or true personal relationships
Contraception methods used to prevent pregnancy
Contrition the state of feeling remorseful and penitent
Corporal Works of Mercy actions and practices which are expected to be performed by all
followers
Covenant a formal agreement made by God with a religious community or with humanity in
general
Culture of Death whatever is opposed to life itself, such as any type of murder, genocide,
abortion, euthanasia or willful self destruction, whatever violates the dignity of the human person
such as mutilation, torments inflicted on the body or mind, attempts to coerce the will itself or
whatever insults human dignity such as subhuman living conditions, slavery, prostitiuion, the
selling of a woman or child, as well as disgraceful working conditions where people are treated
as mere instruments of gain rather than as free and responsible persons
Culture of Life there is a need to recover the basic vision of the relationship between civil and
moral law. The real purpose is to guarantee an ordered social existence in true justice. Civil law
must ensure that all members of society enjoy certain fundamental rights which belong to the
person.
Deontology it is our obligation and duty to do good and that it is not done for personal reasons.
Came from Immanuel Kant.
Determinism - the philosophical position that for every event exist conditions that could cause
no other event
Dignity of the Human Person it is a Gift from God, it includes our human nature, life and
being. We are created in the image and likeness of God and in this way, he has given us human
dignity which cannot be diminished or broken.
Distributive Justice the relationship of government to the individual, and the governments
obligations
Emmanuel Levinas
- the Good is the central question of all philosophy
- he was in search of Good which he believes goes beyond Being
- he believed each person is unique

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The Good is interested in what is absolutely unique about each person or thing
These unique things and persons are traces of the Good or God
Face to face experiences are a thrill of astonishment and is the most original moment of
meaning
- The face demands you recognize it and help (ethically)
o It makes us responsible, it brings us to our neighbour and to help them instead of
beings to God
Encyclical - is a letter, usually treating some aspect of Catholic doctrine, sent by the Pope and
addressed either to the Catholic bishops of a particular area or, more normally, to the bishops of
the world; however, the form of the address can vary widely, and often designates a wider
audience
Eschaton the end time
Ethical Maxims (in deontology) a subjective principle of action, a ground rule
Euthanasia intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain or suffering
Exegesis the analysis of texts in their original context, uncovering the historical, cultural,
linguistic etc., particularities that the original author was dealing with in order to better
understand the original meaning and intent of a text
Fidelity faithfulness, trustworthiness, loyalty
Free Will the ability to choose anything with no restraints, as a human we can by our own free
will determine his deliberate volitions and so exercise a real command over his thoughts, his
deeds, and the formation of his character
Freedom the ability to choose love over evil
Generosity the quality of being kind and generous
Golden Rule do unto others as you would do to yourself
Goodness the quality of being good
Grace - favour, the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call to become
children of God, adoptive sons, partakers of the divine nature and of eternal life
Hedonism the idea that the only intrinsic goods are those used for pleasure
Idolatry this belief would demonstrate a treatment of material objects as if they were sacred or
of ultimate importance
Immanuel Kant
- Theoretical Reason: we came to know how the laws of nature, the laws of cause and effect,
govern human behaviour
o It is an area where freedom of choice is not an issue
- Practical Reason: moves beyond scientific and empirical knowledge to the moral dimension
guiding human behaviour (for choices)
- Theoretical to understand what people actually do
- Practical to understand what we ought to do
- The good is the aim of moral life
- To pursue good we need God, freedom and immortality
- Good will is the will to do our duty for no other reason than that it is our duty
- Deontological will: the centre, we cant always act to our duty, an action is morally good
when it is done for the sake of duty
- Moral worth is motivated by duty, moral worth is measured by motive behind it
- Person is an end as well as a means
Inalienable unable to be taken away from or given away from possessor

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Individualism the exaltation of the individual self over all other considerations. It is an attitude
that glorifies personal needs at the expense of other people.
Integrity - people can be described as having this level of moral maturity when they consistently
use their freedom, intelligence and conscience in a virtuous way to safeguard human dignity
Intelligence - the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills
Justice this virtue enables us to respect and safeguard human dignity
Kingdom of God Gods throne in heaven
Law - a statement of fact, deduced from observation, to the effect that a particular natural or
scientific phenomenon always occurs if certain conditions are present
Legal Justice the relationship of the individual to society, based on law and the enforcement of
law
Licence abuse of freedom
Magisterium the teaching office of the Catholic Church
Materialism the belief that all reality can be explained in physical terms and that humans are
only physical objects that do not possess a soul
Mean cruel, spiteful
Moral Relativism believes there are no absolute values, only those that are in the secular
culture. Everything is dependent on ones point-of-view or opinion
Narcissism - excessive or erotic interest in oneself and one's physical appearance
Natural Law - St. Thomas Aquinas said that this ...is nothing other than the light infused in us
by God, whereby we understand what must be done and what must be avoided
Nihilism suggests that there is no purpose or reason for existence
Passions these are our emotions or feelings. They are not moral per se, but they are affected by
virtue or vice and can then lead us to the good or to evil
Pentecost - the Christian festival celebrating the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of
Jesus after his Ascension, held on the seventh Sunday after Easter
Prudence enables us to make wise and careful judgements
Relativism there is no absolute good, truth or being
Repentance - the activity of reviewing one's actions and feeling contrition or regret for past
wrongs
Responsibility - the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control
over someone
Restorative Justice a process that brings together victims, offenders and the community in
order to repair the harm and promote harmony. It emphasizes healing the harm caused by crime
by means of naming the truth and making amends personally
Saint Paul - was an apostle (though not one of the Twelve Apostles) who taught the gospel of
Christ to the first-century world
Secularism this belief has a number of assumptions about reality that are rooted in nonreligious ideas
Sermon on the Mount a collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus, which emphasizes
his moral teaching found in the Gospel of Matthew , the beatitudes, concerning adultery,
divorce, etc. When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his
disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
Sin making a choice opposed to love or opposed to Gods will for His creation
Solicitude - care or concern for someone or something

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Solidarity based upon the scriptural message that we are all one body in Christ, who longs to
gather us together, the principle of solidarity makes manifest the Churchs insistence that we treat
each person as Christ. Solidarity helps us to see the other whether a person, people or nation not
just as some kind of instruction with a work capacity and physical strength to be exploited at low
cost and then discarded when no longer useful, but as our neighbour, a helper, to be made a
sharer on a par with ourselves in the banquet of life to which all are equally invited by God
1) Solidarity means relationship
2) Solidarity is expressed by friendship and social charity
3) All forms of solidarity must be realized
4) Solidarity extends to global relationships and international organizations
Stewardship - the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care
Subjectivism - the philosophical tenet that "our own mental activity is the only unquestionable
fact of our experience"
Teleology - any philosophical account that holds that final causes exist in nature, meaning that,
analogous to purposes found in human actions, nature inherently tends toward definite ends
Temperance this virtue enables us to control our desire and passion for things moderately
Ten Commandments
1) Thou shalt not have any other God before me
2) Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image
3) Thou shalt not use thy Gods name in vein
4) Remember the Sabbath day. Keep It Holy
5) Honour thy father and thy mother
6) Thou shalt not kill
7) Thou shalt not commit adultery
8) Thou shalt not steal
9) Thou shalt not bear false witness to thy neighbour
10) Thou shalt not covet
Theological Virtues these virtues include: faith, hope, and love
Truth the real facts about something
Utilitarianism finds greatest good for greatest number
Vices the sinful habits of evil
Virtue - a positive trait or quality deemed to be morally good and thus is valued as a foundation
of principle and good moral being
Vocation what you are called to do in your life
Will the faculty of choice; it is classified as the rational appetite

Encyclicals
Gaudium et Spes - this document from Vatican II reveals the Churchs teaching on human
dignity
Humane Vitae an encyclical written by Pope Paul VI regarding married love, responsible
parenthood, and the continued rejection of most forms of birth control
Dei Verbum this Vatican II document emphasizes the authoritative importance of Sacred
Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and the Magisterium
Evangelium Vitae - the name of the encyclical written by Pope John Paul II which expresses the
position of the Catholic Church regarding the value and inviolability of human life

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Veritatus Splendor this encyclical laments the rejection of natural law by those who dissent
from Church teachings
Familiaris Consortio - describes the official position of the Roman Catholic Church concerning
the meaning and role of marriage and the family, and outlines challenges towards realizing that
ideal. It defines marriage "as a personal union in which the spouses reciprocally give and
receive."

Scripture
Genesis 1:1-3:24
Exodus 1:1-14:31
Exodus 19:1-20:17
Matthew 5:1-7:28
Matthew 5:43-48
Matthew 10:1-15
Matthew 19:6
Luke 6:27-36
Luke 15:11-32
Deuteronomy 6:1-9
Luke 9:1-6
Luke 24:45
John 16:4-15
John 21:15-19
Acts 2:1-13
Acts 9:1-39
Acts 4:1-4
Acts 4:32-35
Ephesians 5:21
1 Cor 1:19-20