Verified Document

Catholic Ethics The Catholic Religion Term Paper

The author then asserts the tenet of natural law that men naturally seek what is good, and that to know the good and not pursue it is to reject God (99, 101-102). Balthasar closes with a comparison of the freedom of an individual and his membership in an aggregate social group -- the only true way to combine the two identities, he says, is in Christ, where the two identities converge. All three of these discussions attempt to explain a modern facet of Christian belief and practice-Schurmann in his examination of a New Testament interpretation, Ratzinger in his reconciliation of praxis and theory, and Balthasar with his overview of justifications for action based on faith. Each man treats a subject that is distinctly modern in its discussion, most notably Ratzinger's response to the Marxist concept of praxis, but all three topics can be related back to moral theology and trace the origins of each question to an older debate-Schurmann's interpretation is similar to debates over the superiority of the New or Old Testament in previous eras of Church history, Ratzinger's theory vs. practice topic has been an issue among Christians since the inception of the faith, and Balthasar's exploration of the underlying moral and ethical motives behind actions has been relevant since time immemorial.

The essays are all applicable to any era of Church history, and all are well reasoned and theologically sound. In the interest of space, however, only one will be analyzed in detail here, that of Schurmann. In his piece, Schurmann asserts why the Gospels can be understood as the most relevant commandments on how to live in accordance with Christian principles, and gives a basic rationale for seeming contradictions in the Old Testament. He notes that "a historically determined obfuscation" occurs in the parables and recollections of the Old Testament, which allows the stories to be interpreted to...

If the literal truth is to be taken from Old Testament lore, they lose their value once their implements are outdated-if, for example, an ox cannot be understood as an automobile, or a tribute to the king cannot be understood as a tax paid to the government. Instead of this strict interpretation, Schurmann suggests an exegesis of the texts in context of the current era.
He supports the case for a more lenient interpretation of the Old Testament parables and myths with an assertation of the relevance the old stories in the Gospels; "God...in his wisdom has so brought it about that the New should be hidden in the Old and that the Old should be made manifest in the New" (Augustine, on p. 15). Schurmann also notes prior Catholic doctrine that states "the books of the Old Testament...attain and show forth their full meaning in the New Testament" (15).

The commandment to "love thy neighbor," expressed in several places in the New Testament, "sums up" (Rom. 13:8) the "law of Christ" (Gal. 6:2). Schurmann later elaborates that this commandment cannot change through various time periods-that social and cultural factors may shift, but the commandment to love thy neighbor is a "time-bound judgment of value and of fact" (43). Societal factors may change the way that one interprets certain passages, for example, Peter's apparently different opinions at different points regarding remarriage (40) or the change in culture that has made human slavery unacceptable, when it was once considered a routine part of life

The analysis of moral theology and Christian ethics today by these three men gives readers a sound starting point from which to examine these thorny issues. Principles of Christian Morality is also an interesting look at the moral theology (in brief) of our current Pope, and is an excellent introduction to…

Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Catholic Religion Over the Last
Words: 1112 Length: 4 Document Type: Research Proposal

Of course, since these views are based on those who are high-ranking members of the church, Hennesey's narrative is somewhat biased, yet it does provide an excellent overview of many important topics related to American Catholicism. Hurley, M. (2002). The unholy ghost: Anti-catholicism in the american experience. Huntington, IN: Sunday Visitor Press. In this carefully-documented study of prejudice against Catholics in the United States, Bishop Mark Hurley examines the entire history of

Religion Is a Multifaceted Social
Words: 1268 Length: 4 Document Type: Thesis

My personality also plays a major role in my personal religious development. Religion may have been part of my identity when I was younger, but has since played a more minor role in how I present myself to the world. On the other hand, religion plays a more salient role in my metaphysical and cosmological beliefs. I appreciate the role of religion in helping human beings ask probing questions about

Comparative Religions
Words: 1281 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Religion Comparing the Catholic and the Wicca Religion There are many different religions across the world; some are well established having existed for many centuries, others have emerged more recently although their foundations may have historical links. When comparing different religions it becomes apparent that there are some key commonalities, even if the specific details and the proportional importance of those elements differs. For example, discussing aspects of belief, community, myths, rituals

Religion Vs. Science: The Issue
Words: 1210 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

"Embryo cloning is the technology that would make the creation of eugenically engineered 'designer babies' commercially feasible." (Darnovsky M. 2002) This also relates to the growing concern in some quarters that technologies such as stem cell manipulation can be subject to abuse. "Many disability rights activists argue that it is being used in a misguided search for 'perfect' babies, and many feminists voice concern about its use to satisfy

Catholic Church in Spain and the United States
Words: 19318 Length: 70 Document Type: Thesis

Catholic church and public policy have remarked that the members of American clergy in general, without even excepting those who do not admit religious liberty, are all in favour of civil freedom; but they do not support any particular political system. They keep aloof from parties, and from public affairs. In the United States religion exercises but little influence upon laws, and upon the details of public opinion; but it

Catholic Hindu Throughout My Brief Time Here
Words: 544 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Catholic Hindu Throughout my brief time here on planet earth I have realized that philosophy is a very valuable tool that can help guide someone like me into a world of wonderment, awe and excitement. I also realize that I am only equipped with belief systems as everything seems to fail under close scrutiny. My nature, along with the rest of humanity, is to learn, play and experience life to its

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now