Strand: Christian Ethics – Personal and Social (CEL9-10E2)
Levels 9 and 10
In the Christian tradition, moral responsibility towards self, others and the environment, is developed over time and fostered in the community of the Church, local and global.
Identify and critically evaluate ways in which the Catholic tradition and community enables people, as free agents, to develop a morally, ethically and socially informed response to life.
Elaborations
Different religious groups have their own moral codes which are given expression both in the personal and social interactions of its members. In pluralistic societies there is a measure of agreement in some basic moral matters protecting life, property and bodily integrity, while at the same time there exists a large measure of disagreement in many areas when it comes to the application of basic moral principles to concrete matters, for example euthanasia and genetic modification. Values have been defined as qualities, goals or things which people consider important. One’s values come from and are developed from a myriad of sources. They form a deep part of one’s being.
They act on one’s thinking, actions, relationships and choices. All are constantly met and challenged by values present in a pluralistic society. Values can change, broaden, develop, deepen, waver or be lost but they are certainly a dynamic aspect of one’s being. From a Catholic Christian perspective, working for the common good is enabled by the community of the Church and its tradition. It is the choice to do that which enables you to be the best person you can be at any given moment of life, promotes the genuine good of others and enables society to be the best society it can be at any given moment in history.