Religious Education Curriculum Directory (3-19) - The Catholic ...

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales — Department of Catholic Education and Formation4.7 LIFE IN CHRIST: APOLOGETICS4.7.1. If God created me free, doesn’t that meanthat I can decide what is right and wrong(1776-1794, 1954-1960)?A No. The freedom God gave us is the capacity tochoose what is right, true, and good and to resisttemptation to sin (1730-1742); we are educated forfreedom (2207, 2223, 2228, 2526). The use of freedomto do whatever we want is a misuse of thatfreedom and, perversely, lessens our freedom(1742).B Freedom is following the natural law God plantedin our hearts (1954-1960).C In reality, sinful acts diminish freedom; moral actsincrease it (1733).4.7.2. Isn’t it wrong to judge other people bytelling them something they are doing iswrong?A No. We have a responsibility to each other to encourageone another to live a life free of sin. To dothat, we must remember that sin is real (1849-1869) and be willing to call what is sinful ‘sin.’B You would warn friends against doing somethingthat could harm them; sin harms them more thanphysical evil (1787).C The Church reminds us that we are to love the sinner,hate the sin (Jn 8:1-11; 1465, 1846).D The pressure in society to practice tolerance towardall, no matter what they do, is a distortedunderstanding of what tolerance means; moral actionsmust always be measured by truth (2477-2478).E Fraternal correction is an act of charity (1793-1794).F Objective moral judgment prevents chaos; moralrelativism is a common problem today (2488-2492).4.7.3. Isn’t it wrong for the Church to imposeher views of morality on others (1949-1960)?A The Church has the responsibility to teach everyoneas persuasively as possible about what Godhas revealed about how people should live, act,and treat each other; fulfilling this responsibilityis not the same as the Church’s imposing her ownviews on others. In the development of public policy,the Church promotes the universal moral lawand the common good, not her own ecclesiasticaldisciplines (1716-1724).B Human dignity and the moral code revealed byGod are universal, that is, meant for every person(1700).C All people, not just Catholics, have the ability tounderstand the Church’s basic moral teaching becauseGod has written the natural law on theheart of every person (1954-1960).D If every person were to live by a relative moralcode dependent on choice, this would lead tochaos and a loss of happiness.4.7.4. Why can’t we make up our own mindsand be in control over everything?A The Church does teach that everyone can andshould make up their own minds about their actions.The key is that the decision is made on thebasis of an informed or educated conscience. TheChurch helps us form our consciences correctly.B It is always important to remember that we are finitehuman beings. This means we cannot knoweverything and we cannot be in control of everything.C We have to remember that God knows, sees, andunderstands more than any of us can.D The tragic conflicts that still exist in the worldpoint to the imperfection of human beings and thewounds of Original Sin (2317).E Our sinfulness can only be overcome by Christ’ssalvation (619-623).4.7.5. There’s saying about charity beginning athome. Doesn’t this mean that I don’t have toworry about helping anyone else until I haveenough to take care of me and my family?A No; concern for others is always a responsibilityand characteristic of a disciple of Jesus Christ.B The Church teaches that we have natural dutiestowards our families which means their needsmust never be neglected.C In the Parable of the Widow’s Mite (Mk 12:38-44;Lk 20:45–21:4), Jesus teaches us that real charity ismeasured not by how much one gives but by thedegree of generosity with which something isgiven or done for another.49