Catholic Moral Teaching

Catholics are called to live out their faith in daily life. As a consequence, our beliefs are more than just an intellectual construct for our lives, they are the rules by which we behave in everyday life. God sent His Son to free us from sin--meaning making us free not to choose whatever we want, but to choose the good for which we are created. This is critical to Catholic moral thinking: freedom means the freedom from things that would hinder our "yes" to God.

From a Catholic perspective, every human action has a moral dimension, and there are moral absolutes, real and revealed standards of right and wrong. When deciding the morality of our actions, we must consider what we do, why we do it and the consequences for ourselves and others. The starting point of moral thinking is that every act is a decision that brings us either closer to God, or farther away. Few of the things we do leave us where we are.

Some actions are ALWAYS wrong, no matter the reason: intentional killing of the innocent (note the qualifiers), torture, rape, sex outside of marriage. These actions are disordered in and of themselves, and will always draw us away from God. Keep in mind that there is no motive or consequence that makes an inherently disordered action acceptable. This is why the Church prohibits abortion: it is the intentional taking of an innocent life. Contrast that position with legislation that limits abortion: nearly all provide exception in the case of rape, incest or for the health for the mother.

Actions that are good can still be morally evil if we do them for the wrong reasons. Thus, an improper motivation can "spoil" an otherwise good act, and a good intention can never "cure" an intrinsically evil one.

In addition, there is an order to moral values. Take a look at the USCCB statement on Forming Conscience for Citizenship. It notes that the basis for all other rights is life, and that Catholic support for life from conception to natural death is something on which Catholics should not compromise. The Bishops have stated clearly that the most important issue of social justice for Catholics remains the issue of life.

More often than not, there are several moral issues involved in any given decision, It then becomes important to order the principles, and to assess not only motivations but outcomes to make a moral decision. This can all sound pretty complicated, but it's really what we do every day. The Church calls on us to do it with a well formed Catholic conscience--meaning a conscience that is educated in Church teaching and values.

One of the principles of moral reasoning you're likely to hear about is the principle of the double effect. Read "Muddled Moral Reasoning" for a detailed explanation, but the short version goes like this: if an act in itself is not intrinsically evil, it can still be permissible (though it is not required) even when the outcome of the action is negative, if the motivation for the action is morally acceptable. For example, it is morally permissible to attempt surgery on a baby in the womb, even though the procedure carries a risk of losing the pregnancy. The action (surgery) is not intrinsically evil, the motivation is proper (to save a life). Thus, in such a situation a pregnant woman could decide to go ahead with the procedure, but she would not be obligated to.

It is by such reasoning that the Church develops her answers to moral problems that arise over time, and when you understand the logic, the continuity of the Church's teaching becomes clear. If you are interested, check out the following link for questions and answers on Church teaching and moral reasoning.

http://forums.catholic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=4

A final note: Judging the morality of actions is necessary for us to direct our own lives to God and His will for us. It should not be confused with judging the state of the soul of anyone else. This we are not permitted to do; that sort of judgment is for God alone (remember "judge not lest you be judged?") Even when an action is morally wrong, the culpability of the individual depends not just on the action but on the individual himself. Personal and external circumstances can mean that an individual is less culpable for a morally impermissible act that it would otherwise appear. Bottom line: be prepared to understand Catholic moral principles in order to direct your own life choices and to instruct, assist and confirm those around you--don't fall into the trap of using those principles to criticize and condemn. With God's grace, strive to live the truth in love.