10.8 Human Life

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/108-human-life 1/75

Human Life UNIT EIGHT

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


Using our understanding of who we are as human

persons, as Christians and members of the Church andusing the lens of discernment, conscience andprudence, we are to look at key issues in our societyand apply our key understandings to respond.

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


What is the Christian understanding of

? How can we respectand promote ?human life human life

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


PRUDENCEIt gives us the knowledge of what must be done, when it must be

done, and how it must be done.

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


PRUDENCET H R E E A S P E C T S O F

DELIBERATION

JUDGMENTEXECUTION

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


To deliberate or seekcounsel is to seereality clearly

This requires theperson to look at thesituation fromdi!erent perspectives/ angles; to see thesituation from a wider

point of view,including the factorsand information thatare important tomaking a gooddecision.

To judge wisely or to

figure out the goodThis aspectdetermines what ismost needed in thesituation and the bestway to achieve it.

This requires theperson to know themoral rules involvedand consider thehierarchy of values

Execution ordecisiveness is whenone puts the decisioninto action.

This requires the

person to act upon thedecision and to beready in accepting theconsequences of thedecision.

PRUDENCE

T H R E E A S P E C T S O F

DELIBERATION JUDGMENT EXECUTION

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


DELIBERATE

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


If Duterte wins the presidency, he might reinstate

CAPITAL

PUNISHMENT

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


Females who were victims of rape should be given

A CHOICE

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


Wanted terrorists who kill for extremist beliefs,

SHOOT-TO-

KILL THEM

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


California passed a law giving terminally sick patients the

RIGHT TO DIE

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


A poor family’s father must undergo an operation, should they pushthrough and it becomes successful, the father will just be bed-ridden

and will remain unconscious. It will also take so much resources.

MUST THEY PUSH

THROUGH?

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


There is a legislation to stop an indigenous culture’s practice of

HUMAN SACRIFICE

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


A possibly risky medicine that can cure cancer will be tested on

CANCER

PATIENTS

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


The scientific community has breakthrough in developing

THE IMMOR

TALITY PILL

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


Some Americans lobby against Obama’sGUN CONTROL MEASURES because they are against

THE RIGHT TO

BEAR ARMS

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


ulture of Death Culture of Death

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


Evangelium VitaePOPE JOHN PAUL II

!

e Gospel of Life

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


In fact, while the climate of widespread moral uncertainty can in some way beexplained by the multiplicity and gravity of today's social problems, and thesecan sometimes mitigate the subjective responsibility of individuals, it is no less

true that we are confronted by an even larger reality, which can be described as averitable structure of sin. This reality is characterized by the emergence of aculture which denies solidarity and in many cases takes the form of a veritable"culture of death". This culture is actively fostered by powerful cultural, economicand political currents which encourage an idea of society excessively concernedwith efficiency. Looking at the situation from this point of view, it is possible to

speak in a certain sense of a war of the powerful against the weak: a life whichwould require greater acceptance, love and care is considered useless, or held tobe an intolerable burden, and is therefore rejected in one way or another. A personwho, because of illness, handicap or, more simply, just by existing, compromisesthe well-being or lifestyle of those who are more favoured tends to be lookedupon as an enemy to be resisted or eliminated. In this way a kind of "conspiracy

against life" is unleashed. This conspiracy involves not only individuals in theirpersonal, family or group relationships, but goes far beyond, to the point ofdamaging and distorting, at the international level, relations between peoples andStates.

Evangelium Vitae ¶12POPE JOHN PAUL II

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life



A mentality or behavior that favors

activities or values that oppose anddisregard human life.

It treats the human beings as materials/

objects that are measured by theirusefulness in society. If you’re useless or a

burden, you’re discarded.

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


CAIN & ABEL

“Cain, what have you done?”“Am I my brother’s keeper?”“I must avoid You…”

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life



It becomes culture when we use

language to make activities thatdisregard life sound acceptable.

When we glamorize these activitiesas manifestations of hope, freedom,human rights and responsibility.

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


hrowaway Cultur Throwaway Culture

C

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


hrowaway Cultur Throwaway CultureA behavior and a way of life where

everything is seen as disposable,

replaceable and temporary

It is evident not only in the way we

deal with objects, but extends toour relationships, friendships and

the way human persons are treated

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


Unfortunately, what is thrown

away is not only food ordisposable objects, but often

human beings themselves whoare discarded as if they were

unnecessary.

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


Culture of Death

Throwaway Culture

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


They both reveal a culture where we valuethings that are temporary .

They both reveal a culture who treats peopleequally with all other materials. The lack ofconcern we have for our resources extend to

our fellow human beings.

They both miss the mark of what humanbeings should focus on. Rather than

focusing on those that give life, thesecultures choose death and sin.

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


that’s life?

Human Life

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


Human Life Understanding ofA Christian

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


A Cultu re of Life

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


SACREDSCRIPTURE

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


GENESISThe stories of Creation revealto us our true nature to thepoint of revealing that ourdisobedience of God (SIN) is

an aberration of our nature.

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


The Old Testament shares with us a view of the sacredness

of life from the very beginning - even in the mother’s womb.

OLD TESTAMENT

Deuteronomy 28:4

Judges 13:5Job 31:15

Psalm 139:13Jeremiah 1:5

Blessed be the fruit of your womb…

For you will conceive & bear a son. No razor shall

touch his head, for the boy is to be a Nazorite forGod from the womb…

Did not he who made me in the belly make him?Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?

You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my

mother’s womb.

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,before you were born I dedicated you…

The child in the womb shares the sacredness of all humans. From the

beginning of life, God has sanctified the human person.

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


The New Testament affirms the view of the OT that life is

sacred from conception until natural death.

NEW TESTAMENT

The mere fact that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, chose human

life to show us God’s salvation says something about life.

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


SACRED

TRADITION

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


God created man in his ownimage, “in the image of God hecreated him, male and female

he created them.” Manoccupies a unique place in

creation: (I) he is "in the imageof God"; (II) in his own naturehe unites the spiritual andmaterial worlds; (III) he is

created "male and female";

(IV) God established him in hisfriendship.

CCC 355

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


A Cultu re of Life

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


Circle of Viewpoints

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


The Gospel of LifePOPE JOHN PAUL IIEvangelium Vitae

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


The Gospel of LifePOPE JOHN PAUL II

Evangelium Vitae

PROCLAIM the good newsof the value and dignity ofhuman life, of its grandeur

and worth.

DENOUNCE the

proliferation and increasedintensity of threats to life:abortion, euthanasia, etc.

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


POPE JOHN PAUL IIEVANGELIUM VITAE 21

Respect, protect, love and servelife, every human life! Only in

this direction will you findjustice, development, true

freedom, peace and happiness

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life



Evangelium Vitae

PRESENT-DAY

THREATS TOHUMAN LIFE

LIFE AS GIFT

LIFE ASRESPONSIBILITY

LIFE AS TASK TOBE PROMOTED

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life



Evangelium Vitae

PRESENT-DAY THREATSTO HUMAN LIFE

The Culture of Death

Practical Materialism -giving priority to having

over being, the satisfactionof personal pleasure overrespect for the weak

Considering life

worthwhile only to theextent that it is productive

Loss of the sense of God

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life



Evangelium Vitae

LIFE AS GIFTLIFE is GIFT from GOD

The human person is theimage of God.

The sublime dignity of humanlife thus shines forth not only inthe light of its origin, but even

more so in the light of itsdestiny.

LIFE is REDEEMED andRESTORED through JESUS

Jesus did not only restoreour image; he also lifted us

up to the possibility of alife with God.

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life



Evangelium Vitae

LIFE AS RESPONSIBILITY

Life is entrusted to thehuman person’s

RESPONSIBILITY

Life is sacred andinviolable from beginning

to end.

Because it is gift, it is under

his special protection andindividuals cannot dispose

of it at their own whim.

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life



Evangelium Vitae

LIFE AS A TASK TO BEPROMOTED

The CHURCH has the taskof proclaiming, celebrating& serving life.

CULTURE OF LIFE - humanfreedom will find its

authentic meaning byjoining forces with truth,

life and love.

This culture calls forth new

lifestyles that respect thedignity of all humansespecially the weakest.

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


Circle of View ints

I am thinking about HUMAN LIFEfrom the view point of…

Then, I think…

SOMEONE WHO BELIEVESLIFE IS GIFT

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


From womb to tomb There is a need for a framework to see life in a holistic manner, notjust focusing on human life issues at its origin or its end, but also inits entirety.

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


A Seamless Garment Approach

CARDINAL JOSEPH BERNARDIN

Consistent Ethic Life

This approach provides aholistic framework viewing lifein its entirety.

This framework identifies theprotection of life and itspromotion as pressing moralquestions.

It argues for a continuum of lifewhich must be sustained in the

face of diverse and distinctthreats.

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


Looking into the I " ue of

SUICIDE

Id t f f h d

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


Identify if each case is suicide…

An elderly man,despairing of life,

leaves a note behindand jumps of a bridge.

Id t f f h d

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life



A terminally illpatient, realizing

death is imminent,

requests that she notbe resuscitated againif another heart failure

occurs.

Id tif if h i i id

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life



A soldier captured inwar takes a capsule in

order to avoid a

torturous death and tohide secrets from the

enemy.

Id tif if h i i id

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life



A hospitalized cancerpatient with six

months to live shoothimself in order to

save his family fromunneeded

psychological andfinancial suffering.

Id tif if h i i id

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life



A truck driver,foreseeing his owndeath, drives off a

bridge in order toavoid hitting children

playing in the road.

Id tif if h s is s i id

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life



A Jehovah’s Witnessrefuses a simple blood

transfusion for

religious reasons andsubsequently dies for

lack of blood.

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


SUICIDEAn act is a suicide if and only if a person intentionallyand/or directly causes his or her own death as anultimate end in itself or as a means to another end(e.g., pain relief), through acting (e.g., taking a pill) orrefraining from acting (e.g., refusing to eat) when thatact is not coerced and is not done sacrificially for thelives of other persons or in obedience to God.

SUICIDE is seriously

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


SUICIDE is seriouslycontrary to justice, hope

and charity. It is forbiddenby the 5th Commandment.

(CCC 2325)

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


DOES THIS MEAN I GO TO HELL

IF I COMMIT SUICIDE?END-OF-LIFE decisions are

always COMPLEX.

There are MANY moral opinions aboutend-of-life decisions. NOT ALL opinions

are MORAL.

Some people try to JUSTIFY suicide inways that distort the moral truths about

human life.

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


2280. Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it tohim. It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life. We are obliged toaccept life gratefully and preserve it for his honor and the salvation of oursouls. We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It isnot ours to dispose of.

2281. Suicide contradicts the natural inclination of the human being topreserve and perpetuate his life. It is gravely contrary to the just love of self.It likewise offends love of neighbor because it unjustly breaks the ties ofsolidarity with family, nation, and other human societies to which wecontinue to have obligations. Suicide is contrary to love for the living God.

2282. If suicide is committed with the intention of setting an example,especially to the young, it also takes on the gravity of scandal. Voluntaryco-operation in suicide is contrary to the moral law.

Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship,suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing

suicide.

2283. We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who havetaken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide theopportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons whohave taken their own lives.

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


SUICIDE is an unalterableact of taking of one’s ownlife which expresses a

total loss of will to survivedue to extreme depressionand despair.

(cf. CCC 2280-2283)

As Christians, we mustdo all in our power tohelp those tempted totake their own lives, torecognize God’s

personal love for them,and to continue to“hope in the Lord”.

(CFC 1040)

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


The willingness to liveeven in the face of pain…

…can be a MORAL SERVICE toothers.

…is a sign that suffering couldbe endured.

…is an opportunity to TEACHothers to die, how to face life,how to live well and how a wiseperson understands theconnection between happinessand evil.

…is a way refusing to give thecommunity a morally unhelpfulmemory of the person whocommitted suicide.

A d I i d th t thi t

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate usfrom God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angelsnor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries

about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell canseparate us from God’s love. No power in the sky aboveor in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation willever be able to separate us from the love of God that isrevealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

ROMANS 8:38-39

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


H u w a g

Something about how youtreat your own human life that

people should not imitate.

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


Life and health are precious gifts entrusted to us byGod. We must take reasonable care for them, taking

into account the needs of others and the common good.(CCC 2288)

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


We all know about the harms of vices (smoking, drinking,drugs). There is no debate that it is bad for our health. If life

ought to be respected, then it follows that our health should berespected as well. The respect for life and by extension the

respect for health requires that we avoid those activities that

poses threat to health and life.

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


CAN A GOOD/NEUTRALACTIVITY HARM OUR HEALTH?

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


Diet & Exercise

Sl

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


Sleep

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


Sports

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


Extreme Sports

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life


! e virtue ofTEMPERANCE

In dealing with such kinds of activities, the CatholicChurch emphasize the virtue of temperance whichdisposes us to “avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of

food, alcohol, tobacco or medicine. Those incur graveguilt, with, by drunkenness or love of speed, endanger

their own and others’ safety.”(CCC 2290)

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life



Temperance is the moral virtue that moderates theattraction of pleasure and provides balance in the useof created goods. It keeps desires within the limits of

what is honorable.(CCC 1809)

7/24/2019 10.8 Human Life



There is nothing wrong with the enjoyment of pleasurethat is within the bounds of what is reasonable,conscious and moderate use of enjoyable things.

Things that are considered helpful to our health anddaily living.

Documents

10.8 Human Life