Integration Paper 7: Law

Maicon E. Echano

Law exists for 2 relevancies. First one is that it regulates human activities. Law puts

limits to every action or scenario that happens, as to be just. Second, of course, it directs man

towards his ultimate purpose in life. If we are to follow laws, we know we are heading to the right

way. For instance, students of MFI Tech follow certain rules and regulations to comply the

campus’ objectives, for order and to be molded as obedient and good citizens in the future.

Don’t we feel guilt when we go over rules even those simple ones? When we feel as if we are

neither happy nor contented with actions we took, knowing we disobey rules which are made for

our good and only for our good?

Law is an ordinance of reason, promulgated for the common good by one-in-charge of

the society. Two types are negative and positive law while its two classifications are eternal and

natural law.

Negative laws are those prohibiting actions while positive are those that are required to

be done or be followed.

Eternal law is for in general; the law all the other laws are based from, should be applied

by all and in all the creatures God created. Recall that one of the theistic theories is that “God is

the Supreme Creator and Lawgiver.” Under the eternal law are first, the divine law, or

commanded directly from God, the ten commandments for example, and second, the human

law, or those promulgated from the authority either from the state or the church. The human law

is flexible or can be changed through thorough processes. For example in the Roman Catholic

Church, it is a requirement that Christians should be baptized in order to remove our original sin
which we attained from our original parents, Adam and Eve. The ordinance is the command of

Christians be baptized, for the reason of the formal removal of the original sin, promulgated by

the holy church to the society, not just for our own but also for the common good by means we

could be recognized as one, united, and we ought to obey, based from systematic, methodical

process approved by the one in-charge or the body who had gone with the procedures of the

laws of the church.

Natural laws are those within an individual; it is based on their own principle. Two kinds

are formal and material norms. Formal norms are those we believe are right for ourselves and

generally in nature around us. Example, I believe that God gives us everything that we deserve

and can handle. I live by this principle, thus, being immutable or unchangeable, if I have been in

a bad situation, or been having problems with my grades after our minor B exams for specific, I

would think that it is only a challenge or lesson and God knows that I can deal with it.

Material norms are the application of the formal norms to individual concrete actions I

will be studying twice or thrice than I did with our minor B for the coming final exam to pull my

grades up and aim my goal after this semester.