Christian Morality The General Norms of the Human Person

SY 2021 – 2022
1st Semester

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
● Analyze the different meanings of the human person in line
with the Catholic perspective
● Explain the concept of the human person in Christian
morality
● Appreciate the five general norms of the human person
grounded on the Christian perspective
I. HUMAN PERSON
● Human Person in Christian Perspective
→ Created in His own image
→ Relational beings
→ Embodied subject
→ Historical subject
→ Fundamental equal but uniquely original
A. HUMAN PERSON IS CREATED IN GOD’S IMAGE
● God affirms the dignity and sacredness of every person.
→ God has so established a relationship with us.
● God remains faithful to his relationship with us.
● We all share a common human condition that is directed toward
a common destination, which is God.
● Human dignity does not ultimately depend on human
achievement.
● The image of the Trinitarian God. A person cannot exist by
himself but is always in relation to others.
● There is a moral responsibility to share whatever gifts, talents,
or possessions one has for the good of others.
● This implies that we respect the development process of each
person.
● We should adequately consider the moral responsibilities of
persons in proportion to their capacities at each stage of
development.
● We should always remember that persons can change and
therefore there is always a chance for conversion.
● Cultures can develop and change through time and therefore
we must be careful about formulating absolute moral norms
based on cultural factors.
E. HUMAN PERSONS ARE FUNDAMENTALLY
EQUAL BUT UNIQUELY ORIGINAL
● This means that as we seek to promote what is universally good
for all.
● We need to be balanced in how we make moral norms,
promoting what is common for all while at the same time taking
into consideration cultural differences.
● We must take into consideration the unique experiences of
persons to inform our ongoing moral reflections.

B. HUMAN PERSON AS A RELATIONAL BEING

● To be a human person is to be directed toward others. We are

communal by nature.
● There is an obligation to continually assess our laws, moral
norms, and structures of society whether they fully promote the
common good and communal living.
● We need to live in social groups with appropriate structures
which sustain human dignity and the common good.

C. HUMAN PERSON AS AN EMBODIED SUBJECT

● The human person is a moral agent with a certain degree of

autonomy and empowered to act according to his conscience,
in freedom and in knowledge.
→ The person must never be used as an object or as a means
to an end.
● Our human bodies are not simply accessories to our humanity
but are essential to our identity and integrity as persons.
● Our embodiment reminds us that our bodies are subject to the
laws of the material world, and we must take these laws into
consideration when we treat our bodies.

D. HUMAN PERSON AS A HISTORICAL SUBJECT

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