COURSE SYLLABUS

COURSE TITLE: CHRISTIAN ETHICS

COURSE
CODE/CREDITS:
5/Theology 3

Philosophy

But only God who created man to His own

image and ransomed him from sins,
provides a fully adequate answer to
questionsrevealed in Christ His Son who
became man. Whoever follows after Christ,
the perfect man becomes himself more of
a man.

COURSE SYLLABUS
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The course deals with the study of
man as a moral being called by God to
respond in freedom and responsibility to
attain the fullness of life in Christ. It seeks
to familiarize the students with the
foundations of morality that would equip
them with principles and guidelines to
confront contemporary moral situations.
This also deals with the challenges of
Christian Discipleship and the Christian
invitation to moral growth through the

COURSE SYLLABUS
A.General objectives:
At the end of the course, the students are expected
to:
1. Establish the link between the external ritual
expression of Christian faith and authentic
discipleship following Christ in action (ECCE: Moral
Law Nos. 5& 6)
2. Acquire ethical and religious values which would
affect changes of attitude, behavior and values (CA
# 60) in the light of contemporary moral problem.

COURSE SYLLABUS
B. Specific Objectives
At the end of this course, students are expected to:
1. Acquaint themselves with the moral dimension of
the Christian Faith;
2. Trace the roots of contemporary moral situations;
3. Acquire facility in making moral-decisions, through
the study of the human person as moral agent;
4. Understand the DECALOGUE in the light of some of
todays moral issues.
5. Appreciate the challenges of Christian Discipleship.
6. Value Christs invitation to grow morally through the
study of the role of grace, sin, conversion, and
virtues.

COURSE OUTLINE
I. Introduction: Understanding
Contemporary Moral Situations
A. Moral Situations: An Overview
B. Contemporary Moral Trends and Their
Roots
C. Notions of Morality
1. Popular Notions
2. What Morality Is: Clarifications and
Terms
D. Understanding Christian Morality

COURSE OUTLINE
II. Man as a Moral Being
A. Man: The Image of God
1. Man as Body-Soul Unity
a. Human Needs: Hierarchy of
Needs
b. Needs as Values
2. Man as a Person
a. Intelligent and Free
b. Endowed with dignity and
Inalienable
rights
c. Always an End, Never as Means

COURSE OUTLINE

B. Man the Traveler: In Pursuit of His Goal

1. End/Purpose of Man
a. Different Theories of the God and
Happiness
b. The Ultimate Happiness: The
Supreme Good
2. Pathos of Man: Wounded (fallen) but
Healed
(redeemed)
3. Historical Man
C. Man Being For Others
1. To be Oneself
2. To be with and for Others
3. To be with and for God

COURSE OUTLINE
II. Man as a Moral Agent: Responsible for
his/her Acts
A. The Human Acts
1. Human Acts and Acts of Man
2. Constituents of Human Acts
a. Knowledge
b. Freedom
c. Voluntariness
3. Impairment/Obstacles of Voluntariness
B. Sources of Morality
1. Object
2. Intention
3. Circumstances
C. Interrelations of the Sources of Morality: Toward
Personal
Integrity

COURSE OUTLINE
IV. Norms and Guidelines for Moral Man
A. The Objective Norm: Law
1. Eternal Law
2. Natural Law
3. Human Law
4. Beatitudes and Sermon on the Mount: Basic
Christian
Character
B. The Subjective Norm: Conscience
1. Definitions
a. As Moral Faculty
b. As a Moral Judgment
2. Theories of Conscience
3. Kinds of Conscience and their Binding Force

COURSE OUTLINE
4. Development of Moral Conscience
5. The Christian Formation of Conscience
C. Concrete Guidelines for Making a Moral
Decision
V. Christian Discipleship: The Way
Towards Christian Morality
A. Living Authentic Human Life: Christ as a
Model
B. Responding to Christs Commandment of
Love
(Agape)
C. Living the Life in the Spirit

COURSE OUTLINE
VI.Invitation to Christian Growth and
perfection
A. Sin as an Obstacle to Moral Growth
1. Nature of Sin
a. Biblical Views of Sin
b. Theological Reflection on Sin
c. Moral, Grave and Venial Sin
2. Kinds of Sin
a. Different Kinds of Internal Sins
b. Sins of Omission and Commission
c. The Capital Sins

COURSE OUTLINE
3. Sources of Sins
a. Impact of a Sinfully Distorted World
b. Temptation
4. Responsibility for Sins of Others and Sinful
Cooperation
a. Seduction
b. Scandal
c. Cooperation in the Sins of Others
B. Conversion: The Continuous Process for Growth
1. Mans Need for Conversion
2. Nature of Conversion
3. Conditions of Conversion
4. Fruits of Conversion
5. Sacramental Enactment and Realization of
Conversion

COURSE OUTLINE
C. Virtues: Habits for Effective Christian
Living
1. Nature of Virtues
2. Systems of Virtues
a. Primacy of Charity
b. Diversity of Virtues
3. Fundamental Requirements for Virtue
a. Moral Knowledge and Prudence
b. Love of Moral Value
c. Dominion Over Passions

COURSE OUTLINE
D. Christs Invitation to Perfection
1. Defective Ideals
2. The Call to Perfection in Holy Scripture
a. Old Testament
b. New Testament
3. Essence and Universality of the Call to
Perfection
a. Nature and Perfection
b. Universality of the Call to Perfection
c. Manifold Realization of the Common Call to
Holiness
4. Pathways to Holiness

COURSE OUTLINE
VII. The Decalogue in the Light of Current
Moral Problems
5th Issues on Life and the Body
6th Issues on Sexuality
7th Issues on Management of Resources
8th Issues on Truthfulness

MORAL SITUATION: AN
OVERVIEW

Change is happening very fast.

We live in a planetary society or global city.
So much progress in science and technology.
There is a shift from homosapiens to technosapiens.
Our mission must be different and should make a
difference because we are in a world that is
different.
Our mission to uplift morality today must be done with
bold humility. We must be brave, strong and yet
humble.
.

Theology is life not anymore a faith seeking

understanding.
You cannot stop the modern technology of information.
Internet does not expect borders. We have to join the
21st century in our mission .
For the church to continue to exist in the 21st century
she must not remain inward looking but also outward
looking.
Globalization is something to be addressed. It cannot be
stop so we continue with our mission to shape the
world and morality.
Secularization is an independence of culture from
religion which means that we have a new God and that
God is science. Statistically, according to CBCP survey
only 7 percent from 10% goes to church today because
of secularization.
We have to discover a theology of science and
technology.

In globalization theres no more boundaries,

so we do not other the others, do not
descriminate the others. Remain being a
good catholic, let them be attracted by
your charity, your lived faith. Dont convert
them . Let them be inspired by your life and
God will convert them.
Vatican II says all religions are ways to God.
Therefore dont make a fence, dont look
down at other religions.
MORAL SITUATIONS TODAY
Indications of immoralities.
Indications of demoralization
Indications of Moral Upliftment.

Contemporary Moral Trends

extraordinary increase and gravity of threats to life

THE THREATS TO LIFE DIRECTLY AFFLICT

THE WEAK AND THE DEFENSELESS

THREATS TO LIFE

THOSE THAT ARE OPPOSED TO LIFE ITSELF

mutilation, torments inflicted on body

and mind

THREATS TO LIFE

WHATEVER VIOLATES THE INTEGRITY

OF THE HUMAN PERSON

Subhuman living conditions

slavery
imprisonment
human trafficking
disgraceful working conditions

THREATS TO LIFE

WHATEVER INSULTS HUMAN DIGNITY

ALL THESE ARE:

Poisons to human society

Against the order of reason

THEY ARE:

Expanding with new prospects

Opened up by scientific technological
progress

Progress
in
science
and
technolo
gy/
Regress

IRONY

Expanding with
new prospects
Opened up by
scientific
technological
progress

AS A RESULT,
IT HAS BECOME DIFFICULT
DISTINGUISH BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL

SYMPTOMATIC OF MORAL DECLINE

IT IS GRAVE AND DISTURBING

THAT CONSCIENCE IS DARKENED
BY WIDESPREAD CONDITIONING

MAN FINDS HIMSELF LOST

THE CHRISTIAN IS CONFRONTED BY RADICAL

MORAL QUESTIONS:

WHAT MUST I DO?

HOW DO I DISTINGUISH GOOD FROM EVIL?