HRE2O1 - Religion UNIT 8 Notes
Unit 8: Morality
Chapter 1: Freedom and Justice
Being created in God’s image means that we are built for the most
profound relationships. Relationships are built on choice, love, fairness and
trust.
Freedom Is Uniquely Human
Christians believe that humans are unique within the animal kingdom
because we make choices out of love for strangers and even enemies. That
divine love, you might recall, is called agape. Of course, animals also display
affection and self-sacrifice. But such behaviour rarely extends beyond their
animal groups or species and is definitely not extended to their enemies or
predators. Humans, on the other hand, have the capacity and the will to
choose the good of a complete stranger or enemy even at great personal
cost. Such actions are possible only because of the gift of freedom. People
need freedom to love as God loves (agape) and enter into the most profound
relationships.
Freedom Is Powerful Beyond Our Understanding
How powerful is freedom? Well, with freedom we decided it would be
wise to invent and use nuclear bombs. We are now free to annihilate life on
the planet - that's not such a good use of freedom. With freedom, Gandhi
chose to counter violence with non-violent resistance. He freed India, a nation
of hundreds of millions of people, and left a legacy that influenced great
leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. What a great use of freedom!
God giving us freedom is a little like a parent giving a seventeen
year-old a high-powered sports car of her own. There is tremendous potential
for unspeakable damage. However, a teenager who appreciates the gift of the
car and respects its power will seek constant advice on how to safely operate
the car until she can unleash its potential on the race track. She will also take
time to study the owner's manual to learn about what the car can do and
what it can't do so she becomes familiar with what to expect and decide
, accordingly. So it is with freedom. Freedom is more powerful than we can
possibly imagine. We will never know its limits as we push the boundaries of
fear (e.g. nuclear weapons) and agape (e.g. peaceful resistance to violence).
However, if we take the time to learn about it by studying God's law (the
owner's manual) and seek God's assistance, we will always use it wisely.
Freedom
Freedom is the state of being where one has the ability and
opportunity either to choose agape or to choose fear. Freedom is not
concerned with routine choices such as what to eat for dinner or how to style
your hair. Freely made choices always involve morality, choosing between love
(agape) or fear. Because of sinful behaviour, however, freedom can sometimes
mean escaping from bondage or slavery.
Slavery and Its Types
When people think of slavery, they often think of situations like forced
labour, sex trafficking, forced marriage and child soldiers. Those are forms of
slavery, where one party exercises complete dominance over another. People
who are such slaves never chose to be slaves and often need intervention to
escape.
Another form of slavery would be addiction. Some people are addicted
to drugs, alcohol or gambling for example. In some cases, there is a genetic
predisposition towards the addiction that makes the original choice to take
drugs, drink alcohol or gamble harder to reverse. They feel trapped and
helpless. Those types of addictions begin with a choice and often require the
assistance of others to escape. However, the person with the addiction usually
has to acknowledge he or she needs help in order to accept help and move
forward.
A third form of a slavery is the one that underlies all of the above forms:
it is slavery to sin. When some Jews were confused about why Jesus called
them slaves, Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits
sin is a slave to sin" (Jn 8:34). St. Peter explains: ". . . whatever overcomes a
man, to that he is enslaved" (2 Peter 2:19).
The sins Jesus and St. Peter allude to need not be addictions. Anything
we do (sin of commission), fail to do (sin of omission), think (sin in thought) or
say (sin in word) that is not in accordance with God's will is a sin. Needless to
say that even without addictions, we sin everyday. As such we are all slaves to
Unit 8: Morality
Chapter 1: Freedom and Justice
Being created in God’s image means that we are built for the most
profound relationships. Relationships are built on choice, love, fairness and
trust.
Freedom Is Uniquely Human
Christians believe that humans are unique within the animal kingdom
because we make choices out of love for strangers and even enemies. That
divine love, you might recall, is called agape. Of course, animals also display
affection and self-sacrifice. But such behaviour rarely extends beyond their
animal groups or species and is definitely not extended to their enemies or
predators. Humans, on the other hand, have the capacity and the will to
choose the good of a complete stranger or enemy even at great personal
cost. Such actions are possible only because of the gift of freedom. People
need freedom to love as God loves (agape) and enter into the most profound
relationships.
Freedom Is Powerful Beyond Our Understanding
How powerful is freedom? Well, with freedom we decided it would be
wise to invent and use nuclear bombs. We are now free to annihilate life on
the planet - that's not such a good use of freedom. With freedom, Gandhi
chose to counter violence with non-violent resistance. He freed India, a nation
of hundreds of millions of people, and left a legacy that influenced great
leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. What a great use of freedom!
God giving us freedom is a little like a parent giving a seventeen
year-old a high-powered sports car of her own. There is tremendous potential
for unspeakable damage. However, a teenager who appreciates the gift of the
car and respects its power will seek constant advice on how to safely operate
the car until she can unleash its potential on the race track. She will also take
time to study the owner's manual to learn about what the car can do and
what it can't do so she becomes familiar with what to expect and decide
, accordingly. So it is with freedom. Freedom is more powerful than we can
possibly imagine. We will never know its limits as we push the boundaries of
fear (e.g. nuclear weapons) and agape (e.g. peaceful resistance to violence).
However, if we take the time to learn about it by studying God's law (the
owner's manual) and seek God's assistance, we will always use it wisely.
Freedom
Freedom is the state of being where one has the ability and
opportunity either to choose agape or to choose fear. Freedom is not
concerned with routine choices such as what to eat for dinner or how to style
your hair. Freely made choices always involve morality, choosing between love
(agape) or fear. Because of sinful behaviour, however, freedom can sometimes
mean escaping from bondage or slavery.
Slavery and Its Types
When people think of slavery, they often think of situations like forced
labour, sex trafficking, forced marriage and child soldiers. Those are forms of
slavery, where one party exercises complete dominance over another. People
who are such slaves never chose to be slaves and often need intervention to
escape.
Another form of slavery would be addiction. Some people are addicted
to drugs, alcohol or gambling for example. In some cases, there is a genetic
predisposition towards the addiction that makes the original choice to take
drugs, drink alcohol or gamble harder to reverse. They feel trapped and
helpless. Those types of addictions begin with a choice and often require the
assistance of others to escape. However, the person with the addiction usually
has to acknowledge he or she needs help in order to accept help and move
forward.
A third form of a slavery is the one that underlies all of the above forms:
it is slavery to sin. When some Jews were confused about why Jesus called
them slaves, Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits
sin is a slave to sin" (Jn 8:34). St. Peter explains: ". . . whatever overcomes a
man, to that he is enslaved" (2 Peter 2:19).
The sins Jesus and St. Peter allude to need not be addictions. Anything
we do (sin of commission), fail to do (sin of omission), think (sin in thought) or
say (sin in word) that is not in accordance with God's will is a sin. Needless to
say that even without addictions, we sin everyday. As such we are all slaves to
