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GOOD AND EVIL

KEY WORDS

Conscience human reason making moral decisions. The knowledge we have of

what is right and wrong and the God-given compulsion within all human beings to do what is right and to avoid what is evil.

Evil the absence of good and the impulse to seek our own desires at the expense of the good of others which often results in suffering.

Free Will the decision-making part of a person’s mind is called the will. A will is free if a person can choose right from wrong without being controlled by other forces.

Goodness the quality of being like God: seeking the well-being of others selflessly.

Incarnation “Made flesh” The Christian belief that God became man in the person of Jesus, fully human and fully divine.

Natural Law the moral laws of right and wrong which are universal and not dependent on human laws. The belief in natural law is the belief that the moral law is discoverable by every human being and is the same for all human beings in all places at all times.

Privation the loss or absence of a quality or something that is normally present. Evil is a privation of good.

Suffering pain or loss which harms human beings. Some suffering is caused by other human beings (often called moral evil); some is not (often called natural evil).

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Catholic Responses to Evil and Suffering

“Everything created by God is good.” 1 Timothy 4:4

KEY CONCEPTS:

Moral Evil - suffering inflicted by people on each other e.g. murder.

Natural Evil - suffering not caused by people but by the natural world e.g. earthquakes.

Free Will - the decision-making part of a person’s mind is called the will.

A will is free if a person is able to choose right from wrong without being controlled by

other forces.

Original Sin- the first sin ever committed when Even ate the forbidden fruit in the

Garden of Eden. The action that bought sin and evil into the world.

• Many Christians believe in the existence of an evil force, called the Devil or Satan,

who tries to tempt human beings into disobeying God. Therefore evil is the result of

the Devil’s work (as seen in Genesis 1).

KEY TEACHINGS:

Catholic responses to evil and suffering:

1. God gave humans free will – the ability to choose our actions. Adam and Eve

abused their free will in the Garden of Eden by disobeying God: This led to human

suffering. Evil and suffering is therefore caused by humans misusing their free

will.

“When the woman saw…the fruit of the tree…she took some and ate it.” Genesis

3:6

“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” Proverbs

16:9

‘God created man a rational being, conferring on him the dignity of a person who

can control his own actions.’ CCC1730

2. Evil and suffering is beyond human understanding- God has reasons for letting us

suffer, and we should never question why, but accept it, reassured with the

knowledge that God would not give us more than we can handle. Story of Job:

‘though he slay me, yet I will hope in him…” Job 13:15

3. Life is a test: If there was no evil and suffering then they would not be able to

develop as good people and help fight against evil and suffering. St Paul teaches us

that suffering produces perseverance which leads to hope.

4. Share in the suffering of Jesus. Jesus suffered and died to achieve greater

good. For many, suffering is a way of understanding and becoming closer to Jesus.

St Peter in his letters states that we should “rejoice that you share in the

sufferings of Christ.

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St. Augustine and Privation of Good

KEY CONCEPTS:

Privation - the loss or absence of a quality or something that is normally present. Evil is a

privation of good.

“Himself supremely good, would never permit the existence of anything evil among His

works.” St Augustine, The Enchiridion (3.11)

KEY TEACHINGS:

St Augustine argued that the Bible shows that God is wholly good and that, according to

Genesis 1, created a world perfectly good and free from defect, evil, and suffering: “God

saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).

He said that evil is the PRIVATION of good, just as darkness is the absence of light.

Augustine said that evil came not from God, whom is all-good, but from those entities

which had free will – angels and humans who turned their backs on God, the Supreme

Good, and settled for lesser goods

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Jewish Responses to Evil and Suffering

KEY CONCEPTS:

Free will – the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to

act at one's own discretion.

Punishment – the infliction or imposition of a penalty as retribution for an offence

KEY TEACHINGS:

1. Evil exits because of free will (like Christians they believe in ‘the fall’ of Adam and

Evil bringing suffering into the world.)

2. Suffering can happen to anybody, and it must be accepted. Job suffers greatly for

no apparent reason; despite being a holy and good man. His friends try to convince

him that it is due to his past sins. Job accepts that God has control and accepts his

suffering.

3. Evil/suffering can be given to us by God for punishment or as a test of faith. It

allows us to become disciplined. Many Jew’s believe that punishment for being

tempted by the devil or worshipping idols is death and destructions. ‘I am warning

you that if you are led astray…you will be utterly exterminated.” Deuteronomy

30:15-19

4. Many Jew’s believe that it is wrong to question God, and that they must welcome

both good and evil in their lives as they are both sent by God and serve a purpose:

‘A person is obligated to bless upon the bad just as he blesses upon the good.’

Berakhot 9:5 (from the Talmud)

5. Jews do NOT see ‘the suffering servant’ mentioned in Isaiah 53 as Jesus- instead

they see it as a metaphor for the suffering of Israel (the Jewish nation) which has

occurred throughout history. This will ultimately bring about the salvation of all

other nations in the Messianic Age to come.

6. Jews have the same ambivalence towards suffering as Christians.

7. Suffering comes in two forms: human and natural. Some suffering can come from

God as a test or a punishment.

8. Many Jews believe that the existence of suffering cannot be understood- humans

should not question why God has sent suffering. ‘It is not in our power to explain

either the wellbeing of the wicked or the sufferings of the righteous.’ (Ethics

of the Fathers).

9. Jews believe that it is not possible to hide evil actions from God and the Ten Days

of Return between the festivals of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur give time for

people to atone (make good) for the times they have given into the inclination to do

evil rather then good.

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Atheist Responses to Evil and Suffering

KEY CONCEPTS:

Omni-benevolent – God is all-loving

Omni-potent – God is all-powerful

Omniscient – God is all-knowing.

KEY TEACHING:

David Hume (philosopher) suggests that the existence of evil and suffering is one of the

strongest arguments against the existence of God. He described it as ‘the rock of

atheism.’

• God is thought to be Omni-benevolent and Omni-potent.

• If God is omnipotent he must be able to remove evil and suffering from the world.

• If God is Omni-benevolent he must want to remove evil and suffering.

• If God is Omniscient he will seeing all the suffering caused.

• As there is evil and suffering in the world, either God is not omnipotent, or is not

Omni-benevolent, or God does not exist.

This is illustrated below in J.L Mackie’s ‘Inconsistent Triad.’

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Philosophical and non- religious challenges to God’s goodness, freewill and

suffering

KEY TEACHINGS:

Atheist John Mackie rejected some of the usual answers to the problem of evil that

Christians often give.

“Evil is necessary as an opposite of good”

Mackie’s rejection:

Even if it is true that we need some evil and suffering to help us to appreciate the good,

we only need a little bit- there is far more and far worse suffering than is needed to

contrast with the good in the world.

“Evil helps us to become better people”

Mackie’s rejection:

Why should God need to make us better people through allowing us to suffer? Why not

just make us perfect to start with? Also, if this is true, why does suffering often make

people worse, not better.

“Evil is a consequence of free will”

Mackie’s rejection:

Why couldn’t an omnipotent God simply make free human beings who always choose good

instead of evil? He also feels that evil and suffering is too high a price to pay for having

free will.

Other Christian views on the nature and origin of evil:

St Irenaeus and John Hick:

➢ According to Hick and Irenaeus, humans were made in the image of God, but are

not perfect.

➢ They need to grow to become spiritually perfect.

➢ Suffering and evil is the best way for humans to develop.

➢ Through free choices they can learn to make the correct choices.

➢ The process of soul making is a response to evil in the world.

➢ This explains why God allows natural evil.

➢ This type of evil allows humans to grow and become better people.

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Practical Solutions to the problem Evil and Suffering

KEY TEACHINGS:

1. Prayer- Catholics share their own suffering with God through prayer. During Mass,

prayers are offered for those suffering. Catholics pray to God to relieve the

suffering of others; for many Catholics this is the only meaningful response to

suffering, especially for world-wide suffering where it may be impractical to get

involved (such as the war in Syria.) ‘When we see children suffer, it wounds our

hearts….we must open ourselves trustingly to hope in God.’ Pope Francis (The

infinite Tenderness of God.)

2. Service- the act of helping somebody e.g. giving food to the hungry, shelter to the

homeless. “Let us overcome our fear of getting our hand dirty so as to help those

in need.” Pope Francis

3. Charity-the involuntary giving of money to those in need. Jesus teaches in the

parable of the sheep and goats that we have a responsibility to help everybody and

will be rewarded with a place in heaven based on what we do the help our brothers

and sisters.

4. Vocation – Some people dedicate their lives to reducing the suffering of others.

For example, Doctors/nurses/health professionals work tirelessly to reduce

physical, emotional and mental suffering. “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Matthew 22:14

The goodness of God

KEY CONCEPT:

Goodness- The quality of being like God, seeking the well- being of others selflessly.

KEY TEACHINGS:

‘Good’ is a term that means different things to different people. Some argue that good is

not intrinsic- it is not something you just are. Some argue that a person is not ‘good’ but

their actions are. Good actions come from your conscience, and you chose good because

of free will.

Christian teachings: God made the world ‘and it was good’, Genesis 1. God has shown

people how to behave through the Ten Commandments (Decalogue), through religious

teaching and through Jesus’ life and example and it is up to individuals whether to follow

God’s instructions. The world was created good, but free will has meant that people chose

wrong. Christianity places ‘good’ qualities at its core: tolerance, compassion and love.

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Jewish responses to the goodness of God

KEY CONCEPT:

Goodness- The quality of being like God, seeking the well- being of others selflessly.

KEY TEACHINGS:

1. Jews are monotheists and believe that God is the only God and is all- powerful.

2. Jews do not believe in the Devil as such.

3. God is the source of all life and referred to throughout the Torah as the sole

creator.

4. God is the judge and he is merciful- He will protect and care for all that H has

created.

5. The goodness of God is shown by the creation of the world and the giving of the

Torah.

6. Stories such as the fleeing of the Israelites from Egypt retold at Pesach show

God’s goodness and care.

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Jesus’s Suffering and Death

KEY TEACHINGS:

Christians often see Jesus’s death as an atonement for sins. Humans are, by nature,

sinful. They must be punished for disobeying God but God is loving and merciful.

He made it possible for humanity to be forgiven through the incarnation and Jesus taking

on himself the punishment for sin.

Catholics believe that Jesus is in everyone, so when people suffer, Jesus suffers as well.

However, the reason why Jesus died was to end suffering for us in our next life. He died

so we could be free from sin, and go to Heaven. So even though we suffer in this life now,

in the next life we shall be free from suffering.

St Paul in his letter to the Philippians says that through his suffering, he sees himself as

participating in the Passion of Christ. Because we are being saved through the death and

resurrection of Christ we must participate in his Passion to obtain salvation.

The Catechism states that God wanted humanity to live in paradise with no suffering.

However, Adam and Eve disobeyed him and therefore had to leave the paradise where

there was no suffering or evil.

Catholics know that suffering is not eternal because in Revelation it says: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

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The Trinity

KEY CONCEPTS:

Trinity – God is three Divine Persons in One; God is One in three distinct ways.

KEY FEATURES:

The doctrine of the Trinity describes the Christian belief that there is one God who has

revealed his nature in three distinct ways;

• As the loving Creator and Sustainer of the universe (God the

Father)

• As the Saviour who became incarnate (born in human flesh) and

lived, died and rose again (God the Son)

• As the source of strength which Christians find at work in

their hearts (God the Holy Spirit)

References to The Trinity in the Bible

In The Bible it does not actually use the word Trinity to describe God. However, Jesus

spoke of himself on numerous occasions as being “one with the Father” and as “Son”. He

also speaks of the Holy Spirit as the love and power of God too and in this way reveals to

us, that there is a three-ness in the one God.

It is only after Jesus had risen from the dead and the Apostles had received the Holy

Spirit at Pentecost that they started to ask themselves what it meant to believe in God

as Father, as Son and as Spirit. The early Christian theologians found that they did not

have the language or understanding to put all of this into meaningful words, and this

should not be surprising for us today, since God is Mystery; Eternal and Infinite and

therefore far beyond our limited knowledge! It took between three and four hundred

years for the Christian Church to finally begin to work out exactly what they did believe

(and what they didn’t believe) about this and at the Council of Nicaea (4th Century), an

official gathering together of Church leaders, teachers and scholars, the Nicene Creed

formally stated what the Church believed about God as Trinity.

In this creed (“credo” is a Latin word meaning “I believe”), Jesus is said to be “Light from

Light, True God from True God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father …”,

while the Spirit is “the Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father and the

Son.”

Matthew 3:16-17 - “And when Jesus had been baptised, just as he came up from the

water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending

like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the

Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’”

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John 1:1 – “In the beginning the Word already existed; the Word was with God, and the

Word was God” (and here the ‘Word of God’ is the name given to the Son; He is God’s

Spoken Word, God revealing who He is!)

Galatians 4:4-6 – “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a

woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive

adoption to sonship.”

Matthew 28: 19 – “Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptise them in the

name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

St Augustine: ‘De Trinitate’ (which means ‘On the Trinity’)

There are three parts to Love and this can give us an outline (a ‘trace’) of the Trinity in

our normal experience. Love is of someone who loves, and with love, something is loved. So,

there are three things: the one who loves, the one who is loved and the very love itself

between the lover and the loved! In this love, all are united in one and yet remain distinct. In the

same way, the Father loves the Son, the Son is loved by the Father (and loves the Father) and the Spirit is

the bond of love between the two. This relationship of love is eternal; it existed from all eternity and in

the same way, the three Divine Persons have existed in this relationship with each other from all eternity.

Love cannot be love if it does not go out of itself to another and this explains how God may be three-in-

one. Also, this love includes us because the Spirit has been poured into our hearts too so that we are

brought into this loving relationship within God.

The Trinity in Catholic Worship and Belief

In the celebration of Baptism, the new Christian is blessed and consecrated “in the

name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”, following Jesus’ command to his

apostles after the Resurrection (Mt 28:19).

Throughout the celebration of the Eucharist (Mass), there are many references to the

Trinity. For example, the Mass begins and ends with the Sign of the Cross; in the

Eucharistic Prayer (the prayers said by the priest over the bread and wine), which is a

prayer of praise and thanksgiving to the Father, the priest calls on the Holy Spirit to

make present in the bread and wine, Jesus Himself, the Son, just as he promised his

disciples at the Last Supper.

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Jewish views on the Trinity

KEY TEACHINGS:

1. Jews recognise Jesus as a historical person who existed but they do NOT attach

any significance to his life and death. For Jews Jesus is NOT God.

2. They do NOT believe in the Trinity.

3. They see that a belief that Jesus is God and the concept of the Trinity as a

challenge to the oneness of God.

4. God is the only God and is all- powerful as stated in the Shema and the Ten

Commandments.

5. There are different attributes of God such as ‘judge’ and ‘merciful’ but these are

only characteristics of the one God.

6. Shekhinah signifies God’s presence on earth.

7. None of these attributes are God as separate persons- they are just different

ways that humans experience the one God.

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Jesus as Incarnation

KEY CONCEPTS

Incarnation - “Made flesh” The Christian belief that God became man in the person of

Jesus, fully human and fully divine.

• The incarnation is a central belief of Christianity. Christianity is not just about

following rules, but a relationship with Jesus.

• Catholics believe that Jesus is GOD fully HUMAN. He is not more divine than he

is human or vice versa.

• Jesus went through the WHOLE CYCLE OF HUMANITY; he was conceived, born,

became a child then adult, learned, worked and felt hunger, pain and died.

• Catholic’s believe the incarnation is an important doctrine because without Jesus

becoming human; suffering and dying, we cannot be SAVED from sin and enter

heaven.

• understanding the trials, stresses and issues of being human and can emphasize

with the human race.

• The Annunciation: Jesus is born to a human mother, but conceived by the holy

spirit. “The Holy Spirit will come to you, and the power of the Most High God will

cover you. The baby will be holy and will be called the Son of God.” Luke 1

• The Family History of Jesus: “Jesus came from the family of David, who was

from the family of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac…..Jacob was the

father of Joseph…..Joseph was the husband of Mary.” Matthew 1. The wording

changes, from ‘the father of’ to the ‘husband of.’ This is first indication that

Jesus’ parentage is not fully human.

• The Word: the expression of God, took on human nature and came to earth as a

human in the form of Jesus. ‘The word became flesh and made his dwelling among

us.’ John 1.

• ‘The Word’ is God’s creative power.

• The Kenosis hymn: in Philippians St Paul also shows how Jesus ‘emptied himself’ of

his divine nature to become human.

Incarnation and the Problem of Evil:

• A belief in the Incarnation is very important to Christians in helping them to

respond to the problem of evil.

• Jesus’ Incarnation and suffering give Christians a way of being able to continue to

believe in the goodness of God, even in the face of human suffering.

• The Incarnation is important because it means that God, as Jesus, can identify

with human beings.

• Christians believe that the Incarnation is a demonstration of God’s immense love

for human beings- in Jesus they see a God who loves them so much that he was

willing to take on human form and sacrifice his human life for them.

• Jesus understands fully what it means to be human.

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• Jesus is a comfort to those who suffer because Christians believe that Jesus is

God’s presence with his people.

• Christians believe Jesus is with us in our suffering because Jesus himself

experienced suffering and did not run from it but bore it out of love.

• Christians may not understand why God allows the suffering to happen, but they

should trust God because he knows what they are going through.

• Christians should also follow Jesus’ example, Jesus spent his life working against

suffering. Eg. He cured the sick.

• Catholics should do what they can to help those who are suffering.

John Paul II Salvifici Doloris:

• The title in Latin means ‘the saving power of suffering’.

• He says the problem of evil is not easy to understand.

• The only way for humans to understand the depths of God’s love for humans is

through understanding the willingness Jesus showed to die on the cross.

• If Christians willingly ‘offer up’ their own suffering in prayer for the sake of

others, they can share in the saving suffering of Jesus.

• If a Christian can do this, it is an act of love resembling Jesus’ own sacrifice.

• Pope St JP II believes that if we try to bear our suffering patiently and offer it

up in prayer to God, that God will somehow be able to use it to bring about good for

others.

Jewish Responses to the incarnation

KEY TEACHINGS:

1. Jews do NOT believe that Jesus is the incarnation as they believe in the

oneness of God. (See notes on the Oneness of God for Jews)

2. Jews believe in the concept of a Messiah. Christians believe that Jesus is the

Messiah but Jews are still waiting for this Messiah to come and bring about a

Messianic Age of peace on earth without crime, war and poverty.

3. In Judaism, they believe this time will come under the rule of a ‘Messiah’ or

anointed one, who will be sent by God.

4. In this age all people will follow the Laws in the Torah and there will be no

warfare and suffering.

5. The Messianic Age will bring Jews back to Israel and restore the destroyed

Temple in Jerusalem.

6. Orthodox Jews believe that the Messiah will be a great political leader whereas

Reform Jews believe it will be a general age of peace.

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Jesus as Source of Moral Teaching

KEY TEACHINGS:

“Following Christ…Christians can strive to be imitators of God.” CCC 1694

Christians who consider themselves ‘morally good’ are those who follow Jesus’ example.

Jesus in the Bible gives us many examples of how to act.

• Throughout the Gospel, we see examples of Jesus serving the poor, sick and

distressed. Jesus was not afraid to give harsh messages (such as telling the Rich

man he would not go to heaven and challenging the Pharisees on their practices.)

• Golden Rule: ’do to others what you would have them to do you.’ Matthew 7:12

• New Commandment: ‘love one another.’ John 13:35

Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:7)

‘When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teachings,

because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.’

Sermon on the Mount.

Jesus has authority because

• Jesus is God incarnate (made flesh.)

• Jesus is part of the Trinity and is consubstantial with the father.

• Jesus came to fulfil God’s law and help people understand what God wants from

them.

• Those who chose to follow Jesus would have salvation.

“You have heard it said ...” (Jesus refers here to the Law of Moses)

“But I say to you ... “ (Jesus gives his own interpretation of these laws)

“Do not kill” Don’t even be angry with your brother or sister

“Do not commit adultery” Don’t even look at another person with desire

“Divorce can sometimes be permitted” Divorce is strictly forbidden

“You can demand ‘an eye for an eye’” Forgive anyone who hurts you and do not seek revenge

“Love your neighbour, hate your enemy” Love your enemies and pray for them

Jesus summed up his teaching even more clearly in The Eight Beatitudes (Matthew 5: 1-

12). The word ‘beatitude’ refers to ‘being blessed’ or ‘being truly happy’. In these

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Beatitudes, Jesus says that we are truly blessed, not if we have wealth and power etc.,

but if we are merciful, pure-hearted, humble, compassionate to others, forgiving and also

brave in our faith, even if we are made to suffer because of it.

e.g. ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.’

‘The Parable of The Sheep and The Goats’ (also called ‘The Last Judgment’) Mt 25: 31-46

‘Whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

• Jesus teaches in this story that love of God shows itself in how we treat each

other, particularly those who are in greater need (the hungry, the homeless, the

prisoner, etc.) and particularly those who cannot repay our kindness.

• To love such a one is actually to love God and to turn away from someone in such

need is actually to turn away from God.

• We are judged according to how kind and generous-hearted we have been in our

lives.

• This story shows Jesus’ moral authority very clearly because he is not speaking on

anyone else’s authority and is contradicting what many (even today!) would believe

is right.

HOWEVER:

• Many Christians would argue that the conscience is more important as a moral

authority. Our conscience may be ‘informed’ by religious teaching. Conscience is

also relative; there is no right or wrong answer to any given problem and allows for

the situation to be considered.

• Some Christian’s believe that the Church (community of believers) or Magisterium

has more moral authority as Jesus did not teach about modern issues that we are

faced with today such as genetic engineering.

• Some Christians argue that Jesus’ teachings must be interpreted to consider

situations and a modern context.

• JUDAISM would teach that Jesus is NOT a moral authority as he was NOT a

prophet, incarnate or the Messiah. Judaism would trust the Torah/ Talmud as

sources of moral authority. Jew’s may also use their conscience.

Jewish Moral Authority

KEY TEACHINGS:

1. JUDAISM would teach that Jesus is NOT a moral authority as he was NOT a

prophet, incarnate or the Messiah. Judaism would trust the Torah/ Talmud as

sources of moral authority. Jew’s may also use their conscience.

2. The Torah is the only moral authority as it comes from God

3. The 613 mitzvoth are duties to show obedience to God as part of the covenant

4. The Torah forms the basis of a good way of life

5. The 10 Commandments given to Moses to help the Jews – a nomadic people newly

freed from slavery to become a people, a society.

6. The Talmud supports the Torah explaining how to fulfil the mitzvoth in daily life

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7. Jews follow the Torah, Talmud and Halakah which provides guidance on how to live.

8. They also consult their rabbi who is learned in the Torah.

9. Mitzvot means keeping the duties given by God to Moses and doing good deeds.

10. For Orthodox Jews keeping the mitzvot is an important principle in Judaism.

11. Many Reform Jews also try to keep the mitzvot but they also see that some are no

longer compatible with modern day life. So the decision about which ones to

observe are often based upon individual choices.

12. The mitzvot show Jews how to relate to God and how to relate to others.

13. Jews believe that by following the mitzvot they can build a relationship with God.

14. For Jews the most important mitzvot is to save a life. This should be followed even

if it means breaking another mitzvot.

15. Jews try to follow the mitzvot today. It is difficult to follow some of the mitzvot

as some relate to the Temple and there is no longer a Temple to be able keep the

mitzvot.

16. Mitzvah day is a day that encourages people to join together to make a positive

impact on their community. People work together to try to: reduce poverty, care

for the environment and care for others. The day is based on the 613 mitzvot.

Conscience and Natural Law

KEY CONCEPTS

Conscience - human reason making moral decisions. The knowledge we have of what is

right and wrong and the God-given compulsion within all human beings to do what is right

and to avoid what is evil.

Natural Law - the moral laws of right and wrong which are universal and not dependent

on human laws. The belief in natural law is the belief that the moral law is discoverable by

every human being and is the same for all human beings in all places at all times.

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KEY TEACHINGS:

Conscience

Christians believe that conscience is the voice of God in

their heart and soul. This means that God, through the Holy

Spirit, guides each person to make the right choices.

The more a person ignores their conscience the more they go

against what they feel is right. The more a person sins, the

more they block their conscience.

Conscience has to be educated. They should be guided by bible teachings like the Ten

Commandments and the two Greatest Commandments of Jesus (Love God and Love your

neighbour). They should also listen to the teachings of the Catholic Church which are

infallibly guided by the Holy Spirit. After taking these teachings into consideration,

conscience is the final deciding factor.

Should you listen to your conscience?

“Personal conscience and reason should not be set in opposition to the moral law or

Magisterium (official teachings) of the Church” (CCC 2039)

• For Christians, conscience helps them to live by high standards of doing good and

avoiding evil. One person’s conscience can inspire other people.

• Christians believe that every member of the Church must listen to other people to

ensure their conscience is guiding them properly.

• All Christians can affect other people’s conscience and so they should consider how

they behave in case it alters other behaviour in a negative way.

• Equally Christians must respect the fact that Church laws are based on guidance from

the Holy Spirit over hundreds of years. Therefore they must take serious account of

Church teachings.

• Some people say that conscience is guided by natural law.

Natural Law

Natural Law is the moral principles and values that are considered to be inherent in all

humans.

It was put forward by St. Aquinas who stated that nature has given all human beings a

kind of inner compass which always points us towards the good rather than the bad. He

says that this is worked out by understanding what our purposes are as human beings.

These are sometimes summarised as follows: To preserve human life, to procreate, to

educate and to seek truth, to live in society, and to worship God.

These ‘primary precepts’ form part of Catholic tradition. The Catechism says “If people

are to do good and avoid evil, certainty about what is good and evil will be inscribed within

them.”

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Sculptures and Statues

KEY TEACHINGS:

The Catechism teaches “Arising from talent given by the Creator and from man’s own

effort, art is a form of practical wisdom, uniting knowledge and skill.” This means that

the Church teaches that artistic works are a reflection of a human being’s inner riches.

Catholics use sculptures and statues to recall a person or an event. They can be a

teaching tool (which was helpful in the past when people were illiterate). Catholics DO

NOT worship statues – they are simply an aid to prayer.

Sculptures are good because they are realistic as they are 3D. The sculptures that are

placed in Catholic church have to be approved by the local bishop. This is to ensure that

they are moderate (not profane and overtly decorated) and that they express the Bible

faithfully.

Statues help Catholics in prayer and meditation. Most Catholic churches have statues

including at least one of Mary. Many Catholics have small statues in their homes which

remind them of their faith. Some of these statues may link to a pilgrimage (eg. a statue

of Mary and St Bernadette from Lourdes) or saint that is important for the family.

Catholics can show devotion to statues by:

• Lighting candles in front of them

• Touching or kissing them (particularly the crucifix on Good Friday for Veneration

of the Cross)

• Kneeling in front of them

• Praying in front of them

Michelangelo’s Pieta

Pieta means “pity” in Italian. This Pieta shows the body of

Jesus on Mary’s lap after his crucifixion and it is housed in

St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

• The face of Jesus in this sculpture does not show any signs

of his suffering.

• It was the artist’s intention to create an image that shows

the serene face and vision of abandonment in Jesus.

• Mary's face appears peaceful in the Pietà, it is her left hand, turned upward in

helpless resignation, that betrays the true depth of emotion, indeed the intensity

of her grief (her suffering).

This pieta can be used to help us to see that God is with us in our human suffering.

Suffering is a universal reality that is present to humans at every point in their life.

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Catholics are reminded that through His suffering we are united to Jesus through our

own suffering.

Jewish Responses to Statues in worship

KEY CONCEPTS:

1. Jews reject the use of statues as a focus for prayer. One of the Ten

Commandments states ‘You shall have no other gods before me.’

2. Jews do not make images or representations of God.

3. In the synagogue there will be no statues- there will be no human representations

at all in the decoration of a synagogue as it is God alone who should be worshipped.

4. Anything else would be considered a sign of worshipping false idols.

5. Even God is not depicted in art or statuary because God is beyond human

understanding.

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Pilgrimage

Pilgrimages are journeys to special places of religious significance.

For Catholics Lourdes if France is a particularly important

pilgrimage destination as it is a place of healing and miracles. It is

especially popular with the sick.

Each year more than five million people, of whom a great number

are sick or handicapped, go to Lourdes, from every country of the

world.

During their pilgrimage they will follow the instructions of the Virgin Mary by

participating in certain activities. These include:

• Go to Mass daily

• Take part in the Blessed Sacrament and Marian (torchlight) processions.

• Go to the Baths or drink from the spring.

• Go to confession

• Anointing of the sick

• Pray at the Grotto of Massabeille

• Light candles for their own and other peoples intentions.

• Do the stations of the Cross.

The most important people in Lourdes are the sick and disabled. They will be placed at

the front of the processions and all the Masses. The sick people can feel like a “person”

again with a sense of belonging and worth.

Lourdes and Human Suffering

During the ninth apparition, when Bernadette scraped the earth the Virgin is said to have

commanded her, "Go and drink at the spring and wash there." Pilgrims can be fully

immersed in the baths that contain water from the spring. They do this in the hope

that they may be healed by a miracle. However, they may also be praying that God will

strengthen them to deal with their suffering.

Pilgrims complete the Stations of the Cross. One of the two sets of Stations at Lourdes

are larger than life size and are situated on a winding pathway on a hill that overlooks the

domain. By praying these Stations pilgrims remember the last day of Jesus life when he

was condemned to death and crucified. Some may even walk on their knees and pray in

front of the Station that depicts Jesus’ crucifixion.

By touching the rock of the Grotto, pilgrims get the strength to face their moral or

physical pain, and give meaning to their life. Lourdes is not also a place for spiritual

healing or healing of the heart. The sick and the so-called healthy, meet each other at

the Grotto of the Apparitions, in front of the Virgin Mary. Here they can support each

other by the crossing smiles, the exchange of gesture and the shared prayers.

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The sick pilgrims will have the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of

the Sick. Some effects of this sacrament include:

• taking away sins

• raising up and strengthening the soul

• enables the sufferer to endure the trials and hardship of sickness

• strengthens them against anxiety over death

• and sometimes to regain bodily health

These results help the sufferer unite themselves more closely to Christ and his Cross: by

healing the soul of sin and it’s consequences, by conquering fear, anxiety and temptation

- things that get in the way of us growing in love through suffering - and by enabling

greater trust and courage.

Judaism and Pilgrimage

KEY CONCEPTS:

1. Pilgrimage is not considered an obligation in Judaism.

2. Although in practice something like pilgrimage is an important feature of the life

of many Jews.

3. The Torah refers to the traditional importance of all Jews going to Jerusalem for

the festivals of Pesach, Shavout and Sukkot.

4. For some Jews it is important to visit Israel; particularly visiting the Western

Wall or hold celebrations like Bar Mitzvahs by the Western Wall.

5. For some Jews it is important to visit the graves of significant teachers or rabbis

eg. Maimonides.

6. For some Jews they will take up the right of all Jews to move and live in Israel as

their ancestral home- this is called Aliyah.

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Popular Piety, especially the Rosary

Popular piety (sometimes called devotions on non-liturgical worship) is celebration or

worship of God which is part of the official public liturgy o the Church. Vatican II

teaches that “spiritual life….is not limited solely to participation in the Liturgy.” This

means that Catholics should take part in other practices above just attending church

services. This could include:

• praying the Rosary

• praying the Stations of the Cross

• attending Eucharistic adoration

• pilgrimages

The Rosary is a popular form of prayer for Catholics. By praying it Catholics remember

important events both happy and sad from the life of Jesus and Mary, his mother. The

Sorrowful Mysteries in particular help Catholics to reflect upon the suffering if Jesus

and the incarnation.

“For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16) The sorrowful mysteries show the significance of the Incarnation. Jesus suffering and death, as a man, allows us to see the goodness of God. He was prepared to sacrifice his only son for us.

MEANING

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