Context - Setting

What is happening to our society?

Corruption

in many sectors
Cases of evasion and obstruction
of the truth
Crisis of moral values
Crisis of truth and justice, of unity
and solidarity

Erosion of moral values

Prevalence

of

Deceit
Dishonesty
Manipulation
Deadening

preoccupation with
narrow political interests

The present generation is characterized by

the extraordinary increase and
gravity of threats to life

DIRECTLY AFFLICT:
THE WEAK AND THE DEFENSELESS

THREATS TO LIFE:
A.WHATEVER IS OPPOSED TO LIFE

Murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia, suicide

B. WHATEVER VIOLATES THE INTEGRITY

OF THE HUMAN PERSON

mutilation, torments inflicted on body and mind

C. WHATEVER INSULTS HUMAN DIGNITY

Subhuman living conditions

slavery
imprisonment
human trafficking
disgraceful working conditions

ALL THESE ARE:

Poisons to human society
Against the order of reason

THEY ARE:
Expanding with new prospects
Opened up by scientific technological progress

IRONY

Progress in science and technology

Regress in moral life

GRAVE CONCERN:
Broad sectors of public opinion
JUSTIFY certain crimes against life

HOW?

By invoking the rights of individual freedom and

By obtaining exemption from punishment

IT IS GRAVE AND DISTURBING

THAT CONSCIENCE IS DARKENED
BY WIDESPREAD CONDITIONING

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

SYMPTOMATIC OF MORAL DECLINE

Indicators of Moral Decline

MORAL PERMISSIVENESS

Allows anything and does not care

of the results of ones actions

Indicators of Moral Decline

RELATIVISM

Does not consider the objective values in

themselves, but realizes them simply for ones
convenience according to situations.

Indicators of Moral Decline

Loss of Morals

Excludes moral values in their judgment

of moral behavior

MORAL
DECLINE

MORAL
ASSENDANCY

WE ARE LOST

Life giving or death dealing?

Why do we have these

situations around us?

ROOTS AND SOURCES

OF CONTEMPORARY
MORAL TRENDS

a. Profound Crisis of Culture

CULTURE
pattern of human knowledge,
customary belief, and behavior of a racial, religious, or
social group
the characteristic features of everyday existence
shared by people in a place or time

CAUSE:
Skepticism in relation to the foundations
of knowledge and ethics
EFFECTS:
difficulty in grasping clearly:
The meaning of human existence
The meaning of mans rights and duties

b. Existential and Interpersonal

difficulties
EXISTENTIAL
grounded in existence or the experience of existence

Aggravated by the complexity of society where people

no longer want to take responsibility for their neighbors

c. Situations of Acute Poverty, Anxiety

or Frustration

CONCLUSION:
THE CONTEMPORARY MORAL TRENDS MAKE THE CHOICE TO
DEFEND AND PROMOTE LIFE DEMANDING
AS SOMETIMES TO REACH THE POINT OF HEROISM

What could we do?

What must we do?

Three thing s to do:
TO ACT JUSTLY
TO LOVE TENDERLY
TO WALK HUMBLY WITH YOUR GOD
Micah 6:8

HOW?

ETHOS, MORES
Moral Theology
Sources of morality
Principles