Category Archives: ethics

Jimmy Akin has no idea what a moral object is

Posted on 22 January 2019 by

here’s the article at NCRegister: Intrinsic Evil: Some Things Are Just Plain Wrong The article pretends to be a defense of Church teaching on intrinsically evil acts, against other theories, especially consequentialism. But that’s not what it is. First, intrinsically … Continue reading →

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St. Francis de Sales on Marital Chastity

Posted on 5 January 2019 by

St. Francis de Sales, in his book, “Introduction to the Devout Life“, speaks of marital chastity. St. Francis: “The marriage bed should be spotless (Heb. 13:4) as the Apostle says, that is, free from immodesty and other unholy defilements. Also, … Continue reading →

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Is Abortifacient Contraception Moral for a Medical Purpose?

Posted on 28 November 2018 by

An Open Letter from Catholic Spouses to their Unborn Children Dear beloved children in the womb, Mommy and Daddy are writing you this letter to explain an important decision. Your Mommy was feeling bad, so she asked a very smart … Continue reading →

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Abortifacient Contraception for a Medical Purpose

Posted on 21 September 2018 by

The writings of Catholic moral theologians on abortifacient contraception are often lack readily-available information on the medical aspects of this topic, including varying rates of break-through ovulation, health benefits and risks, and the percent risks of an abortifacient event. Some … Continue reading →

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Prenatal Loss with Oral Contraceptives: Low Risk?

Posted on 20 September 2018 by

Catholics who argue in favor of oral contraceptives often claim that the risk of a break-through ovulation, which then opens the way to possible conception and an abortifacient event, is low. There are many problems with this claim. 1. Risk … Continue reading →

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Abortifacient Contraception in Cases of Rape: Theory and Practice

Posted on 27 August 2018 by

In cases of rape, a woman or her healthcare provider may use contraception to prevent the conception of a child as a result of the rape. This use of contraception is indirect, and therefore not intrinsically evil. Contraception is immoral … Continue reading →

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Is the IUD an abortifacient?

Posted on 9 August 2018 by

Here are the answers from the top 5 search results at Google.com on 2018-08-09: 1. What an abortifacient is — and what it isn’t (National Catholic Reporter) Feb 20, 2012 by Jamie Manson https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/grace-margins/what-abortifacient-and-what-it-isnt “The reality is that there is … Continue reading →

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Could Pope Francis be Wrong on the Death Penalty?

Posted on 7 August 2018 by

Pope Francis recently ordered a change to the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the subject of the death penalty. Formerly, the text read as follows: “Assuming that the guilty party’s identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional … Continue reading →

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When A Spouse Refuses Sex

Posted on 6 August 2018 by

In the Catholic Sacrament of holy Matrimony, natural marital relations open to life is the right of the spouses. And each spouse has a duty before conscience and God to have marital relations with their mate. The primary purpose of … Continue reading →

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Pope Francis on the Death Penalty

Posted on 2 August 2018 by

Pope Francis has ordered a change to the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the topic of the death penalty: NC Register story. The death penalty “2267. Recourse to the death penalty on the part of legitimate authority, following a … Continue reading →

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More Prenatals are killed by Abortifacients than by Abortion

Posted on 23 July 2018 by

Edited to add: Births worldwide per year is 137 million infants. Abortifacient deaths from IUDs are 1 to 2 losses per woman per year [Mechanisms of action of intrauterine devices; Am J Obstet Gynecol 2002;187:1699-70]. Worldwide, 163 million women use … Continue reading →

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An Overview of Heresy in the Church Today: Part One Moral Theology

Posted on 16 July 2018 by

Intrinsically evil acts An intrinsically evil act is a knowingly chosen act which is inherently ordered toward an evil moral object (a moral deprivation in the proximate end of the act). When the object is evil, the act is intrinsically … Continue reading →

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More Grave Errors by E. Christian Brugger via NCRegister

Posted on 14 July 2018 by

In his article, Is Masturbation Always Wrong?, E. Christian Brugger proposes serious moral errors. The specific question is whether masturbation is moral for medical reasons. His answer is a mishmash of truth, distortion, and error. And in the end, he … Continue reading →

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Contraception does not destroy the Unitive or Marital meanings

Posted on 13 July 2018 by

A set of heresies is being propagated on the topic of contraception and sexual ethics by unfaithful Catholic teachers. Previously, I wrote about the heresy claiming that contraception only applies to a valid marriage. Today, I address the claim that … Continue reading →

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Which Persons Are Virgins?

Posted on 7 July 2018 by

According to canon lawyer Ed Peters: “a woman who has not freely engaged in penile-vaginal sexual intercourse is a ‘virgin’ while one who has engaged in that act is not.” This ridiculously narrow definition permits a woman to commit all … Continue reading →

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The Three Fonts of Morality (continued)

Posted on 4 July 2018 by

Free Will and Ends Human free will is the source of each of the three fonts. The human person chooses, by an exercise of free will, an intended end. The person is not compelled to choose any particular end; he … Continue reading →

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The Three Fonts of Morality

Posted on 4 July 2018 by

A human act is a knowing choice made by a human person. Every human act is an exercise of free will, making a choice based on knowledge in the intellect. Each choice is an act. All acts are subject to … Continue reading →

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Nuclear Weapons and Catholic Ethics

Posted on 27 June 2018 by

The recent Popes have spoken against nuclear weapons and nuclear proliferation. They have repeatedly called for total disarmament worldwide. They have also condemned the use and even the possession of these weapons. Second Vatican Council: “Any act of war aimed … Continue reading →

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Which Acts Are Sins?

Posted on 25 June 2018 by

In Catholic teaching, the morality of human acts is determined by three fonts (from the Latin word for sources). An act is a deliberate knowing choice; it is an exercise of free will and reason. Each human act is moral … Continue reading →

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Wifely Obedience in Catholic Teaching

Posted on 23 June 2018 by

True Marriage There are only two types of true marriage before the eyes of God, a merely natural marriage, and the Sacrament of holy Matrimony. Natural marriage was established when Adam and Eve were created, that is, at the beginning … Continue reading →

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