Category Archives: ethics

There are only three things that can make an act sinful: 1) intention — your reason or purpose for choosing the act 2) moral object — the type of act that you are choosing, as determined by the act’s moral … Continue reading →

There are three fonts (sources) of morality: three things and only three things that make any human act, i.e. any knowingly chosen act, moral or immoral: (1) intention, (2) moral object, (2) circumstances. An act is moral (ethical) if and … Continue reading →

The teaching of the Roman Catholic Magisterium on morals is based upon acts, also called human acts. Each knowing choice is an act. Each knowing choice is subject to the judgment of conscience and the eternal moral law of God. … Continue reading →

If you would like to do something important and pleasing to God for the Year of Faith (which begins 11 Oct 2012), learn the basic principles of Catholic ethics. I’ve covered many of these principles in past posts in this … Continue reading →

Roman Catholic moral theology is based on the concept of acts, also called human acts. Human persons are subject to the eternal moral law of God because we have reason and free will. By reason, we can know right from … Continue reading →

My approach to the principle of cooperation with evil is to apply the three fonts of morality (intention, moral object, circumstances) to the cooperative act. This approach is certainly valid, since the Magisterium teaches that every act with three good … Continue reading →

Sin is nothing else but a knowingly chosen immoral act. Some sins are venial, having relatively light culpability. Other sins are mortal, having grave culpability. An actual mortal sin is a gravely immoral act, committed with full knowledge and full … Continue reading →