Category Archives: intention and moral object

Response to Deacon Jim Russell on Combatants and Double Effect

Posted on 12 August 2017 by Ron Conte

Deacon Jim Russell wrote an article, titled Combatants, Non-Combatants, and Double Effect, published August 10, 2017 at Crisis Magazine. The article is one of the worst pieces of Catholic moral theology I have ever read. It contains several serious errors … Continue reading →

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Human Acts have a Moral Nature

Posted on 24 May 2017 by Ron Conte

The teaching of the Roman Catholic Church on ethics differs from every other source of ethical teachings. The main difference is the doctrine that human acts have a moral nature. Each of our acts has an inherent moral meaning (or … Continue reading →

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The Concrete Act and the Concept of Intrinsic Evil

Posted on 28 October 2016 by Ron Conte

Roman Catholic teaching on morality is based on human acts, also called concrete acts. A human act is the knowing choice of a human person. Such acts are termed “concrete” because the act and its morality are real and meaningful, … Continue reading →

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Jimmy Akin’s Rejection of the Dogma of Intrinsic Evil

Posted on 16 May 2013 by Ron Conte

The ordinary and universal Magisterium infallibly teaches that certain types of acts are intrinsically evil, i.e. wrong by their very nature, apart from intentions and circumstances. See my post: The Dogma of Intrinsically Evil Acts. Pope John Paul II: “The … Continue reading →

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Voting Ethics and Intrinsic Evil

Posted on 31 August 2012 by Ron Conte

In Roman Catholic moral theology, an act is a knowing choice; it is an exercise of intellect and free will. Every knowingly chosen act is either good or evil; every knowingly chosen act is subject to conscience and to the … Continue reading →

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Does a Catholic business owner sin by cooperating with the HHS Mandate?

Posted on 2 August 2012 by Ron Conte

The HHS Mandate of the Obama administration has gone into effect, as of August 1st, 2012. All businesses that provide health insurance must include contraception and abortifacients in that coverage. There are numerous complicated conditions to this Mandate and to … Continue reading →

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Is lying only immoral if you intend to deceive?

Posted on 18 July 2012 by Ron Conte

This is not an open question. The Magisterium has a definitive teaching on lying: 1753 A good intention (for example, that of helping one’s neighbor) does not make behavior that is intrinsically disordered, such as lying and calumny, good or … Continue reading →

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Catholic Confusion on Intention and Moral Object

Posted on 12 June 2012 by Ron Conte

Over at Catholic Lane, Rebecca Taylor writes a post on ethics and genetic enhancements: Catholic Confusion on Enhancements; the post is also here. That post is a follow-up to her earlier post at NC Register: Human or Superhuman. In the … Continue reading →

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Jimmy Akin debates the Magisterium

Posted on 5 June 2012 by Ron Conte

Jimmy Akin has been publishing fake interviews, in which he pretends to interview Pope John Paul II or Pope Benedict XVI. He publishes these fake interviews in what he calls a “Secret Information Club communiqué”, saying things like: “Not a … Continue reading →

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Moral analysis: the Maltese conjoined twins

Posted on 10 April 2012 by Ron Conte

This case occurred in 2001. A discussion of the case arose in my discussion group as we were considered the distinction between direct and indirect abortion. The medical situation was this: conjoined twins shared a heart, lungs, and abdomen. If … Continue reading →

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The Distinction between Direct and Indirect Abortion

Posted on 9 April 2012 by Ron Conte

You cannot understand the distinction between direct abortion and indirect abortion unless you understand the three fonts of morality, especially the moral object. See my previous articles on this topic: Intrinsic Evil and the Moral Object In Roman Catholic moral … Continue reading →

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Is Pre-emptive War Intrinsically Evil and Always Immoral?

Posted on 3 March 2012 by Ron Conte

Over at National Catholic Register, Mark Shea blogs that pre-emptive war is always immoral. His conclusion is morally unsound and contrary to Catholic dogma on the basic principles of ethics, i.e. on the constitutive elements that make any act moral … Continue reading →

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