We Are Spiritual: The Consequences For Morality

[Cure of Ars]

[quote][b]12.  Man as spiritual[/b]

Here is the most obvious and radical difference between Catholic morality and the morality of the modern secularized society that the Church confronts today.  For Catholic morality, as for all the world’s religions, man is a spiritual being, with a soul.  He is not a mere clever ape, a mere biological organism.  He is “endowed with ‘a spiritual and immortal’ soul”  (C 1703).

The consequences for morality are obvious: in a word, “be what you are.”  We act out our believed identities.  If we believe we are apes, we will act like apes.  We are the apes we think we are.  And if we believe we are beloved children of a pure and holy God, we will act like the King’s kids.

The social consequences are also radical.  For one thing, if we are immortal, each is eternally precious more valuable than any temporal earthly nation.  The secular view of man, on the other hand, contains no guarantee against totalitarianism.  For if we are not immortal spirits but only mortal animals, what is the one-century-long life of one animal compared with the many-century-long life of a nation of millions?  But if we are spirits, each individual is immortal.  Long after all nations, races, stars and galaxies have died, each one of us will still exist.

by Peter Kreeft[/quote]

Edited August 30, 2004 by Cure of Ars

[phatcatholic]

i highly, HIGHLY recommend the faith formation resources provided by the Catholic Information Service of the Knights of Columbus.

[url="http://www.kofc.org/publications/cis/index.cfm"][b]go here[/b][/url]

[Cure of Ars]

Man I didn't know these were on line.