Catholics have an ethical duty to vaccinate children. Paul J. Carson and Anthony T. Flood of North Dakota State University argue from the perspective of Catholic Social Teaching. Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Ethics’
Doing the right thing – teaching ethics to teens
Monday, March 6th, 2017
Young people are self-centred, self-interested and self-ish. They are ego and, ergo, their world begins (and ends) with them. They are the i-Generation – emphasis on the “I”. Maybe. “Turn it off,” she said. “I can’t watch.” My 11-year-old niece closed her eyes against the screen, blocking out the kids with no shoes, raincoats or Read more
Ethics: knowing who we are and what to do
Friday, October 14th, 2016
This fall I am giving presentations to all of the high school teachers, staff and administrators in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. These talks take place on an annual basis, and they are dedicated to a regular cycle of topics. This year, the theme is morality. Lucky me! My guess is that disquisitions on doctrine Read more
Teach seminarians to live in the real world – Pope Francis
Tuesday, September 6th, 2016
Pope Francis has asked his fellow Jesuits involved in priestly formation to help seminarians understand that in the real world. “Decisions Catholics make in their everyday lives are rarely ethically clear-cut, but rather exist on a spectrum between good and evil,” the pope said. “We need to form future priests not to general and abstract ideas, Read more
When religion makes people worse
Friday, April 8th, 2016
Religion can do a great job helping believers discern right from wrong. Religion can help believers relate kindly and justly to other people. And religion can stiffen the will of believers when they face unjust suffering for their faith. I was taught these things when I studied Christian ethics, and they continue to motivate me in my work Read more
Questions about pastoral implications of assisted suicide continue
Friday, April 8th, 2016
Questions about the pastoral implications of assisted suicide continue to arise as Canada gets ready to legalize it in June while in the United States several states are poised to discuss the issue later this year. Catholic health and ethics experts, however, said there is no definite answer as to its implication on pastoral care. Read more
Thinking ethically in the face of mass migration
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2015
In debates about refugees, asylum seekers and mass migration, a crucial issue is the moral and political status of borders. Do we think borders are good or bad, a necessary evil or a moral necessity? My contention is that those who argue for open borders under-value a sense of place and the integrity of the Read more
Evangelium Vitae — the Gospel of Life — twenty years on
Friday, March 27th, 2015
Last week, a young friend of mine attempted to defend the truth about marriage among a group of peers at a secular university. She presented a meaningful argument about families, social stability, and gender complementarity. None of her classmates refuted her arguments. Instead, they accused her of being a bigot and a homophobe, called her Read more
Euthanasia campaign rides surge of support
Friday, March 6th, 2015The Voluntary Euthanasia Society of New Zealand president Jack Havill, says an Auckland University study published in December showed 82 per cent support for legalising physician-assisted dying. “Unfortunately, even with over 80 per cent of New Zealanders wanting legalisation, politicians still sit on their hands, agonising and arguing about much less important issues.” Read More
No Christianity, no foundation for morality
Friday, December 5th, 2014
In their attempt to argue that effective and binding codes can be developed without a deity, atheists often mistake inferior codes – “common decency” – for absolute moral systems. The Golden Rule, or doing as you would be done by, is such a code. But the fact that men can arrive at the Golden Rule Read more