A comment that caught my attention (in a discussion of Margaret Sanger's self-description about her unfitness) was "I love me too much to try to love another human being." I would say that it was precisely because she did NOT love herself that she felt unfit to love another.

Remember the Great Commandment: "Love the LORD your God with all you heart, with all your mind and with all your strength." This is what enables one to love oneself; not loving God devolves into loathing oneself. Loving God enables us to go on to "love one's neighbor as oneself."

I am amazed how the story of Margaret Sanger does not disgust those who advocate the "pro-choice" position. It is a false idea about freedom that beguiles people to adopt such wrong-headed agendas.

Have any of you ever heard of "the American Baby Code" that allegedly was drafted by Margaret Sanger and published in 1934 in AMERICAN WEEKLY magazine? The following appeared in a blog at http://awashingtondccatholic.blogspot.com/2008/12/american-baby-code.html
Article 1.
The purpose of the American Baby Code shall be to provide for a better distribution of babies. To assist couples who wish to prevent overproduction of offspring and thus to reduce the burden of charity and taxation for public relief and to protect society against the propagation and increase of the unfit.
Article 2.
Birth control clinics shall be permitted to function as services of government health departments or under the support of charity, or as non-profit, self-sustaining agencies subject to inspection and control by public authorities.
Article 3.
A marriage license shall in itself give husband and wife only the right to a common household and not the right to parenthood.
Article 4.
No woman shall have the legal right to bear a child, no man shall have the right to become a father, without a permit for parenthood.
Article 5.
Permits for parenthood shall be issued by government authorities to married couples upon application, providing the parents are financially able to support the expected child, have the qualifications needed for proper rearing of the child, have no transmissible diseases, and on the woman’s part no indication that maternity is likely to result in death or permanent injury to health.
Article 6.
No permit for parenthood shall be valid for more than one birth.
Article 7.
Every county shall be assisted administratively by the states in the effort to maintain a direct ratio between county birth rate and its index of child welfare. When the county records show an unfavorable variation from this ratio the county shall be taxed by the State…. The revenues thus obtained shall be expended by the State within the given county in giving financial support to birth control…..
Article 8.
Feeble-minded persons, habitual congenital criminals, those afflicted with inheritable diseases, and others found biologically unfit should be sterilized or in cases of doubt should be isolated as to prevent the perpetuation of their afflictions by breeding.

Dealing with responsibility

You highlight an important point: dealing with responsibility. The responsibility with which every human must deal is how one is to respond to what God commands. Please understand that a person's rights must be measured by what is right, not by what one wants. The Church insists that we calibrate our measure of what is right by the eternal Word of God, not the passing fancy of contemporary culture.

Those with faith do care and are careful to live in obedience with the commandments of God. Please consider whether what you believe is consistent with what the Church teaches.

More the merely "religious"

I understand your concern about taking a "religious" class. This course is theological rather than merely religious; in other words, it approaches issues academically from a theological perspective. That is, it continually takes God into consideration when discussing any issue. Being a course in "Christian ethics," the issues under investigation concern ethics as understood from a Christian point of view. It is my responsibility to present what we study in that way; it is your responsibility to try to understand what is presented and participate with the understanding that Christian theology provides the boundaries for our discussion.

Thinking theologically is not hard; what is hard is to be systematic about it. The Roman Catholic Church has been very careful in developing its systematic theology (the Catechism of the Catholic Church is evidence of this development); this is certainly not the case with all Christians. I hope that by taking this class you will learn how to better systemtize how you think theologically. All I ask is that you read what I ask you to read and be willing to participate in the class by attending to class discussion, contributing as you are able and asking questions as they come to mind, either in person or by e-mail.

I hope you will always find me available to approach with your questions and concerns.

Opinion or Doctrine

Please don't take offense if I point out how your OPINION differs from Church DOCTRINE. I expect you to frame your comments in like manner - show me how what we say compares to what the Church teaches. If you believe that your opinion is consistent with Christianity, but inconsistent with Church doctrine, than it is your responsibility to better define what YOU mean by Christianity (and it is my responsibility to point out any inconsistency).

Christianity is first and foremost concerned with being in right relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Church doctrine defines what it means to be in such a right relationship. This doctrine is not merely opinions of individuals within the Christian community. In the case of the Catholic church, this doctrine can be found in the Catechism so that the opinion of individuals can be compared to what is written there.

I am not just spouting my "opinion" because I am very careful to cite a reference for what I say so that you can compare my "opinion" to another source. I do this for clarification so that we can understand how we agree or disagree.

The norm in the case of this THEOLOGY class is not some personal opinion, but what the Church teaches concerning Christian Ethics. Class discussion revolves around that norm. I encourage students to consider any opinion in terms of the Christian norm, not the norm of non-Christian culture.

I understand my bias and continually consider whether my bias is consistent with Christianity; this is how I make informed decisions. My goal is to teach you how faith and right relationship are defined in the Christian context of Catholic doctrine. What you may consider "narrow" I consider "defined." Please consider the need for definition in communication; words have to mean something.

What motivates people to "do" theology?

Having a hard time believing in God is what motivates people to "do" theology. Working out one's belief is really a good thing. Let me assure you that God is working with you. In the Letter of Paul to the Philippians 2:13 we read that "God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and work." I encourage you to read the whole of that epistle where you will find much to help you in working out your struggle of faith.

What does it mean to "have good morals"? For "everyone" to have "good morals," there must be a common understanding about what that means. Such commonality is essential to community. This is where the Canon of Scripture comes in - reading scripture together helps us share something common in our imagination; it will help each of us in how our conscience is formed, which in turn will influence our moral life. Working toward agreement will be hard at times, but such work is the mark of maturity and will be very beneficial for right relationships to develop.

I do hope you make Scripture reading part of your daily life. Read the Bible yourself, then integrate that into your relationship with others through questions and discussion; find people whom you trust to be wise regarding their understanding of Scripture - this is a major reason why "going to church" is so important. The Catholic Church presents herself as a trustworthy environment for working out what your believe with others.

In any case, don't do this alone. Having been given the Word of God in Sacred Scripture, we are called to be Christian disciples in community as the Body of Christ (and in turn benefit from the wisdom of Sacred Tradition). Alone you really cannot completely conceive what the call of Christianity entails. At some point, you need to humble yourself and learn from the conceptions of others, and especially from that One Other, Jesus Christ whose Holy Spirit guides us into all truth of knowing Father God.

THE ETHICS OF SELF & OTHER

SELF
I think …
I believe ….

OTHER
Christians believe …
The Church teaches …
According to Scripture …
In the Catechism we find …

During class discussion, one student said,
"Religion is how to live with other people."

I reconsidered her definition of religion in the following way:
How to love God / how to love others;
i.e.
· Love the LORD God

with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, all your strength;

· Love others as yourself.

The human being is most immature in infancy
– aware only of self and not any other.
An immature experience of pleasure or pain
is wholly associated with oneself.

However,
others define self.
As one matures,
one becomes aware of otherness
through interactive experience.
This social interaction with another
begins to form one’s conception of oneself.

Society is formed by many others
living in groups with one another.
God is the ultimate Other
of whom those in society may or may not be aware.
In Christian ethics,
awareness of the presence of God
is a constant consideration in all social interaction
no matter whether or not the one with whom a Christian interacts
claims to be agnostic or atheistic.

Any human ethic must consider the other.
Indeed, ethics is the way one deals with another.
It is oxymoronic to speak of "self-centered ethics."
In Christian ethics, consideration of others is paramount.

"If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

Adapted from 6th Chapter of Theological Foundations:

Concepts & Methods for Understanding Christian Faith.
Mueller, John J. / ISBN 978-0-88489-920-4

If we are living a moral life,
then there will be an abundance of evidence
to answer questions regarding our conviction.
The evidence presented would need to include
events or actions witnessed by others,
not simply your privately held beliefs.

If I say “I love you,”
then I must mean it and prove it in action;
if I say “I trust you,” then I must mean it and prove it in action;
if I say, “I will be there when you need me – I am your friend,”
then I must mean it and actually do it.
It is a matter of religious integrity,
of actions matching beliefs and intentions.
We are not talking about disposable commitments;
we are talking about our cherished beliefs and hopes.
For this, Christians rely on the grace of God to sustain us.

Theology reflects on these daily experiences
of trust and mistrust, fidelity and infidelity, truth and lies.
The discipline in theology is called “Christian morality,”

or sometimes “Christian ethics.”
It is Christian because

it flows from a religious belief

in God’s encounter with us, a love relationship;
consequences result

where “my actions speak louder than my words.”
Whether an action is moral or ethical

is in the response to two interrelated questions:
(1) Is it truly human, or not?
And (2) Does it express love of God and neighbor, or not?

A course in Christian Ethics

addresses these various areas of our decisions
and the formation of our conscience toward what is good.
It takes on the question of our freedom and limitations,
the twin wisdom sources of tradition and authority,
and how to think morally.
An important condition for moral decisions

is the changing situations and circumstances of life.
The challenge of living a moral life requires Christians to

reflect on, examine, and clarify their motives;
consult others;
and pray to God for guidance

to respond as loving followers of Jesus.