moral theology-truth and honor

7/29/2019 Moral Theology-Truth and Honor

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9/15/2013 RAL 1

Right to Truth and

Reputation

Justice and 8th Commandment


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Values involved

Truth- is the agreement of the mind

(words, actions) with reality.

Honor- is the good esteem that a person

has from others.

We need honor and truth as a personal

being and in our social dealings.


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9/15/2013 R. Latorre 3

THE VALUE OF TRUTH

Compendium, 521. What is ones duty toward thet ru th?

Every person is called to sincerity and truthfulnessin acting and speaking. Everyone has the duty to

seek the truth, to adhere to it and to order oneswhole life in accordance with its demands. In JesusChrist the whole of Gods truth has been mademanifest. He is the truth. Those who follow himlive in the Spirit of truth and guard against duplicity,

dissimulation, and hypocrisy.


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Reasons for truthfulness

Truth is something SACREDreality. The devil is the Fatherof all lies. God is truth.

Man has the faculty of SPEECH(of communicating), and theseare meant by nature to be the

MEANS of EXTERNALLYMANIFESTING OUR INNERTHOUGHTS.

The SOCIAL nature of manrequires truthful

communication. ThePERSONAL PERFECTIONprovided by social life is onlypossible in an atmosphere oftruth.


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Virtue of Sincerity

Sincerity (veracity) the virtue which

inclines one always

to speak and actaccording to the

truth. It involves:


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Virtues Related to the Truth

SIMPLICITY, of acting consistently withwhat we believe, as opposed to DUPLICITY, acting in a way that we hide our

true motives (e.g., kind, in order tomanipulate).

FIDELITY, or living up to the word wepromised (the truth of our future intent)


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Compendium523. What is forbidden by

the eighth commandment? (first part)

The eighthcommandmentforbids:

false w itness,per jury, and ly ing,the gravity of whichis measured by thetruth it deforms, thecircumstances, theintentions of the one

who lies, and theharm suffered by itsvictims; ()


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About Lying

Lying is saying the opposite of what is being

thought (locutio contra mentem).

CCC2482 "A lie consists in speaking a

falsehood with the intention of deceiving." "You are of your father the devil, . . . there is no truth in

him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own

nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies." (Jn 8:44)

CCC 2483 By injuring man's relation to truthand to his neighbor, a lie offends against the

fundamental relation of man and of his word to

the Lord.


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Kinds of Lies

Jocularlies are those that are told merely to giveamusement or pleasure, as a tall tale. NOT a lie true joke, drama, convention, mental

reservation, extreme social situations of injustice

Profi tablelies are said in order to gain somebenefit. NOT a lie - pol i te expression sthat are used to avoid

frictions in daily conversation, whether conventional ornot. (e.g., He is busy at the moment, may mean, Hedoesnt want to talk to you).

Harmfu l l iescause damage to the listener, suchas giving the wrong time so that the other willmiss the train


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More Lies

Hypocrisy. To act out a

lie, or to feign to be

better than what we are

in real i ty.

Perjury or False

Testimony- lie done in a

public or official forum


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Every real lie is intrinsically evil. Lying

goes against:

the natural purpose of language,

human relationships,

good of the listener, and also

the good of the liar himself, who may end

up living in an unreal world of lies.


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Secrets and Principle of Privacy Compendium 524. What is required by the

eighth commandment?

The eighth commandment requires respect forthe truth accompanied by the discretion of

charity in the field of communication and theimparting of information, where the personal andcommon good, the protection of privacy and thedanger of scandal must all be taken into account;

in respecting professional secrets which must bekept, save in exceptional cases for grave andproportionate reasons; and also in respectingconfidences given under the seal of secrecy.


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More Issues Related to the Right to

Privacy

limits of

communication

-sacramental seal:

absolutely inviolable


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Definition of and types of secret Ac t of know ing a hidden fact w i th the ob l igat ion

of n ot revealing i t.

i) A natu ral secretis a fact whose publicationwould be reasonably opposed by the concerned

person. ii) A prom ised secretis a fact that a person has

promised to keep hidden but was already knownbefore making the promise.

iii) An entrusted secretis a fact that was known

only after having promised not to reveal it, andwith that explicit condition. expl ic i t(If you promise not to tell anybody, Ill tell

you)


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Principles involved in right to know

and to communicate (1)

Principles governing the revelation of secrets: Generally speaking, prying into anothers secrets or

private life is not lawful. Everyone should observe anappropriate reserve concerning peoples private lives.

Those who are in charge of communications shouldmaintain a fair balance between the requirements ofthe common good and respect for individual rights.

A natural secret binds under grave sin.

A promised secret binds under venial sin (unless it is

also a natural secret). In itself, an entrusted secret binds under grave sin. The

obligation is stricter than for natural secrets.


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Principles involved in right to know

and to communicate (2)

A secret may be rightfully revealed in the

following cases:

It is urgently necessary for the common good.

The keeper of the secret needs it, provided that the evilto be avoided is considerable and greater than the

harm that the revelation would cause to the concerned

person.

It is necessary for the welfare of a third party, who

could otherwise suffer great harm. It is necessary for the welfare of the person who told

the secret, and whom it concerns. His opposition to

the revelation is not reasonable.


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Compendium523. What is forbidden by

the eighth commandment? (part 2)

The eighth commandment forbids:

()

rash judgm ent, slander, defamationand ca lumnywhichdiminish or destroy the good reputation and honor to whichevery person has a right;

f lattery, adulat ion, orcompla isance, especially if directed toserious sins or toward the achievement of illicit advantages.

A sin committed against truth demands reparation if it hascaused harm to others.


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Honor and Reputation (fame)

Honor is the externalrecogni t ion ofsomeones excellence,which may bemanifested in words,deeds, or otherexternal signs.

Reputation is thecommon op in ion

abou t the goodness ofsomebody.

Honor and Reputationare natural rights


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Offences against honor and reputation

Contumelyis unjus t ly d ishonor ing somebody inhis p resence. (a.k.a., insult or affront)

Defamationmeans unjustly tarnishing anothersreputation (a.k.a., denigrat ion) Unjust, hence no defamation in revealing a hidden

crime so that the culprit may be prosecuted.

simple defamation or detraction: hidden but truedefects

slander or calumny if false defects Defamation is a mortal sin that can become

venial if the act is not perfect or the damagecaused is small.


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Other offences against right to truth

and honor

Rash judgment is the f irm assent of the

m ind to the gui l t of another wi thou t

su f f ic ient reason.

Rash doubts, rash suspicions, and rashopinions belong to the same species

The rash judgment reflects the ill will that

moves the intellect to assent without sufficient

evidence (cf. Eccl 10:3).


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More offences against truth and honor

Flattery, adulat ion, or the act ofgiving excessive compliments,generally for the purpose ofingratiating oneself with thesubject or to encourage another

in malicious acts. Adulation is a grave fault if it

makes one an accomplice inanothers vices or grave sins.

Adulation is a venial sin when it

seeks only to be agreeable,avoid evil, meet a need, orobtain legitimate advantages.


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More offences against truth and honor

Complaisance, in negativemeaning, is overeagerness to please

Boast ingorbraggingcan

be an offense against truthif what is claimed is false.Also against humility

I rony(a.k.a., sarcasm) thatis aimed at disparaging

someone by maliciouslycaricaturing an aspect ofhis behavior or character


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Falsehood spreads like wildfire


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Care for speech

James 3: 2-6:

For we all make many mistakes, and if any one

makes no mistakes in what he says he is a

perfect man, able to bridle the whole body also. 3

If we put bits into the mouths of horses that they

may obey us, we guide their whole bodies. 5

So the tongue is a little member and boasts of

great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by

a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire.


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THE END


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Possible extra slides


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Virtues Related to the Truth & 8th

Commandment

Charity with

neighbor in the area

of speech. Thisinvolves:

-Fraternal correction

-Simplicity in dealings

-Humility


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Virtues Related to the Truth and 8th

Commandment

Witnessing to vouch

for the truth (an act of

justice that establishes

the truth CCC2472).

-The supreme witnessingis martyrdom to

vouch for the faith with

our very life.


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More Issues Related to the 8th

Commandment

Right to Privacy:

-limits of

communication

-sacramental seal

-natural secret

-professional secret

-meddling

moral theology-truth and honor

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