M19 - No one is forced to

have faith in God.

THE ROLE OF FAITH AND RELIGION One has the choice to
ETHICS believe in God or not
which makes faith a
Faith - being sure of what we hope for and free human act.
certain of what we do not see. 5. Faith is necessary to
- In christian ethics, faith is a personal obtain salvation.
encounter with God, a self-discipline - The church holds that
of the Divine Father and personal believing in Jesus
adherence to him (Peschke, 1994). Christ and in God
- Characteristics of faith according who sent him is
to the Catechism of the Catholic necessary to obtain
Church: salvation. Without
1. Faith is a grace from God. faith, it is impossible
- It must be received as to please God and be
a gift. It is a able to obtain eternal
supernatural virtue life.
infused by God. 6. Faith requires
2. Faith is a human act. perseverance.
- Trusting God and - One must persevere
believing the truths he in his or her faith.
has revealed are One who has faith in
contrary neither to God must stand firm
human freedom nor in his or her belief.
to human reason. 7. Faith is the beginning of
3. Faith seeks understanding. eternal life.
- It is intrinsic to faith - Through faith, one is
that a believer desires promised of the joys
to know better what of eternal life.
he or she has put his However, many
or her faith in, and to experiences such as
understand better suffering, death, and
what he or she injustice can shake
revealed. the foundations of
In the words of St. one’s faith. This is
Augustine, “ I believe, why one must walk by
in order to faith, and not by sight.
understand; and I Religion
understand, the better - Derived from the Latin relegare
to believe.” meaning to bind together, that is the
4. The act of faith is a free bond between human and gods.
act. - May be defined as a cultural system
of behaviors and practices that
 relate a person to the supernatural, 4. Cults - the most transient and
sacred, and spiritual. informal of all religious groups. They
- Emile Durkheim defines religion as a provide havens for people who reject
unified system of and practices the norms and values of the larger
relative to sacred things, that is to society.
say, things set apart and
forbidden–beliefs and practices
which unite into one single moral Major Religions in the World
community called a church.
1. Judaism - is monotheistic. It
Elements of Religion believes that there is only one true
Durkheim describes three God. Israel is the sacred land of the
fundamental elements of every Jewish people and it is seen as a gift
religion: the belief in sacred objects, to them – the children of Israel –
the rites and practices, and the from God.
existence of a moral community. 2. Christianity - to be christian is to
1. Beliefs - religious belief is believe in the trinity of the Father,
usually expressed in terms of Son, and Holy Spirit as one God: the
the holy or the sacred. God of love.
2. Practices - religious 3. Islam - central to Islam is the belief
practices are considered that Allah is the only true God and
sacred in any major faith. that Muhammad is God’s
Religion involves ritual and messenger, otherwise known as the
liturgical practices as well as Prophet.
systems of beliefs. 4. Buddhism -although still considered
3. Moral Community - religion a religion, is recognized by
is made up of individuals who Buddhists themselves as a “way of
constitute themselves as a life.” Its basic tenets do not follow
moral community. These those of other religions because they
individuals are joined focus more on how actions have
together through their consequences.
common faith.

Types of Religious Organizations

1. Church - a religious organization

that is structured bureaucratically.
2. Denominations - a type of church
organization is closely integrated in
the society but is not a formal part of
the state.
3. Sects - are smaller, less organized
religious bodies of committed
members.
M20 3. Sexually Transmitted Diseases
- The rising number of
ETHICS AND GLOBALIZATION individuals, many of them
young people, afflicted with
sexually transmitted diseases
Ethics, the Youth and Globalization can easily be blamed on
- The world is in the midst of an premarital or extramarital
unprecedented transformation sex.
caused by globalization. The 4. Gender Discrimination
different aspects of - Members of the LGBTQ+
globalization—economic, community are still being
technological, cultural, and discriminated against in the
political—-have clearly been society because
changing the lifestyle of people and homosexuality, bisexuality,
the way they perceive the world they transexuality, queerness, and
are in. other forms of gender
expressions that are contrary
Respect for Human Life and the Dignity to the norm are still not fully
of the Human Person accepted.
1. Suicide - has long been a topic in 5. Drug Addiction
the discussions of ethical issues. - Many of the youth today
Contextualizing it in the age of suffer from drug addiction
globalization sheds light on how the because of many risk factors.
many pressures that the youth faces 6. Abuse and Misuse of Technology
today become factors in suicide - Globalization goes hand in
cases. hand with technological
2. Premarital Sex, Early Pregnancy, innovations. With the many
and Abortion gadgets or devices at the
- Teenage pregnancy has disposal of the youth today,
been on the rise in the the abuse and misuse of
country since 2000. It is also technology becomes
seen how gender norms in rampant.
the country push young men 7. Extrajudicial Killings and Human
to seek sex in their teens. Rights
- Premarital sex is considered - According to human rights
immoral by many religions advocates, the extrajudicial
particularly in Christianity. killings of suspected
Premarital sex also called small-time drug personalities
fornication, is perceived as are a clear violation of
an offense that violates the human rights because it is
virtue of chastity or negates downright wrong to kill
the practice of avoiding anyone.
premarital and extramarital
sexual affairs.
Respect for the Environment
- The youth must apply the virtues of
appreciation, respect, and care not
only for people but also for the
environment.