RE Lesson 3 Natural Law
RE Lesson 3 Natural Law
your body?
NOW
Starter
Would it be right? If not why
not?
Eat metal
Move around only on your hands and
knees
Stab yourself with knitting needles
Live underwater
Not care if other people pinched,
punched, pulled or otherwise abused
your body
Live in a drugged up daze
Refuse to communicate with anyone
Throw up anything you ate
Commit suicide
Do you think that
Natural Law there is a “right”
way to use the
different parts of
X your body?
X
Your learning today links to ‘Academic
Excellence’:
X
In today’s lesson I will take
X
pride in my work by taking
X X
care with presentation and
trying my best
X
Extension- Is “natural law” (understanding what your body is made for), a good way to decide
what is right or wrong to do?
Mouth: to
MIND communicate X
– think, be creative, reflect on life with others X
MOUTH
– to communicate with others, building up friendship X
and co-operation
HEART X
– to love others generously, with your whole heart X
STOMACH
– to eat food appropriate to humans, as much as needed
SEX X
– to have children and a family
LEGS
– to walk upright
SPIRIT
– to love God and appreciate beauty and truth.
TASK: Now match up the explanations, of what we should not do to
the relevant X’s.
Extension- Is “natural law” (understanding what your body is made for), is a good way to
decide what is right or wrong to do?
LO- To examine what Natural Law is and how Christians use it to make moral decisions
– we should not dumb it down by a MIND
lazy, self-indulgent life - too much – think, be creative, reflect on life
TV, no education, drunkenness,
drugs.
SEX
– we should not use it only for – to have children and a family Mark you
pleasure answers using
LEGS your purple
–we should take exercise, and not – to walk upright pen.
be a couch potato, driving
everywhere SPIRIT
– to love God and appreciate beauty and truth.
–we should not think physical things are
all that matters
Re-cap: Natural Law: The moral laws of right and wrong
which are universal and not dependent on human laws.
These are inherent to all humans. Understood through
human reason.
X
X Christians might use Natural Law (NML) when
Christians might use Natural Law (NML) when
X making decisions, because God is the one who
decided how we were made (imago dei).
X
X As we are made in imago dei we can use our
X conscience and reason to access the moral laws
of right and wrong (NML).
X
LO- To examine what Natural Law is and how Christians use it to make moral decisions
St Thomas Aquinas
St Thomas Aquinas introduced 5 primary precepts (below) These are
the purposes humans have in common. He believed that when someone
was faced with a decision, it should be accepted with the primary
precept. For example, someone would not stay in bed on Sunday
instead of going to Mass, because that would break the precept of
worshipping God. :
W – Worship God. TASK: Explain what
O – Ordered Society. these mean in your own
R – Reproduce. words.
L – Learning.
D – Defend the Innocent.
The purpose of man for Aquinas = ‘Do good, avoid evil.’
LO- To examine what Natural Law is and how Christians use it to make moral decisions
Do you think the Church would agree or disagree
with the following based on NML?
2. Do you think Natural Law is a good way of deciding what is right and wrong
to do?
X
X How could these Church teachings come from
Natural Law ?
X -You should respect your body in every way
-It is wrong to be selfish
X -It is wrong to get drunk or take drugs
X -It is wrong to use contraception
X -It is wrong to deprive someone of education
-It is wrong to avoid going to work or school
X -It is wrong to have sex outside of marriage, just for
pleasure
-It is wrong to have sex with someone of the same sex
-It is wrong to commit suicide
LO- To examine what Natural Law is and how Christians use it to make moral decisions
Questions:
1. Explain what Natural Law is in your own words.
2. Give 2 examples of how Natural Law helps us to
decide about right and wrong.
3. Do you think Natural law is a good way to make moral
decisions? Explain your opinion.
X
X
X
X
Extension: “NML is a better moral guide than X X
the Bible.” What is your view? Why might
someone disagree with you. X
LO- To examine what Natural Law is and how Christians use it to make moral decisions
Finally: Mind map as much information about
Natural Moral Law as you can
NML
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kX1bR0-
9PA
LO- To examine what Natural Law is and how Christians use it to make moral decisions
Kung Fu Master
LO- To examine what Natural Law is and how Christians use it to make moral decisions
Extras
1. What should we NOT do if we do X
listen to the way our bodies are X
made? Give 3 examples.
X
e.g. eat something that is not good for
us X
X
X
2. Is “natural law” (understanding what
your body is made for) a good way to X
decide what is right or wrong to do?
**Are there some moral problems you
could not solve by Natural Law??
LO- To examine what Natural Law is and how Christians use it to make moral
decisions
Evaluating natural law
G4-5:Add your own
strengths and weaknesses
G2-3:Create a table of strengths to the table
and weaknesses for Natural Law
using the statements below. Challenge: Which
argument do you think is
the strongest and why?
Natural law is inherent in everyone, therefore
everybody has access to natural law Natural law helps maintain an
ordered society
People react differently in Not everybody wants to
different situations do good and avoid evil
Not everybody follows their moral
Natural law is universal reasoning