Moral Choice

Pope Paul discusses the issue of martyrdom and celebrates the reality of individual free choice as a determinant of behavior. He notes that the issue of freedom has become more important in our own day and that a variety of authors have thus addressed it and explained it in different ways. He makes his position clear:

There is no doubt that Christian moral teaching, even in its biblical roots, acknowledges the specific importance of a fundamental choice which qualifies the moral life and engages freedom on a radical level before God (Paul section 66).

Such a sense of moral choice is structured on the relationship of man to God.

Martyrdom is related by Pope Paul to the issues of human dignity and respect for human life, both of which are said to be found "in the dignity proper to the person and

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Hallie says they see the issue otherwise: If we could understand the goodness that happened in Le Chambon, we must see how easy it was for them to refuse to give up their consciences, to refuse to participate in hatred, betrayal, and murder, and to help the desperate adults and the terrified children who knocked on their doors in Le Chambon (Hallie 284). Hallie further states, "For certain people, helping the distressed is as natural and necessary as feeding themselves" (Hallie 284). The story of the people of Le Chambon thus suggests ways in which the moral person develops such a respect for human life that it infuses their every action and thought. Martyrdom then becomes less an extraordinary event than an affirmation of the life force itself, an affirmation that defines a community and shapes every moral act and lesson. Works Cited Hallie, Philip. Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed. New York: HarperCollins, 1985. Pope Paul. "Veritatis Splendor." Origins (October 14, 1993), 297-333. PARAGRAPH Hallie says that ethical action "must not be a way of trying, by a use of abstract, traditional terms, to cast a fitful light within the inward worlds of men's souls" (Hallie 280). Rather, he sees the actions of human beings
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Pope Paul, Le Chambon, , Chambon Hallie, PARAGRAPH Hallie, Paul Hallie, le chambon, God Paul, people le chambon, pope paul, people le, Veritatis Splendor, Blood Shed, hallie 284, hallie people, Origins October, paul section, action hallie, moral martyrdom action, act remain, acted act, themselves acted act, themselves acted, acted act remain, act remain moral,
Approximate Word count = 1324
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)

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