1. NATURAL LAW IN OUR LIVES…

2. JOURNAL QUESTION:
If you alone could make up a new law that would make our country more fair, what would it be? Why?

3. WHAT IS NATURAL LAW?
It is not a LAW, and it doesn’t take place in NATURE
Natural Law IS:
A core set of beliefs
Shared by all human beings
That can be accessed by all through REASON and GOOD WILL
That tell us how to live our lives

4. Natural Law rests on these assumptions:
That reality is orderly
That Natural Law is understandable by humans
Natural Law is understandable to people with good reason and good will

5. Natural Law…
Natural Law is not “dependent on a single individual’s or group’s interest.”
Natural Law looks at what humanity experiences, not necessarily just what individuals experience.
Natural Law can be universalized. This is a great contrast to the contemporary idea of _________________. Natural Law argues for some objective moral order.

6. How Natural Law is Natural:
Everything in Natural Law is there to lead people to realize their human potential.
Much of what the Church teaches is based on Natural Law.
Jesus Christ was the most human experience that this world has ever had.

7. Inclination to Know the Truth
We all seek to have our biggest questions answered
Science, wisdom, knowledge help us answer these questions
It “is in our very nature to want to acquire knowledge.” (p. 13)
SUPPORT:
THREATEN:

8. Inclination to Establish a Just Society
It describes how humans are social and are drawn to associate with others. We need each other to survive.
The natural sign of this is LANGUAGE: in order to survive with others we need to communicate with them
This deals with the rights each person is due by virtue of being human (UDHR)
SUPPORT:
THREATEN:

9. Inclination to Have a Family
This is not JUST about our sexual desires
People want to start a family
Our first experience of life is within the family
God created us in his image as sexual beings (Genesis 1:27-28).
One clear evidence of this is kids
SUPPORT:
THREATEN:

10. Inclination for Self-Preservation
Desire to exist and love of your health
Right to legitimate self-defense
Pushes us to thrive and develop
It also underlies the advancement in medicine and healthcare.
SUPPORT:
THREATEN: torture, abortion, suicide, euthanasia