Opinion Articles

*Mere Morality or Ancient Wisdom?
By Teresa Brierley
Teresa Brierley is the Vice-Chancellor, Pastoral Ministries, for the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle.

What right does the Church have to tell me what to do?

This question has been debated recently in and outside Parliament. Yet is it the right question to ask? Why not ask how and why Christianity offers its unique stance? While the Church is known for its teachings on some of the most complex and emotionally charged issues facing humanity, it is less well known for the justice, compassion and care for all of creation which underpins its ethical and moral stance.

A human is more than just mere matter – a body. We are, at our core, spiritual beings who have a soul, and a place which is beyond reason or rationality. This essence is the part of us that connects with other people, with animals, with the environment and with God or a higher power. The Church assists with the care of this part of our being. Christianity's particular care of our essence, our soul, has evolved over thousands of years.

Indigenous tribes understand and value their connectedness to their heritage. They don't feel compelled to question it. They accept the wisdom of those who have carried their story before them and they realise that to abandon their traditions is tantamount to destroying themselves.

Western culture has lost its connectedness to the wisdom of its Christian tradition. The challenge of the Church is to continue to impart the wisdom of our beliefs and teachings alongside our moral stance. Many might argue that the Church is failing dismally in this regard.

Morality (often seen as a dirty word) involves working out what is right and what is wrong. At everyone's core is an innate ability to determine the best path, provided this has not been eroded by external circumstances like a neglected childhood, substance abuse, crime… The Church is there to support that ability to make responsible decisions and to protect the core of our being, our soul.

In order to do this it has developed an ethical stance over a long period of time. Its basis is belief in the integrity of the human person from conception to death. The human must be protected as it was created for goodness. As individuals we do not have the wisdom to comprehend that destroying life can have global dimensions. We have all been created to play a role in our sphere of influence. By destroying life at any point in its existence, the Church argues, we short change ourselves and our world.

Fundamental to this ethical stance is the protection of the spiritual health of the person who is contemplating a path that may cause them harm. We have been listening to the stories of those who have been damaged by decisions they made earlier in their lives. The Church is also called to offer forgiveness, compassion and comfort to those who are struggling to come to terms with the pain of these difficult choices.

I urge people to ponder the reasons behind Church teachings. Can we simply dismiss the wisdom of thousands of years - a wisdom that has been preserved in order to protect us and guide us, a wisdom that leads to peace, happiness, goodness and freedom?

  *This article was published in The Newcastle Herald, 27th February 2006.