Not to be prickly, but how many of you are even qualified to talk about moral theology?

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I don’t think a book or a degree is required to qualify a person.
 
Edward_H said:
But I think we’re all qualified to struggle about the moral life. I think we’re called to struggle to know the truth and to help others know the truth.

I’d rather talk about moral issues with strugglers and those who know that a real truth exists and that God wants us to seek it sincerely and perseveringly.
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Work out your salvation in fear and trembling. Philippians 2:12
 
Windfish said:
Really, I do not mean to be prickly at all, I am just interested in seeing how many of you have taken a class, studied from books, etc.?
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On another thread, someone asked me about my credentials to speak on “sustainable farming”. Substituting the words “moral theology” for “sustainable farming”, I think my retort works equally well…

I have a Doctorate in Managing Manure from CAF University,
starting out with a little B.S. degree
continuing on with a P.H.D. (Piled Higher and Deeper).
I must admit that I know next to nothing about moral theology,
but you can bet I know my manure
and can spread it with the best of 'em.😃
 
Elizabeth502 said:
One does techically need a theology degree per se, in order to be well informed about moral theology, but the problem is that a minority of baptized Catholics have indeed informed themselves well.
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Indeed true, but the OP was not asking how many are well-informed about moral theology, but how many are qualified to talk about it. It’s important to keep in mind that these are distinct matters. The principle qualification for being able to talk about it is open-mindedness and a desire to seek true understanding, as well as, on the more technical side, a basic grounding in and adherence to the fundamental principles of critical thinking that ground all rational discourse.

So that said, how many are qualified? As Forrest Gump (or was it his mama?) like to say, “Stupid is as stupid does” (translated here: “Qualified is as qualified does”).
 
Orthodoxy and being faithful to the Magisterium are my qualifications. After having not posted in here for a long time due to feeling unqualified I recognized that those qualities I do have make me far more qualified than many who do post in here.
 
John21652 said:
The thing is, every single person on earth is a moral agent.
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'Tis true, this.

And we are commanded to love God with our entire MIND. This is where discussion on the CAFS falls, IMHO.

When we pray, go to Mass, read the Scriptures, we are loving God with our entire heart and soul; when we do social justice acts of love (feeding the poor, clothing the naked), we are loving God with our entire strength; when we love God with our entire MIND, then we come to the CAFS to discuss and dialogue and to evangelize that God can be known through reason.
 
Windfish said:
Really, I do not mean to be prickly at all, I am just interested in seeing how many of you have taken a class, studied from books, etc.?
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Are you willing to make a distinction between discussing about morality and discussing about moral theology? It looks like most of the posts here are about moral behaviors and not a great deal about the heavy theological aspect of morality. A lot of things are quite simple because they come immediately out of Scripture or out of Tradition in a very self-explanatory manner. I am not sure which one you really want to address. A couple of samples would help.
 
No theology degree, but 55 years as a practicing Catholic… 12 years of religion in grade school and high school… many books on religion, philosophy, the lives of the saints, church history, other religions… untold hours of listening to sermons, prayers, meditation, discussions with fellow Catholics… otherwise I don’t know a thing about morality or theology…
 
wcknight said:
No theology degree, but 55 years as a practicing Catholic… 12 years of religion in grade school and high school… many books on religion, philosophy, the lives of the saints, church history, other religions… untold hours of listening to sermons, prayers, meditation, discussions with fellow Catholics… otherwise I don’t know a thing about morality or theology…
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👍
 
I’ll have my Master’s Degree in Theology (concentration in Moral Theology) in a couple years.

Do I qualify?
 
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