Moral Theology

Father Hardon’s writings on moral theology explore Catholic teaching on human conduct and the pursuit of holiness. These articles examine virtue, conscience, sin, grace, natural law, and the moral principles that guide faithful Christian living.

Moral Theology

The Principles and Practice of Christian Morality, Seen in the Light of Reason and Faith, and Applied to Modern Problems in Personal Ethics, Marriage and the Family, and American Society. By Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.Western Michigan University Table of Contents INTRODUCTION: Difference between Ethics and Moral Theology – Why study Moral Theology? – Myth […]

Chapter I: Morals and Religion

By John A. Hardon, S.J. The relationship between religion and morality goes back to the earliest history of mankind. Among the extant documents showing this is the famous instruction for King Meri-ka-re, dating from the twenty-second century B.C., in which the Egyptian ruler tells his son how to conduct himself. Instead of giving him counsels […]

Chapter II: Norms and Postulates

By John A. Hardon, S.J. An objective approach to moral science demands some knowledge of its basic postulates and some familiarity with its terms. Sciences like physics and mathematics, for example, have their own presuppositions and a specialized vocabulary, without which it would be impossible to communicate as simple a fact as the expansion of […]

Chapter III: Authority and Obedience

By John A. Hardon, S.J. The concept of obedience to superiors is built into the history of civilized society, and no culture worthy of the name has existed without stressing the respect which is due to legitimate authority or the duties of those in command. While much diluted through centuries of use, the very word […]

Chapter IV: Life and Bodily Integrity

By John A. Hardon, S.J. A superficial observer might wonder why a course in moral theology should include a full-scale treatment of murder and mutilation, when even the most primitive peoples had laws against unjust aggression and punished offenders with severest penalties. The fact is that our present age has seen mass-killing practiced as never […]

Chapter V: Drinking and Temperance

By John A. Hardon, S.J. The morality of drinking is unique, at least in a country like the United States which spends about twelve billion dollars annually for alcoholic beverages. Unlike other ethical decisions that people are called to make, drinking involves more than one option. It may be the choice to drink or not […]

Chapter VI: Christian Marriage

By John A. Hardon, S.J. The Christian concept of marriage, although built on the natural law, differs sharply from the earlier practices among the Jews and pagans, and also from the modern secular usage – to the point that no area of public relationship more clearly distinguishes Christianity from other institutions of human society. It […]

Chapter VII: Birth Control

By John A. Hardon, S.J. Few subjects of social interest and no aspect of marriage is more highly charged with emotion than birth control. The output of literature, pro and con, rivals best sellers in the fiction field, and the end is not yet in sight. In fact, if students of American law are to […]

Chapter VIII: Divorce

By John A. Hardon, S.J. The most critical feature of American family life is its instability. The United States has the largest divorce rate of any major country in the world, with an estimated four hundred thousand divorces now granted every year. Except for temporary declines during periods of recession, there has been a steady […]

Chapter IX: Sex and Chastity

By John A. Hardon, S.J. It is not a new thing for Christianity to be accused of trying to take the fun out of life, especially in matters of sex, by upholding taboos which are simply contradictory to human nature. The pagan contemporaries of the early Christians scoffed at their insistence on premarital chastity and […]

Chapter X: Justice and Mutual Charity

By John A. Hardon, S.J. The hardest thing in life is to escape from the shell of egoism that naturally encrusts every human being and consistently to live for others, in a word, to practice justice and charity. Yet everything that religion teaches and all the evidence of experience confirm the judgment that even naturally […]

Supplements Business and Finance / Legal and Medical Ethics

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Business and Finance Ethics Morality in business places a constant demand on the conscience of a believing Christian. More than any other phase of modern life, the business world is permeated with problems that challenge one’s sense of justice and equity and that call upon every resource of prudence […]

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