Moral theology is the study of religious laws and codes to govern practitioners of a religion. Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox Christians, Muslims, and Jews practice moral theology to live righteous lives and gain God’s favor. Catholic moral theology involves attending mass, taking communion, and following the Ten Commandments. Protestants use moral theology for evangelism and to feel fulfilled. Some types of moral theology contain dietary rules, such as refraining from eating pork in Judaism and Islam.
Moral theology is the study of a set of laws and moral codes established by a religious text, in order to govern the practitioners of that religion. This phrase most often refers to Roman Catholics, but Protestant Christians, Orthodox Christians, Muslims, and Jews also practice moral theology, although the laws are slightly different for each. The doctrine of moral theology in every religion is meant to help the practitioners of that religion live righteous and worthwhile lives that will help them gain God’s favor. Most of these laws have to do with interacting with those both within and outside the religious community.
“How to act” is one of the main phrases used in the study of Catholic moral theology. Priests study the Bible and other liturgical texts, often basing their homilies on how to live righteously. In the Catholic religion, this involves attending mass, taking communion, and following the Ten Commandments listed in the Bible. It also involves following various rules that may only apply to certain branches of Catholicism or certain Catholic parishes. The idea is to avoid committing a mortal sin, which Catholics believe will keep a person out of heaven for eternity.
Most Catholics believe that following the rules of moral theology will shorten their time in Purgatory, a place where departed souls go to find atonement for the sins they committed on Earth. Catholicism’s rules are meant to help keep practitioners pure so they can reach heaven faster. Those who follow the rules only loosely are said to endure a longer period in Purgatory. Many of these rules and precepts also apply to Orthodox Christianity.
In Protestant Christianity there is no purgatory. Salvation, or accepting the Holy Spirit into one’s soul, is a guarantee that the acceptor will go to Heaven. For Protestants, moral theology is a kind of evangelism, showing others how Christians behave. The idea is that others will see this moral example and ask questions, causing the faith to spread far and wide. Protestants also believe that moral theology can help them feel more fulfilled by omitting vices and corrupting influences from their lives.
Some types of moral theology contain dietary rules. These rules can be relatively loose, such as the Catholic rule not to eat meat on Fridays during Lent. Others can be very specific and somewhat harsh. Muslims and Jews, for example, cannot eat pork. Jews must follow a kosher diet, refraining from eating foods that are not approved as clean under Jewish law. Similarly, Muslims must follow a halal diet, which is similar to, but not identical to, the Jewish kosher diet.
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