AS Religious Studies- Natural Moral Law PT.2

The 5 Primary Precepts & The Secondary Precepts (WORLD) (A rule or law)

The 5 Primary Precepts for human existence = the main purpose of human life. 

IN FOUR WORDS: DO GOOD, AVOID EVIL.

1. We should Worship God- the creator of all life, on whom all life depends on

2. We should create a Ordered society- where there is justice and no fear of opression

3. We need Reproduction- to ensure the human race continues

4. We need Learning/education- to ensure all young people become independent adults

5. We should Defend the innocent- to preserve life, as it is the supreme good. 

The Secondary Precepts would be things like 'pray', which would match up with 'Worship God'. Another SP would be 'do not abort', which would aslo match up with reproduction. Secondary precept are absolute and deontological. IN 1968, Pope Paul 6th said "Huamnae Vitae", which stands for "Human Life". This put a total ban on abortion. (In the exam, it is important to mention a scholar like Pope Paul to achieve a high grade) 

The Double Effect

If an intention is good and an act is good, but the act has a secondary, unintended bad effect, NML says it is still right to carry it out. What is important is the intention and the action you are carrying out. I f both are good, then you are not responsible for any unintended bad consequences.

E.g. in medical ethics, removing an ectopic pregnancy from a fallopian tube to save a woman's life is a good thing.

• The intention and the act = (to) save the woman's life.
• The uninteded action - killing the…