Essay on Moral Law and the Just Regime - 1506 Words

St. Augustine and Aquinas reasoned that the just city would also be a moral city. The city would assist in the physical and spiritual salvation of men. Their ideas of a just city would necessarily require moral laws. Laws required punishment when broken. Their ideas of a just regime could easily bring about a religious tyranny. However, reasonable people recognize that modern tyrannies, which may use religious concepts for their basis of a just regime or a purely immoral, evil regime, which is only interested in power or wealth, are about coercion and oppression. St. Augustine recognized that because of the Fall of man freedom was lost and â€Å"coercion is apparent in the most typical institutions of civil society† and can be explained†¦show more content†¦Both recognize the importance of reason in everyday life and in religion. Augustine understood the dual citizenship of Christian in everyday life (Strauss and Cropsey 1987, 196). Christianity seeks to save the individual from transgression. Justice is a divine concept that, when applied in the temporal sphere, will guide man in forming a just city. Justice is the â€Å"maintenance or administration of what is just by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments.† It is also â€Å"the administration of law† (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary 2011). The Fall of man is the transgression of the law, in which a punishment was affixed. Therefore, man needs Jesus Christ-someone who, not having violated the law and having the ability to pay the punishment on behalf of the transgressor-to fulfill the demands of justice. The difference between God’s justice and man’s is that of mercy. The All-knowing God, who created the natural man, understood that man would transgress the law and needed mercy. How this applies to the temporal sphere is in the understanding of what justice is. Whereas, God can punish or reward man because of his internal acts, man cannot. â€Å"The temporal law only prescribes and forbids external acts. It does not extend to the h idden motives of these acts, and it is even less concerned with purely internal acts† (Strauss and Cropsey 1987, 186). Divine justice is the punishment orShow MoreRelatedThe Moral Judgment On Human Behavior998 Words   |  4 Pagesdecision-making process, we often rely on our morals. One’s moral judgment on something is a reflection of what they believe is right versus wrong, good versus bad, and just versus unjust in regards to human behavior. Their morals are essentially shaped by their upbringing and their personal experiences. For example, social norms that society labels as acceptable, cultural practices that one is engaged in, along with religious beliefs are all things that can shape ones morals and help create ones ethical judgmentRead MoreThe Argument Put Forth By Hart And Lon L. Fuller1526 Words   |  7 Pageshave to do with the law?† Is justice an inherent component within law or is it a moral judgement about law? In attempting to answer this questi on, we will examine the debate between H.L.A. Hart and Lon L. Fuller. The argument put forth by Hart focuses on law as it is; while Fuller’s response focuses largely on law as it should be. At its core, this debate concerns the separability of law and morality, with Hart pushing a positivist narrative and Fuller promoting natural law. Both philosophers putRead MoreEthics And The Separation Of Law And Morals1257 Words   |  6 Pages Law and morality work together to guide our behavior; while law does it by punishing us if we do something wrong, morality does it through incentives. 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