Final class update
Thank you and thanks be to God for another great year! I'm thankful to be saying goodbye on a high note in spite of the crazy state of the world. Once we get settled I'll be working in earnest on continuing the classes online. I'll touch base with you when I have something more solid to share on that.
Meanwhile, here's what we covered at our last class.
Part 1: Student responses / debates
The class will meet next Sunday, May 24.
This will be our final class meeting. We'll wrap up on Pro-Life Apologetics and also answer as many of your questions as we have time for. If you haven't sent me yours yet, please do so soon.
Last time, we did a quick review of the Ten Universal Principles, and briefly considered reasons why people might be pro-abortion. For a powerful analysis of the mindset from someone who has been there, please see Jen Fulwiler's article.
The class then practiced applying the principles we have learned this year to respond to a set of common arguments for abortion.
When will the next class meeting be?
I had originally scheduled it for May 10, but then realized that that is Mothers' Day. Please reply to let me know whether that class date will work. If not, we will push it out by another week to May 17.
Last time, we read and discussed Act 4, the last act of Robert & Emma. Thank you to Kayla, Max, and all the other students who have participated in dramatizing the play for our class!
In this act, "Final Choices," which takes place 10 years later, we learn that Emma's husband Jason has been diagnosed with a terminal illness and is considering assisted suicide. A distraught Emma comes to her friend Robert, now an oncologist, for help.
The next class meeting will be next Sunday, May 3, on Zoom.
Last time, we began by analyzing a collection of news articles relating to terminal illness, end of life predictions, and euthanasia / PAS. These included documentation of real-life examples of victims of legalized euthanasia / assisted suicide. Plus, doctors aren't even always correct in their predictions about how long a terminally ill person will live. And untreated pain or depression is often behind requests for euthanasia. Please see the Resources section for links to several of these articles.
The next class meeting will be next Sunday, April 26, on Zoom.
Last time, we began by briefly considering the article assigned for homework: "After Birth Abortion." This article argues that, logically, there is no difference between the value of an infant before and after birth. So far so good. The disturbing part is that instead of seeing that therefore unborn children should be protected, the authors argue that born infants also should not.
The next class meeting will be next Sunday, April 19.
No class this Sunday (4/12).
Last time, we listened to and discussed Act 3 of the audio drama Robert & Emma. In this episode,"Emma's Dream," Emma has to choose a Supreme Court decision that she disagrees with, and argue the opposite before a mock panel of judges in order to win a scholarship to law school. Issues of ethics, justice, and academic freedom are addressed.
If you missed the class or want to review, I have posted the class videos. As per usual, they are unlisted, so people need the link to find them. Please check your email for the links.
Our next class meeting will be at 2pm on Sunday, March 29.
Please check your email for the Zoom meeting link.
Last time, we discussed Freedom, types of freedom, and rights.
Key points:
Our next class meeting will be on Sunday, March 15.
(No class this Sunday.)
Last time, we covered the following:
The Principles of Justice are:
Our next class will be Sunday, November 3.
(No class this Sunday.)
Last time:
At our last class meeting, we discussed responses to objections related to St. Thomas Aquinas's "Third Way" (the argument from contingency).
Our next class will be Sunday, October 20.
(No class this coming Sunday.)
Last time:
At our last class meeting, we finished our overview of the Four Levels of Happiness. Level 4 happiness can completely satisfy because its true source is God, who is perfect and eternal Truth, Love, Justice, Beauty, and Unity. We completed worksheets to summarize the characteristics of each level of happiness and encapsulate the crises.
