OK by me, Ake.

I have to say that Moral Theology was one of the most exciting classes I took in the seminary. The professor was a crusty, old, Irish-American priest, Fr. Ty Cullen. He was blessed with a wonderful passion, and a great sense of humor. When I left the seminary and enlisted in the Army so I'd get sent to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey (CA), he told me that was the second-best way to learn a language. The first? - to live with a woman from the country, of course. Ty taught Moral Theology to a couple of generations of Milwaukee priests, and he destroyed all their pious preconceptions. His view of morality was tempered by a huge sense of compassion. This was a magnificent man, who wouldn't condemn anybody for anything - except for injustice.

One of the things Ty introduced me to, was Lawrence Kohlberg's stages of moral development. I've learned since then that these six stages are central to many Catholic Moral Theology classes. Here are notes from a Moral Theology class taught by a Jesuit at the University of San Francisco: http://usf.usfca.edu/fac_staff/bretzkesj/FundamentalMoralNotes.PDF. Note that for people in stages five and six, the rules fall by the wayside because these people are able to make their own decisions. Franciscan Father Richard Rohr says that people in stages 1-4, hate those in 5-6, because they simply cannot understand a life lived according to principle, and not by rules. They accuse those in stages 5-6 of defying the rules - but for people at that point, no rules are necessary.

-Joe-