The Christian Virtues
Faith
Hope
Love
Prudence
Justice
Fortitude/Courage
Temperance
The Virtues of Character
Christianity calls us to wisdom, to having a 'feel' for the things of God, eternal things, not passing things. It's not about which job you do (or don't do), not about how influential you are (or are not), how much money you have (or don't have), what kind of car you drive (or don't drive), how many brain cells you have (or don't have), what kind of house you live in (or don't live in) or what others think of you (or don't think of you).
All this is irrelevant at best, and actually might be a hindrance at worst, to our real end in life. Christianity is very liberating in this sense - it sets us free from our petty concerns to focus on what really matters in life. In terms of living 'life' it is about 'character', not about obeying complex sets of rules and laws.
The emphasis is on the quality of the inner life of the person - why do they do the things they do? It is concerned with the condition of the person's heart: it is as much concerned with their intentions, as it is with their actions and consequences. What, then, are the basic attitudes and values which a person should have to live well?
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Task 1 - Discussion task:
Who would you point to as having a 'good character' and why do you find their character so attractive?What qualities does a 'good character' have?
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Task 2:
Design a spider diagram explaining what Christians understand by the Seven Cardinal Virtues.
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You will find a Task sheet for the written tasks. You can download the sheets to your personal folder, or print them out to complete them by hand.
Completing your Task sheets
