To Research The Views Of The Catholic Faith On Using Of Alcohol

Things to keep in mind:
Wikipedia is NOT a valid source. However, you can sometimes use the reference section at the end of a Wikipedia
article to find sources of information on that topic.
Summarize the Catholic Church’s stance on the issue. Explain why it holds this position. The church’s stance on
these issues will often involve some explanation. In what circumstances would the church say it is sinful and why?
Are there circumstances in which it might be morally acceptable or not sinful? Does the Church’s stand on this
issue conflict with that of our society or culture? If so, in what way?
Explain any moral issues that are raised by/connected with the practice.
Search for polls that might show how society looks at the issue and cite any that you may find.
Explain the other faiths’ positions on these issues. Why do they find them morally wrong or acceptable? (While
faiths may agree about the morality of something, they may have different reasons for that stance). Find sources
that cite the specific reasons for a faith’s stand on the issue. In many cases, a faith’s stand on an issue will not be
a simple one or will depend upon circumstances or other issues and so will involve some explanation. You may
find that there is some disagreement among the members or branches of a faith, if so you can note that.
Use multiple sources, since there may be some disagreement regarding these issues. If a faith takes no clear
stand or there is disagreement among the authorities or sects of that faith on the issue, don’t be afraid to say that
and to say why.
Your sources should be authoritative. One person expressing his or her opinion, especially if her/she is not an
expert or does not represent the religion in some way, is not an authoritative source. Likewise, always look at the
source of the information. If it is not from a representative or leader of the faith, is it from a group or individual
who opposes it?
Seek statistics to support what you say. (e.g. if you say our society looks at an issue differently, you should find
and use poll results to support that.) Always cite the primary source of any statistics you find.
Here are some other faiths you may want to research. (These are not the only ones you can use and you do not
have to cover all of these)
A few other Christian faiths
Episcopalian (Anglican)
Methodist
Presbyterian
Baptist
Lutheran
Morman (Latter Day Saints)
Quaker (Society of Friends)
Some other non-Christian faiths:
Judaism
Islam
Hinduism
Buddhism
Sikh
Baha’i
I am more interested in quality than quantity. It is better that you fully explore and explain the position of a few
faiths than only briefly touching upon those of many.
Your paper will need to be organized and checked for grammatical errors. Collect and organize your information
BEFORE you start writing.
Your paper must be submitted to turnitin.com by the end of the day on February 4th. Late submissions will lose
10% off their grade. CHECK WELL BEFORE THE DUE DATE TO SEE THAT YOU CAN LOG ON TO TURNITIN. SAYING
THAT YOU COULD NOT LOG ON OR SUBMIT YOUR PAPER WILL NOT BE AN EXCUSE FOR LATE SUBMISSIONS.
Your paper must be: A MINIMUM of four pages (double-spaced, 12-point New Roman font). References cited,
pictures or charts, and title pages do not count as all or part of the page count. Turn in less than the minimum
and you will likely not receive a passing grade.
You must have a works cited page and cite from at least three different sources within your paper. Other sources
used but not cited within your paper should also be included there.
The following will be considered when determining your grade for the paper:
 Has the student adequately explored and explained the Church’s stance on this issue?
 Has the student used authoritative sources in determining the Church’s (or other faith’s) stance
on the issue?
 Has the student used a variety of sources to obtain his/her information?
 Have statistics been found and used that support what he/she says?
 Has the student adequately explored the stance of other faiths on the issue or is he/she just
offering brief and shallow summaries?
 Does the student rely too heavily on quoting sources rather than expressing ideas in his/her own
words when incorporating common knowledge into the paper.
 Is the paper’s information organized in a logical way?
 Is the paper organized into proper paragraphs?
 Does the student attempt to vary his/her sentence style?
 Has the paper been carefully proofread for usage, spelling and punctuation errors?
A few possible sources:
http://www(dot)ijs(dot)org(dot)au/Bioethical-issues-in-Judaism/default.aspx
http://www(dot)chabad(dot)org/library/article_cdo/aid/1676841/jewish/Ethics-Morality.htm
https://www(dot)myjewishlearning(dot)com/category/study/beliefs-practices/
http://www(dot)jewishvirtuallibrary(dot)org/issues-in-jewish-ethics
https://www(dot)ncbi(dot)nlm(dot)nih(dot)gov/pmc/articles/PMC80686/
http://www(dot)bbc(dot)co(dot)uk/religion/religions/
http://www(dot)pewresearch(dot)org/
http://www(dot)pewforum(dot)org/2013/11/21/religious-groups-views-on-end-of-life-issues/
http://www(dot)gordonhouse(dot)org(dot)uk/gambling-different-religious-viewpoints/
http://www(dot)gambleonline(dot)co/religious-views-of-gambling/
Some possible search terms:
Modern moral issues + [religion]
[religion] stance modern moral issues
[religion] stance + [topic]
[religion] teaching + [topic]
[religion] + Bioethics
[religion] + life issues
[religion] morality [topic]