In reading, “A Framework for Ethical Decision Making,” it reminded me of times in my life when I had to discern what ethics is. I went to Catholic school growing up and often thought that ethics was religion. I then learned over time that you can be religious and not act ethically and vice versa. I also learned that being religious does not equal being a good person and that it’s its own separate thing. Many people do not know what ethics is and tie it to different principles and ways of thinking.

This text reminds me of books I would read in my CCD classes growing up in a way. They would always touch on how ethics are aligned to religion, thoughts, feelings and culture. Reading this article has made me realize that that is not the case most of the time. Theologians and philosophers study ethics and come up with different lenses. This text also reminds me of what I am learning about in my Philosophy of Ethics class. We are learning about utilitarianism and Kantianism. It is very interesting to learn about how different ways of thinking produce different ethical codes.

This text reminds me of real world examples of people using religion to claim a moral high ground. While principles of religions can be ethical and can cause people to act ethically, religion is not inherently an ethical practice. Not everyone believes in the same religion. Some people believe in no religion at all. These people can still follow a code of ethics.

University, Santa Clara. “A Framework for Ethical Decision Making.” Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, 2021, www.scu.edu/ethics/ethics-resources/a-framework-for-ethical-decision-making/