In this story, Aquinas tries to convince us God exists but in ways different than what you and I in today’s times would imagine seeing. Some Christians, believe when we die we will go to heaven and meet God himself and shake his hand like he is human, and others think we when we die we will meet God in heaven but as a being Holier than thou. Aquinas, or St Thomas as he is also known as, breaks this story into individual parts giving his thoughts on the different laws that exist to show his proof that God does exist and is morally good. Aquinas’s view, a law is “a rule or measure of human acts, whereby a person is induced to act or is restrained from acting” (ST IaIIae 90.1).
Elsewhere, he describes a law as a “dictate of practical reason emanating from a ruler” (ST IaIIae 91.1). (Floyd, n.d.) Meaning that Natural law is based on our nature of what we determine from right and wrong, as we well as containing Moral Law or Devine Law from which it comes from a being of more distinction as in God. God is the higher moral law our eternal law. His distinct commandments He lays down in stone are our moral laws. Our natural laws form from those moral laws which help us to determine from what is good and bad.
I do not think you have to believe in God to live a moral life. We are all natured to know from what is right and wrong as well as how we are taught from our parents or caretakers in our lives. I do feel that somewhere a person must realize these moral instincts came from something higher than just what is written in a book, we all live our life upon some type of faith whether it be spiritual on a Religious level or spiritual on a more earth and peace and harmony level. We all as humans hope to live our lives to the fullest and have faith we never stray away to the evil.
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Aquinas believes ultimately, that true happiness comes in the belief of God and living a Godly life. Most of us hope to live our lives to that expectation, to live the life of good and stay away from the bad. Moral decisions come from our nature, our love or essence of God. Whether a person believes in God or not is their choice, because those that do believe in God knows God loves everyone. We explain morality as just knowing the difference between good and bad.
Aquinas believes in the four cardinal virtues, those being Courage, Prudence, Justice and Temperance. These virtues show moral justification of what is good. We as humans base our lives on how we act by these virtues listed above. Aquinas believes final happiness comes when we are one with God and that in the end brings death. This may be so for many people but just because they don’t believe while they are here on this earth does not mean they won’t believe after they die.
