... clarify the matters a bit. Madeleine L"Engle recalls a lecture by Dr. Caroline Gordon, in which Dante's The Devine Comedy was read in the four literary levels recognized by Dante's theologian, St. Thomas Aquinas. The first level was, of course, the literal level, which the author intends and, in Lewis" case, happens to be the story itself. The other three levels are spiritual, consisting ... level is what the story has to say" L"Engle says. "[S]o far as the things in Christ...are types of what we ought to do, there is the moral sense" says Aquinas (L"Engle, xiv). Thus, it seems, Lewis c...

• Word Count: 1593
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... condemned suicide on the basis that it violates the commandment not to kill, and that there is no justification for it as there is for war or government sanctioned executions. Thomas Aquinas went further and asserted three arguments against suicide. Firstly, men and all living things have a natural purpose to assert life, second, suicide causes great social harm and finally suicide is ... ...

• Word Count: 2173
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School

... suicide, which is effectively murder. Part of Christian teachings, more often the Catholic side, follow the Doctrine of Double Effect. The idea behind the Doctrine of Double Effect, created by Thomas Aquinas, is that someone must never perform a deliberate act that is "wrong", so that they may achieve a "right". An example of the Doctrine in practice would be if a man was taking ... ...

• Word Count: 2030
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School