Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
¶ … teachings on human dignity written in the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World is surprisingly resonant with core American values and political policies. For example, in section 17 of the Pastoral Constitution, Pope Paul VI states, "Only in freedom can man direct himself toward goodness." The United States of America was founded on the principle of freedom as a divine human right, and freedom remains the heart of American values. However, the discourse of freedom has become unbalanced in the United States. The Pope points out, "Often however they foster it perversely as a license for doing whatever pleases them, even if it is evil." The current problems facing Americans could be dealt with more efficiently and effectively if freedom is checked by wisdom and grace. The Church's teachings on human dignity outlined in the Pastoral Constitution are therefore realistic but not yet put into practice in the United States. It may be possible to merge freedom and faith without making the endeavor explicitly religious in nature: by simply focusing on the importance of human dignity in world affairs.
2. Thomas Merton's teachings on meditation and contemplative prayer are tremendously helpful in bridging the gap between public and private spirituality, and between a person's inner and outer lives. Moreover, Merton's essays on meditation help Christians incorporate the teachings of the faith into their daily existence, grounding faith into practice. Meditation and contemplative prayer encourage honesty and self-awareness, enabling any practitioner to improve their moral outlook and eliminate sinful behaviors. Merton's approach is rooted deep within the Christian faith and yet transcends it too, illuminating the universal truths of human spiritual wisdom. Incorporating Thomas Merton's approach to contemplative prayer and meditation into the Christian life can promote a more philanthropic attitude and more selfless deeds.
References
Pope Paul VI. Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World. From Vatical Counsel II. Retrieved Sept 27, 2008 from http://www.cin.org/v2modwor.html
Even this, however, isn't so simple. As Paul J. Wadell tells us, "there is nothing simple about doing what the good requires." I just concluded that I would fail to respect Shelly's dignity if I were to remark on her malapropism in a social setting. But notice what I'm assuming about my friends in assuming that this outcome is likely or even just possible. I assume that Shelly is so petty
This bill was sent to the U.S. Senate and set for vote mirroring a bill previously passed by the House during the Summer of 2003 which failed to pass the Senate because of vehement disagreement that was even "within the parties over the prohibition of therapeutic cloning.(National Legislation Concerning Human and Reproductive Cloning, 2004; paraphrased) As of the date of the report on legislation eight U.S. states had passed
Respect and Dignity Linked to Self-Respect Respect for others is not based on any sense of inferiority in one's self, instead it is based on something entirely opposite i.e. An ability to respect one's self and to see ourselves just as worthy of love and respect as anyone else. When a person extends respect to another human being, he demonstrates humility, acceptance and also proves that respect for others is a
Human Freedom The idea of human freedom transcends the spectrum of most subjects worthy of academic discussion. The purpose of this essay is to investigate, describe and discuss the concept of human freedom as it specifically relates to sociology and the social landscape. In order to accomplish this I will highlight some of aspects of human freedom to demonstrate the complexity and necessity of understanding this ideal. Political, religious and economic
The tradition of the family, then, is the cornerstone of a moral and ethical life, for Catholics. The consequences and turning from that to a more secular view will result in a movement away from God, and thus nullify the basic principles of human creation (Walter and Shannon, 2005, 134-40). For modern Catholics, then, it is important to point out that there are "abiding substantial values that all disputants share
In other words, the power and the wealth could easily fall in the hand of the few privileged ones, and their rights would be better served, than those of the marginalized, powerless and poor population (Paribatra, 1999). 6. Conclusions and Recommendations The section on the analysis of the issues at hand commenced stating that the purpose of the briefing paper was a simple one: identifying the positive or negative nature of