Thesis
Article I – Speech to Congress In the first article, Pope Francis believes that the United States is a very capable country that has the potential to unite the people in order to achieve a common good. As one of the leading countries in the world, the U.S. should show hope to the rest of the world. Pope Francis urges the Congress to use its legislative power to take care of the people. The Congress has been elected by the people, but also represents them. Therefore, it has to show a certain level of responsibilities, and help grow the nation. He mentions this following citation: “You are asked to protect, by means of law, the image and likeness fashioned by God on every human face”. Also, the country has to show greater tolerance
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It seems that over time, people have forgotten about what their predecessors and ancestors did for them. Most of them sacrificed themselves so that us, the people can live a better future. People might have different ideas, but values are what guide us. Values help us live together as a one single family. We have smart, bright people in our society. The people that are at the top of the authority also possess remarkable qualities. However, it seems that not all of those qualities are put to use. Instead, they are completely ignored. They have become absorbed by selfishness and greed. The power to unite is no more. Discrimination has taken over. Discrimination happens at multiple levels. It is not only directed towards the poor, the weak, the immigrants, but also towards sinners. Our vision of the world has become much polarized between good and evil. As a consequence, people fear commitment and would rather go through loneliness as a way to avoid the “others”. This destroys a fundamental unit of humanity: the family. Ever since I came to the U.S., it came to my attention that in most families, people are very dedicated to their work. Being successful in life is an admirable trait. However, when too much time is put into a quasi-obsession of the self or should I say the cult of the personality, it quickly becomes unhealthy. The reality is that people do not spend enough time together as a family. They do not support each other, they do not listen and communicate. We have become so much used to it that it has become normal. Pope Francis example of marriage as a type of exchange money is an accurate description of what our society has become. For this reason, no other people are better qualified than the ones that are at the head of the authority. They have to encourage us to move forwards together, they have to show us the example, but also spread the word of God. We have to respect our differences, show solidarity and
The United States has a long history of great leaders who, collectively, have possessed an even wider range of religious and political convictions. Perhaps not unexpectedly, their beliefs have often been in conflict with one another, both during coinciding eras, as well as over compared generations. The individual philosophies of William Jennings Bryan, Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, with regard to America’s roles in world affairs and foreign diplomacy; are both varied and conflicted. Despite those conflicts however, each leader has left his own legacy behind, in terms of how the U.S. continues to engage in world affairs today.
...e old communities threw all kinds of different people together. At the risk of sounding superior, I feel we are living amidst people with lower moral values than us.� (208)
A family is a group of people consisting of the parents and their children who live together and they are blood related. The family is always perceived as the basic social units whether they are living together in the same compound or at far distance but are closely related especially by blood. Therefore, the family unit has had a great influence on the growth and the character traits possessed by the children as they grow up and how they perceive the society they live in. the family also shapes the children to be able to relate well with other people that are not part of their family and with a good relationship it impacts to the peace achieved in country. This paper addresses the reasons as to why the family is considered the most important agent of socialization. It’s evident that families have changed over time and they have adopted different ways of living. This paper also tackles on the causes of the dramatic changes to the American family and what the changes are. Different people with different race, gender and preferences make the family unit and this makes the difference in marriages. This will also be discussed in this paper.
Overall, Pope Francis places extreme concern on four areas, which are the idolatry of money, the option of the poor, inequality, and the common good/peace. Before reading Pope Francis’s book, I had a general familiarity with inequality and the option for the poor, but I was not completely aware of the idolatry of money in today’s society or peace in a Christian perspective. In Chapter 2, he starts talking about how we have found new idols in today’s society and how our relationship with money has taken control over not only our society, but also ourselves (Pope Francis, 55). Also, Pope Francis discusses how we as Christians need to realize that we are not exempt from concern for the poor and for social justice because it is required of everyone (Pope Francis, 201). In addition, he also talks about the vulnerability of certain groups and the progress of building people in peace, justice, and fraternity, which I will discuss in subsequent paragraphs. Prior to reading this book, I was aware of Pope Francis and some of his beliefs to an extent. I am Catholic, so I remember when he was first inaugurated as Pope and I remember hearing my family discuss some of his beliefs, but I was only somewhat aware of his style as a Christian leader. As a Christian leader, Pope Francis places emphasis on four areas of concern, which include: the new idolatry of money, option for the poor, inequality, and common good/peace.
For my outside enrichment I decided to watch the message Pope Francis delivered to the United States Congress. In his memorable speech, Pope Francis speaks powerfully about topics ranging from the refugee crisis, the death penalty, and the arms trade. In our society, we are thought to treat religion and politics as two completely separate entities, but Pope Francis overcomes that nonsensible topic and exemplifies politics as source of unification, similar to the purpose of religion. One topic that he mentioned was the refugee crisis in the wake of radical extremism. Should America accept Syrian and Iraqi refugees? Pope Francis makes it clear that not all these refugees are members of Islamic extremism, and that the US should listen to their
The idea that a single person’s actions can resonate and intrude into other people’s lives is a concept not often though about. Being that each of us has our own individual life to worry about, it is hard to imagine that we are all deeply interconnected to others within the human race. We often tend to only think of ourselves and our immediate families; disregarding our relationship to everyone else in this world. Each one of us holds a position in life in which we all influence one or more persons. Depending on the amount of a power a person holds certain people can influence an even wider range of others. These positions do not always have to do with a career or a job, as socioeconomic positions are fair play in this world (a rich man of resources exudes more power and influence than a homeless man). Even though those who hold more power in society actions and personality can also influences more people than one may think. A person’s occupation can also establish a connection with others which allows for influence. Since people are highly interconnected to others and their surroundings, we must approach the decisions we make with regard to the preservation of morality. Certainly we have law, however it is the duty of the people to make the right choices and to teach doctrines that do not threaten or hurt others. Individuals yield more power than they think they do, as many are influenced by the ways that others approach things. In Susan Griffin’s “Our Secret” and the critically acclaimed film “Babel”, the way in which people are connected seems to be a consistent theme though out both of the texts. In these works we see how the actions or decisions of a single person can influence and corrupt the lives of many.
In Western society and culture, religion and morality have often intertwined and they have reflected their values onto each other. Today it is sometimes impossible to make a distinction between the two, since their influence has transcended generations. In modern Western culture, religion and society preach conformity. In order to be a “good” person, one must conform to the values imposed by the church1 and state.
Marriage itself may be less of a family unifying event than a way for two individuals to obtain personal happiness; the climbing divorce rate alone seems to suggest the devaluation of commitment in a relationship. Likewise, the Holmes and Holmes (2002) state “marriage is in effect a continuation of courtship” (p. 19). In my opinion, I would have to agree with the authors on family and marriage, considering the above-stated facts and trends. If we, as a nation, can place the individual so far above our own relatives, are we not creating a future of selfishness?
As long as civilized societies have existed, hypocrisy and discrimination have been an unassailable piece of each of them. A punishment for an offense has always been determined by the severity of the action, which inherently depends on the culture of the people. However, the presence of some level of judgement of others has remained inevitable. Many would like to ask the question “Why does this feeling of entitlement to pass judgement exist when everything is subjective to each person’s own morals?” One might ponder that very enigmatic phenomenon. However, this essay will focus on why and how a person should overcome the inevitable mistakes they will make in their lifetime. The word itself seems much too cliche, but as these literary
First of all, I do not have all the answers on this. We could start by looking at our past and seeing what worked when. I am not talking about slavery, segregation, etc etc. What I am talking about is how families "worked" and how people responded to each other, how neighbors responded to each other. We must explore the brotherhood that existed between friends. We must look back to look forward. I think common sense plays a big issue in this. In today's society there is this idea that we must be politically correct all the time. Remember (or hear) of a time when everything wasn't regulated, and was NOT tied up by the government's beaucracy, and forthere DID NOT destroy personal responsibility? All laws leave some people out. Without this over regulation, people were not excessively left out by 'red tape crafted divisions'. All of this ties into morality. I think people have become less responsible. Seeing the increased role of government in everyday life, too many parents have dedicated the government to educate their child. Less...
Before this class my initial stance on the human predicament was the abuse of power by exploiting others to gain more power, but based on our course readings, and my own reflection, I have learned that this is not entirely the case. Now I believe that the basic human predicament is that we are insecure with our being as individuals because of social standards that have taught us it is right to exploit others for our own benefit. To resolve this issue, we need to take time to reflect, ask questions, and trust in God. When we take these steps, God will empower us to gradually learn to exhibit a “self-forgetting love” as Karl Rahner contends, and taking us closer to social justice and confidence with our purpose in life. To support my claim, I will mainly draw on three theologians who share a similar perspective on our predicament.
Humans, since the beginning of our first civilization and throughout the history of mankind, have always strived for a perfect world that would secure our society’s interests. Whether they are beneficial to a small group or the whole society, those interests will guide and shape the future of this new society. As of today, human civilization has never before seen an advancement of as many aspects of our lives from living commodities, entertainment, services, technologies, and so on that seem to reflect a promising world of the future. However, at the same time, human history has also witnessed great turmoil and many setbacks in our society ranging from small-scale problems such as immorality, variant of discriminations, financial crisis to
...l family ideology and refuse to accept those that fall outside of this parameter, a standpoint that is disturbing. It is those living falsely, living as society thinks they should that are the problem. Perhaps as a society, if there were more focus and concern for happiness and peace within ones family and fewer worries for the neighbor then there would be less dilemma.
Pope Francis has declared a year of Mercy that will begin on December 8, 2105, and it will end on November 20, 2016. Perhaps one of the most incredible examples of mercy was displayed by one of Pope Francis’ predecessors, Saint John Paul II. On May 13, 1981, then Pope John Paul II was riding in the popemobile, when a Turkish man by the name of Mehmet Ali Agca, came up to the vehicle and attempted to assassinate the Pope. The attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II had failed. Rather than holding a grudge against Mehmet Ali Agca, Pope John Paul II did one of the most incredible things I have ever heard of- he forgave Mehmet Ali Agca. This act of Mercy should serve as an example of how we should forgive someone.
“It is hard to imagine how any of the social problems that take up the time and efforts of policymakers—problems of economic mobility, educational attainment, employment, inequality, and on and on—could be seriously mitigated without some significant reversal of the trends in family breakdown” (George & Levin, 2015). The continued breakdown of the family structure could spell disaster for America. In an article entitled, “The Breakdown of the Family in Secular Society”, the writer, Alex Colvin, explains how research has now established a link between the breakdown of the family and the major problems troubling our society. To show the impact this is having on America, Colvin asks us to consider the following facts. “Divorce is the leading cause of childhood depression; 75% of adolescent patients at chemical abuse centers are from single-parent families; 63% of youth suicides are single-parent children; 70% of teen-age pregnancies are single-parent children; 75% of juveniles in youth correction facilities are from single-parent families” (Colvin, 1997). The only way to stop these negative trends in our society is to bring back the