The Christian Teachings on Social Harmony

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The Christian Teachings on Social Harmony

Social harmony is essential in modern day life. It can be defined as

people living together in harmony, accepting each others beliefs,

culture, appearance and background as well as learning from each other

and exchanging views. However social disharmony also appears in the

world frequently, it is generally created by social unrest and the

need to focus the blame on a group of society that is easily

recognisible and somewhat distant. Conflicting views are also another

reason for social disharmony; racism can also create an atmosphere of

disharmony, believing that a certain group has exclusive rights to a

certain area. A main factor in social disharmony is the obvious fact

that different people feel that they are superior to another group.

This idea is generally formed because the other group carries out

their lives in a different and unique manner.

The four main area topics that appear in the theme of social harmony

are the role of men and women, multi-faith societies, multi-ethnic

societies and war and peace. It is clear that men and women have

different appearances but this does not mean that they are unable to

fulfill exactly the same roles in society. Although they have

different strengths and weaknesses, the Christian view is that they

are equal. "God created men and women in the image of himself, in the

image of God he created them."(Genesis 1:27)However the Catholic

Church believes that women are unable to fulfill the role of deacon,

priest or bishop, due to the fact that part of mass involves

representing Jesus, he was a male and thus it would be unacceptable

for a woman to represent him. "The Lord Jesus chose men… to form the

college of the twelve apostles…"(Catechism of the Catholic Church

1577)

One of the main problems that social harmony faces concerning the role

of men and women is the rigid view that society has adopted. It is the

responsibility of the younger generation to break this false belief

through their actions and achievements.

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