Moltmann's Definition Of Dehumanization

Dehumanization is a psychological process when people view others as less than human, thus making them feel like they are less deserving of moral consideration. Ivan Denisovich and all of the men in Gang 104 are dehumanized by the Majors and gang leaders at the labor camp HQ. In One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alezksandr Solzhenitsyn, this Stalinist labor camp in which Shukhov is imprisoned is designed to attack its prisoners’ physical and spiritual dignity, thus systematically establishing the novel.

It is a universal maxim in the tenets of the main monotheistic religions, that, if a Christian/Jew/Muslim holds true to God, they will assert the continued existence of, “the self,” the monotheistic-trio’s idea being the most overt with Judaism, one of the trio, during the dark period of history titled the Holocaust. From 1933 to 1945, the Holocaust was essentially a methodical killing of certain categories of people - 11 million total, 6 million being Jews, the rest being Gypsies, homosexuals, and the disabled - by a party of cold, intelligent, unempathetic people, going by the name of Nazis. However, ‘twas not always direct killing, but sometimes the killing of “the self,” that being defined as a person’s ability to make personal decisions

For the Life of the World authored by Fr. Alexander Schmemann an Orthodox priest was originally intended as a “study guide” in the 1970’s for students preparing themselves for Missionary work, giving them a “world view”, helping to speak about Christian view points along with an approach to how they coalesce through the eyes of the Orthodox Church. A key theme Fr. Schmemann discussed is Secularism, which he believes developed from our progressive alienation of the Christian culture. Additionally, he presents his interpretation of the transforming biblical themes of creation, fall, and redemption through a sacramental understanding. Fr. Schmemann’s experiences within the Orthodox Church liturgy reveal unity in the meanings of these three themes. It is through these understandings he believes can effectively offset the disastrous effects of secularism while revitalizing the sacramental understanding of the world.

I recently read a publication on the Huffington Post website titled “Donald Trump’s New Anti-Abortion Letter Should Terrify You”. When the web page loaded I immediately saw it was categorized as a blog. Knowing only the genre and the title, I was skeptical. How could a blog be about something so serious? Rebecca Traister proved me wrong. She discussed her opinions on Donald Trump’s new letter regarding abortion regulations. Getting into more detail, she then explained his ideas for new laws, his attacks on opposing ideas and dabbled on a well known anti-abortion activist being the leader of his “Pro-Life Coalition”. In this essay I will provide an analysis of the rhetorical factors and choices made by the author.

Dehumanization is a big part of World war II, it is the reason why World War II is the deadliest war in human history, it is also the reason why the soldiers were willing to point their gun at another human being and to end “its” life without a blink. Not only was dehumanizing a big part of this, racism also played a big role as well. Racism is very powerful; it enlarges the hate towards the differences and made people treat their enemies as subhuman. Just as John Dower had mentioned in his book War Without Mercy, “Race hate fed atrocities, and atrocities in turn fanned the fires of the race hate. The dehumanization of the Other contributed immeasurably to the psychological distancing that facilitates killing, not only on the battlefield but also in the plans adopted by strategists far removed from the actual scene of combat” (11).

Dehumanization is the act of stripping a human being, a person, of their individualism and their ability to become his or her authentic self. In the novel “A Brave New World”, written by Aldous Huxley, the tale of a “perfect utopia” is told. The problem of this “perfect utopia” is that it is everything but perfect. The society dehumanized and strips their people of any and all individualism they are entitled as humans. This dehumanization starts at a young age, as the society brainwashes the youth to love the “perfect utopia” which enables this society strive for years. In the real world today, society has seen more and more dehumanization examples, and could eventually turn into a real life “Brave New World”. My Jesuit education has helped me start to take a stand

Just as western religions accept that G-d exists, we know that evil and suffering exists. Western religions know G-d as omnipotent, omniscient, and morally good. With these three fundamental characteristics in mind, G-d would have the power to destroy evil, the knowledge to know what evil is, and the will and desire to destroy it. Thus, the western conception of an all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good G-d gives rise to a new Problem of G-d. To answer this problem, many scholars have searched for a theodicy, a rational explanation for evil in the world. When analyzing Judaism, the necessity for theodicy is most prevalent, and possibly most difficult, when trying to come to terms with the Holocaust. Using Elie Wiesel as my starting point, I will address the three conclusions scholars have reached: theodicy is possible, there is a human inability to construct a convincing theodicy, and a completely rejection of any possibility for theodicy. After presenting these options, I will offer criticisms as well as explain my own rationale for supporting Wiesel’s claim that G-d deserves to be questioned because He bears responsibility for evil in the world.

Imagine a world where you are not allowed to be yourself. Imagine a world where morality was abolished and science dominated all aspect of life. Imagine being told what to do with your body, your sexuality. Imagine a world where you are so heavily controlled, even your thoughts are not your own. Imagine not being able to recognize your own emotions that lie inside you. Imagine being taught to rely on prescriptions drugs to cope with not being able to express what you feel inside. Imagine being so heavily controlled, you are oblivious to the veil over your eyes. Aldous Huxley portrays a fantastic peak into our future by conveying

The Jews are perceived as the “chosen people” of an omnipotent and omnibenevolent God. However, the Shoah has posed as a challenge to the belief in the God of tradition who intervenes in history. It is questioned by Rubenstein, ‘how can Jews believe in an omnipotent, beneficent God after Auschwitz?. Therefore, maintaining belief in an all loving and all powerful God after the Holocaust has unsurprisingly been difficult for some Jews. Jewish scripture reveals how God intervened in the history to save his people from tragedy and to punish for sin. For example, the destruction of the temple in 70CE and God’s intervention to save his people as told in Exodus 14, where God selects Moses to lead his chosen people out of slavery in Egypt.

We have all experienced darkness. We have all experienced unfair punishment. We have all experienced desperation. However, we cannot, even for a second, think that we can fully understand the experiences of the persecuted Jewish people during the Holocaust. Each prisoner had undergone sufferings personal to him or her. Due to the unfathomable torture that led to the desolation of the human spirit, most prisoners abandoned their morals to fight for survival. It is hard to measure when and under what circumstances this is “appropriate” or justifiable. I argue that the ruthless manifestation of evil validates the loss of self and therefore the loss of morality. For those that have survived the Holocaust, there are implications of the loss of humanity and face the test of readopting their humanity in order to assimilate into society once again.

Although it was both unexpected by the Jews and unimaginable by man, the Incarnation appropriately reveals the attributes of goodness, omnipotence, justice, mercy, and wisdom. In His goodness, God created beings other than Himself in order to communicate His goodness. However, man sinned and cut himself off from the Creator. In order to counter man’s sin, God gave His only begotten Son a human nature, “that the world may be saved by Him.” The Incarnation is appropriate with respect to God’s omnipotence because the union of humanity and divinity manifests God’s almighty power better than any miracle. In the Hypostatic Union, the glory of divinity did not annihilate humanity, nor did the taking on of human nature destroy the divinity.

“This self respect and sense of self-worth, the innermost armament of the soul, lies at the heart of humanness; to be deprived of it is to be dehumanized, to be cleaved from, and cast below, mankind” (Hillenbrand). Adolf Hitler is a figure in history who tried to create a utopia through his own concept of dehumanization. He coerced individuals to do what he wanted in means of gaining all power possible. In Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, the government seeks total control of society by oppressing each individual’s potential to grow as a human being through the Bokanovsky process, conditioning and soma.

I have come to learn that Theology is about investigating orthodoxy so that we could speak of, worship, and know a consistent God of all things. For our investigative work, Saint Athanasius lays a beautiful concrete foundation. In On the Incarnation, he guides the gentile through their purpose, wrongdoing, and redemption, while revealing the nature of God. Athanasius outlines and fills in many theological circles and addresses several contradictions of the Christian faith by turning them around and proving God’s consistency. Building on and complementing this foundation, James Cone writes about race and oppression in his article “Who is Jesus Christ for us Today?”

Most people around the world are in pursuit of a religion that reflects one’s personal interests, qualities, and beliefs. As a Holocaust victim, Elie Wiesel has a first hand experience with the overall cruelty that Jews become accustomed to in these times of torture. Within the second World War were additional wars inside the minds of innocent people, or internal conflicts. God is an entity that is positioned in the hearts of the enslaved; however, when put in distress, one’s faith in God slowly begins to repress. In Elie Wiesel’s memoir, Night, the significance of the loss in faith of God can likewise be perceived as the loss of identity. Wiesel reveals how during this time of pure hatred towards his religion, he becomes unfocused on who he used to be, and strays from his true self. Religion has been the motive of most wars throughout history, and often this external conflict leads the oppressed to internal conflict. As seen through Elie, one can see how this internal conflict or loss of faith alters personal identity.

Years ago, a man was crucified for saying he was God’s Son. His name was Jesus Christ. Those who followed his teachings were named Christians; and Christians soon resented Jews for their sinful act. This tension between Christians and Jews lead to increasing hatred for one another. Not too long ago, anti-Semitism was common. Anti-Semitism led to the death of an entire population during the Holocaust. Luckily, the church has taken measures to rectify this anti-semitism with the publication of Nostra Aetate. In 1965, the Vatican II Council completely transformed the church’s policies and theology with this document. Nostra Aetate signifies “In Our Time.” Indeed, in our time, the ill sentiments towards Jews have changed tremendously. Nostra