Saints : The Correlation Of Values And Standards Essay

Little was known about the clergy during the Black Death. For a long time people believed that the Catholic Church had fled from its duty to serve the people, but that could not be further from the truth. In recent discovery it was found that greater than 50 percent of clergy were killed during the Black Death. This was not because the clergy were running away; rather, the clergy stayed and helped the people in villages, knowing the likelihood they would survive would be slim throughout this epidemic. It is my goal in this paper to describe what was occurring during the Black Death and how the Catholic Church and its clergy reacted to the epidemic.

of oppression, understanding the central core of the Gospels as Jesus' identification with the poor

As for laborers, they were the lowest class in society (McKinney). This class was made up of beggars, artisans, carpenter, shoemakers, and brick masons (McKinney). Although the work that laborers did was an important piece in the society of 16th century England, they weren’t respected as if they accomplished anything (McKinney).

The study of honor in Renaissance cities presents an intriguing paradox. On the one hand, honor seemed ‘more dear than life itself’, and provided one of the essential values that shaped the daily lives of urban elites and ordinary city folk. For wealthy merchants and aspiring artisans, honor established a code of accepted conduct against which an individual’s actions were measured by his or her peers, subordinates and social superiors. Possessing honor helped to locate a person in the social hierarchy and endowed one with a sense of personal worth. The culture of honor, which originated with the medieval aristocracy, directed the everyday activities of urban-dwellers of virtually all social groups from at least the fourteenth century on.

The Puritan people migrated to what is now present-day America due to their persecution in Europe. Their religion observed many beliefs that did not agree with other European Christians. These ideals stayed with the Puritans as they settled in America to build their idealistic, utopian society. Even though Puritan society was largely unsuccessful in meeting their expectations, several of their fundamental values are still exemplified by Americans today. These beliefs included the dislike of anything dull, an intense hatred of tyranny, and the idea that America is a shining example for the rest of the world to follow.

The significance of religious leaders during this era is evident by the fact that the writer of this poem places the bishop at the beginning of the table. Due to the fact that the “medieval society was a religious society” and that these religious leaders held a special relationship with God, it is no surprise that these individuals held the second highest social class position in the medieval time period (Feudalism and the Three Orders (Overview) 2).

Poor treatment toward the lower class, depicts classism. The poor were stripped of what little money they had, from the upper class. Such is supported by document 1, where it states, "Why does not the Pope, whose wealth is today greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus, build this one basilica of St. Peter with his own money rather than with the money of

Life in Europe during the 1500’s and 1600’s was full of reformation, wars of religion, and exploration of new places and ideas. The poor were greatly affected during this time. They were part of the church reformation when Martin Luther separated from Catholic Christendom and created his own church. In religious wars, like the Thirty Years’ War, the poor were usually the people fighting which had a tremendous impact on their lives and families. With the growth of exploration, the poor moved around which affected their community. The attitudes and responses towards the poor in Europe between 1450 and 1700 included that they were undeserving and lazy; they needed help, should be put to work, and should be given help.

In Europe the attitude towards “the poor” has seem to play a significant role in affecting society. In the beginning when the Catholic Church was the dominate power in Europe the poor was viewed in a more positive light because the Catholic Church emphasized charity. However, when the power of the church began to deteriorate, so did this way of thinking. The poor were starting to get viewed as lazy, and this became the more prominent way of thinking. Europeans between 1450 and 1700 viewed “the poor” in two separate ways, either negative or positive.

R.E.M. ....Religious, educational and moral values. These are the three values that affect society today the most, I think. Society may look down on people if they do not live by what society thinks is correct. For example if a persons values are corrupt then society will look down on that person, but if a person has real high morals then society will think that they are fake of just a “goodie”. In society today you will be looked down anyway your moral beliefs are.

The Elite class worked directly for the king, bound by oaths, fear of punishment and the promise of rewards. The lower class was all equal, without discrimination towards outsiders. The lower class did the harder labor, such as working the land and military service. The success of these jobs later led to more specialized labor for the working class.

The idea of social status is one that assumes a pivotal role in Middle Age European culture. Social status was, in essence, a tool used by society to differentiate and label the population into their appropriate classes. Therefore, the elite would mingle with other members of their class, and the poor would associate themselves with other poor people. Social status had almost a sacred aura surrounding it. Obtainable only by rite of birth, it was not given out nor obtained overnight. Everyone respected the caste system and one’s position in it, and because of the respect for social status, the nobles received the respect of other noblemen, middle class merchants, peasants, and anyone

In her critical analysis of ‘Moral Saints’, Susan Wolf examines the concept of a moral saint in order to understand what exactly a moral saint would be like and why such an agent would be an unattractive individual. More so, she raises questions about the significance of this contradictory figure for moral philosophy. Looking first at the idea of moral sainthood from the ethics of common sense, Susan Wolf then considers what relations these have to the conclusions that can be drawn from both Utilitarian and Kantian moral theories. Having found these relations, Susan Wolf then speculates on the implications of these considerations for moral philosophy (Wolf, 1982, 419-420). As part of my essay, I aim to explore Susan Wolf’s argument of the ‘undesirable and unattractive’ life of a moral saint, and why she speculates such a view. Looking first at the distinguishing figures of the Loving Saint and the Rational Saint to which she bases her underlying characteristics on, I then look into Susan Wolf’s arguments in relation to Utilitarian and Kantian theories and how she speculates their undesirable notions that lead to the idea of moral sainthood. Having explored these speculations, I them aim to conclude on how Susan Wolf’s argument of the ‘unattractive’ moral saint is misunderstood, as she primarily bases her argument based on the idea of moral judgement.

Although Christianity was well known throughout the affluent classes, Jesus’s philosophies touched the hearts of the plebeians. The self-proclaimed Messiah often spoke of money and riches not being needed in the afterlife, and that God measures you not on how much money you have but on your values you showed throughout your life. This touched the working class’s heart as it informed them that there is hope for a better life that everyone can achieve but not a lot deserve. Therefore, this was the main reason why Christianity was spread as quickly as it could.

As for Jesus Gris he was not originally afflicted by the idea of being lower class once presented with the opportunity to gain affluence he does not hesitate to accept it. In turn he neglects to think about the conflicts and consequences that may come with it. The consumer (Jesus) eventually became dependent on the Cronos device (the commodity). This shows how interdependent the market is with the consumer and the commodity. One can not exist with out the other once one has fallen to dependency. The violence that can ensue when it comes to consumerism and the market is depicted between Jesus and Dieter de la Guardia. One man from the lower class and the other from the elites both fight over control for the commodity and who should be able to reap its benefits. At de La Gurdias warehouse we are shown statues of the Virgin Mary hanging from the ceiling like pieces of meat. This shows how consumeristic violence can begin to over shadow even the most important moral aspects of human existence. The idea that statues were just failed attempts at attaining the Cronos show just how neglected religion has become in a consumerism society. Class conflict can also be seen in the types of cars people drive, Jesus whose car is pushed of a ledge was an older model while Angel de La Gurdias car is much nicer. The idea that capitalism is a criticism on the poor can be seen the way Dieter thinks Jesus is unworthy of controlling the