Solidarity And Solidarity

Within Christian communities, enthusiasm to respond to injustice around the world with compassion continues to increase. Regrettably, well-meaning people who have good intentions but neglect to consider best practice principles are ultimately doing a disservice to the individuals and communities they intended to help. Moreover, a lack of understanding of holistic social action results in dependency and disregards the dignity of the poor. In From the Roots Up, Dr. JoAnn Butrin challenges Christians, both individually and as the larger body of Christ- the church, to respond to injustice thoughtfully and holistically. Butrin (2010) asserts:

Though The Book of Martha is a fictional story, the idea and belief that one’s actions can bring people together is shown throughout our community. In the short story, The Book of Martha, Martha is tasked with coming up with a solution to make humanity better than they currently are. Her solution to this task is unrealistic yet made possible through the power of God. In our community, we see ways in which people come together and contribute to a cause. I asked Father Jesus de la Tapia what

As a result, the work for social justice is an integral mission of the Church. Catholics are inspired and sustained through work for a just society.

A central idea to Jesuit education is learning how to be men and women for others. Being men and women for others means caring for those in need and standing with the poor and marginalized. Social justice and mercy are key aspects of being men and women for others. Social justice goes beyond charity and making sacrifices. It involves finding the root of problems and fixing them. Mercy starts as a feeling, then internalization of anguish within someone should lead him or her to take action against the problem. Jesus and other key figures of the past can stand as examples of how to be men and women for others.

2. Durkheim: What term does Durkheim associate with social solidarity? How do societies achieve it organically and mechanically? What did he think threatened social solidarity?

In that community you must love each other as equal and in that regard you must be equal. As opposed to Catholicism where,

Organic solidarity arose as a result of the industrial revolution when society became more multifaceted and new ways of working emerged. This saw a decline in the collective conscience regarding shared morals and beliefs as society began to progress and expand. The division of labour that arises as a result of organic solidarity is complex and varied, resulting in people becoming more individualistic and yet also interdependent. Society’s social bonds now centred around the fact that people were dependant on each other for the good and services required in their day-to-day lives. (McDonald, 2009)

As the principle of solidarity in the Catholic Social Teachings state, we are all brothers and sisters, wherever we may live. No matter our racial, ethnic, economic or social differences, we were all made to be one human family, and solidarity reminds us to love our neighbours globally as well as in our community. Solidarity for the homeless in Toronto has been shown in many ways, with organizations such as The Scott Mission, Young Parents No Fixed Address, and the Out of the Cold program.

What does Christian community really mean? Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community by Dietrich Bonhoeffer gives insight into what Christians relationships were designed to be like. The main theme Bonhoeffer explores is Christ in the Christian community under the Word of God. Bonhoeffer explains God’s gift of community by arguing the following: “It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brethren” (Bonhoeffer, 1978, p. 20). In addition the author adds, “Christian community is like the Christian’s sanctification. It is a gift of God, which we cannot claim. Only God knows the real state of our fellowship, of our sanctification” (p. 30). Overall Life Together is biblically

For example, many parishes feel the need to compete and dispute with each other on what is good for their people, but if they would just work together than they would be able to accomplish anything. As John Kristoff, a Catholic Register Special, explains how “building this community requires hard work and common sense. First, it obligates us to see the importance of this relationship and strive to make it work. It means abandoning traditional ways of doing things… [and recognizing] our strength when we work together, acknowledging each other’s importance” (Kostoff). This quote explains how whenever two different groups come together to form a single group, it allows everyone to see the strengths and weaknesses of their peers which allows the weaknesses to be triumphed with strength because they are able to work together and figure out diverse techniques to fix the problem. Furthermore, this quote shows how working together means putting aside their normal way of doing things and working hard, together, to get the construction workers to feel as if they are part of a team. When two people work together, it would result in good communication skills and maybe even encourage them to help each other more like a team, instead of an individual. Overall,

What is the relationship between the individual and the community? In a community, citizens try to build up the community by working together and share a common goal. The idea behind community building tries to persuade people into providing for their community and be actively apart in building one another up. The purpose of community building is for the community to share a common goal, like people sharing the same beliefs. By bringing forth our individual ideas, together we can build up the community.

Protecting the rights and dignity of the poor and oppressed is the most important moral duty of the church.’ Critically evaluate this statement with reference to Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King.

Racism is a persistent issue directly threatening the values and teachings of Catholic theology and humanities advancement towards unity and peace. A destructive ideology such as racism debunks the entire foundation from which Catholicism is built. Catholicism follows the life and teachings of Jesus and the idea of solidarity, one of seven principals of Catholic Social Teaching; preaching for a single human family despite any national, racial, ethnic, economic, or ideological differences. Accepting or remaining silent when presented with an act of racial discrimination is equally as damaging as committing the act itself, as it contributes to an environment tolerant of racial prejudices. The Catholic church and its followers have a duty to acknowledge racism to its fullest extent and provide resolution. Through a collective stance against racism between the Catholic establishment and society while simultaneously providing education on the issue with realistic solutions, a progressed cultural environment can ultimately be developed that is reluctant to condone racism and all associated ideologies, utilizing peace, unity, and Catholic values as its foundational core.

Humanitarian Jesus is a two-part dialogue about the social gospel. Part one examines the historical content of the social gospel; in addition to, the manner in which people access it. Part two is comprised of interviews with diverse group Christian leaders and notable Professors who are involved in the ministry of social justice theory or organization. The book encourages the reader to view humanitarianism through a diversified perspective without cherry picking any one opinion or methodology as being exclusive. The first part offers solid Biblical theology which includes a timeline from original sin through Christ’s atonement on the cross; ergo, the objective is to call people to the salvation of Christ and His invitation to share the

Social justice is a concept of a society in which every human being is treated justly, without discrimination based on financial status, race, gender, ethnicity, etc. Grace is a gift from God that we don’t deserve, which helps us choose the good, therefore it promotes social justice. On the other hand, sin, which can be regarded as a lack of love and care for “others,” distances us from social justice. Therefore, love and grace are essential aspects of social justice and without them there could be