Liberation Theology Flashcards
What was happening in Latin America during the 1960s and 1970s?
•There was a massive gap between the rich and the poor
- Violence and war were also very common
What did Communists believe?
•They believed the only way to solve the problems of the poor was through revolution
- They did this through forming guerrilla organisations
* In response to the guerrilla organisations, countries developed military dictatorships to destroy any opposition
Who was Oscar Romero?
•He was a priest that believed it was his duty to stand up for the poor no matter the cost
- He was inspired to do this after his friend Rutilio Grande was murdered
* However, this resulted in Romero being branded as a communist which caused him to be killed
What was liberation theologians main focus?
• Action in solidarity with the poor
Who argued that “liberation theology uses Marxism purely as an instrument”?
• Boff and Boff
What does Marx believe about capitalism?
•He believes it is responsible for the problems in society
What is communism?
• A system where all property is owned by the community and each person contributes and receives according to their ability and needs
What is capitalism?
• A system where trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit
What did Marx believe about industrialisation?
•He believed it caused greater wealth but also greater inequalities, unhappiness and alienation
What did Max believe was our “species essence”?
• He believed that work was our species essence
- This means work is important to humans and is what makes us human
* This is supported in the Bible when God told Adam & Eve to fill the earth and rule over it
What are the 4 different types of alienation in labour that Marx established?
- Alienation from product of labour (what we produce does not belong to us)
- Alienation from the process of labour (workers play a small, repetitive role in a larger process)
- Alienation from others (workers are in competition with each other for jobs and wages)
- Alienation from self (being alienated from our labour causes us to lose our sense of identity)
What does Marx believe alienation is the result of?
•He believes it is the result of the exploitation of workers caused by capitalism
- This is because the capitalist systems dehumanises people and prevents them from leading well, fulfilled lives
What 2 different social classes does Marx establish?
- The bourgeoisie = the ruling class who own the means of production
- The proletariat = the working class who work for the bourgeoisie
- Marx believes that the bourgeoisie exploit the proletariat through workers being treated unfairly (low wage) which allows them to benefit from the proletariat’s work (maximise profits)
What does Marx believe will eventually happen?
•He believe that the proletariat will start a revolution that would overthrow capitalism
- Capitalism would be replaced by Communist which means people would no longer be exploited or alienated
What are Boff and Boff’s 3 mediations of liberation theology?
- Socio-analytical = trying to figure out why the oppressed are oppressed
- Hermeneutical = trying to work out God’s plan for the poor
- Practical = trying to work out how to overcome oppression in accordance with God’s plan
What does liberation theology use Marxism to highlight?
•It uses Marxism highlight the idea that it is structures in society that cause social sin
What is social sin?
•It is things in society that go against God’s will
- For example: poverty, oppression and violence
In what 3 ways does liberation theology use Marxism?
- Marxism helps liberation theology to explain social sin through alienation
- Liberation theology uses Marx’s views on the exploitation of the proletariat by the bourgeoisie to help explain that the structure of society is responsible
for social sin - Marxism helps liberation theology explain how social structures and institutions support and maintain capitalism
(churches, schools and state are a cause of poverty and injustice)
Who defines sin as “the breaking of friendship with God and with other human beings”?
•Gutierrez
- This is also supported by the process of alienation that Marx described
What did Latin American Bishops argue about poverty?
•They argued that poverty “is not a passing phase. It is the product of economies, social and political situations and structures where the rich get richer at the expense of the poor, who get even poorer”
What does Marx argue about institutions?
•He argues that they encourage people to accept capitalism which reproduces, maintains and legitimise class inequality by making it seem normal (false class consciousness)
Which liberation theologian argued “sin is evident in oppressive structures”?
•Gutierrez
- However, he believes social sin being the result of structures and institutions does not mean we have no responsibility
- This is because “behind an unjust structure there is a personal or collective will responsible”
Why do humans still have a responsibility for social sin according to Gutierrez?
•Because humans are sinful, which means humans are responsible for social sin as it is not just an inevitable, historical process as Marx suggests
How does the Gospel support the “preferential option for the poor”?
•It demands that Christians must give priority to the poor and act in solidarity with them
- This support liberation theology
What were Boff and Boff’s
5 motivations for making the “preferential option for the poor”?
- Theological = christians should imitate God in helping the poor
- Christological = Jesus sided with the poor and so should we
- Eschatological = we will be judged on whether or not we help the poor
- Apostolic = after Jesus’s death the first apostles raised money to help the poor
- Ecclesiological = all members of the church should seek the transformation of society
How does the Bible support the theological motivation?
•God heard the cry of his people and helped them
- This means God is a living God who is involved in the world
What parable supports the eschatological motivation?
•The parable of the Sheep and the Goats
What is orthopraxis and orthodoxy?
- Orthopraxis = the right action
- Orthodoxy = the right teaching of the church
- Liberation theology believes orthopraxis comes first as it is rooted in action as much as belief
What is Boff and Boff’s
pre-theological stage?
•It is when Church workers and theologians start to understand the situation of the poor by living and working with them
- They argue that only when this happens can liberation theology start to develop
3 examples of actions carried out due to liberation theology:
- Oscar Romero speaking out against government and armies
- Christian setting up base communities
- Monks and nuns leaving the convents to live with the poor
Why does Bonaventure Kloppenburg believe liberation theology is to Marxist?
(3 reasons)
- Because it focuses on orthopraxis and political action which reduces the importance of the spiritual messages of Christianity
- Because it emphasises structural sin over personal sin which is not the message Jesus brought (he cared about individual people and their sins)
- Because it places too much emphasis on the role of people bringing about freedom when it is God who will ultimately save us
Why does the Catholic Church believe liberation theology is too Marxist?
(3 reasons)
- They will care for the poor and oppressed in their own uniquely Christian way
- They believe base communities in liberation theology are simplified and taught by people who are not experts
- They believe Marxism is atheist, which encourages hate for those in a different class, and will also lead to the rise of dictatorships
2 reason why liberation theology is not Marxist enough:
- Liberation theologians emphasise the need to use Marxism as a tool and an instrument (this dilutes the message of Marxism that religion is one of the causes of oppression)
- Marx argued that a revolution was necessary for change and liberation but liberation theology does not support violence which means it does not take seriously Marx’s solutions for the problems he identified
Who argues that for liberation theology, its “resistance to Marxism is the cause of its failure”?
•Kee
- He agrees with Marx that religion causes false class consciousness and that liberation theology also supports false class consciousness
- This is shown by liberation theologians not allowing the poor to read Marx themselves as they do not want them to be influenced by his atheism
Who argued that Marx’s criticism of religion was a criticism of all ideologies?
•Kee
Who suggested liberation theology is too selective in the biblical themes it focuses on?
•McBrien
- He argues that liberation theology focuses too heavily on the themes of poverty
2 criticisms of liberation theology:
- The Bible supports existing social structures
- There is no reason for Christian theology to focus solely on the “preferential option for the poor”
(this is because everyone needs salvation and support from the Church)
How does the Bible support existing social structures?
• Jesus told people to “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s”
- The Bible also says that slaves should obey the earthly masters in everything
3 strengths of liberation theology:
- There is a clear emphasis on both liberation and helping the poor throughout the Bible
- Their focus on orthopraxis can make a real difference
- By combining Marxism and Christianity it has meant that both spiritual and material poverty of the oppressed can be dealt with through liberation theology
How does the Bible support liberation and helping the poor?
- Through the parable of the Sheep and the Goats
- Jesus also spent time living with the poor and helping the oppressed
What do Boff and Boff argue about the criticisms of liberation theology that focus on the theology behind it without making any real commitment to helping the poor?
•They argue that the criticisms are “radically irrelevant”
- This is because they question “what part have you played in the effective and integral liberation of the oppressed?”
