liberation theology Flashcards
Capitalism
an economic system in which the means of production are privately owned and operated for profit, in contrast with communism where trade and industry and controlled by the state
conscientisation
the process by which a person becomes conscious of the power structures in society
structural sin
the idea that sin is not just a personal action by something that can be brought about through unjust organisations and social structures
alienation
the process of becoming detached or isolated
exploitation
treating someone unfairly in order to benefit from their work / resources
preferential option for the poor
the idea that Jesus stood with the poor and oppressed, and that the church should focus on the poor and oppressed and stand in solidarity with them
base Christian communities
Christian groups that gather together to try to directly resolve difficulties in their lives
orthapraxy
right practice
orthodoxy
right belief
followers of liberation theology hold that action must come first, rather than abstract theorising
Gutierrez write that liberation happens in two ways and both must happen if there is to be true freedom. What are these two ways ?
- Liberation from social and economic depression
- Liberation from sin
Jesus said …
‘it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God’
5 points to show that Marxism links in with Christianity
- Christianity has always had an emphasis on the poor- Marx argues that we need to help the power/ those of lower status etc
- Marxism serves to remind Christians of the important focus on the poor within their own faith
- Jesus - the leader of Christianity surrounded himself with the poor and those in needs - fits in with teaching of Marx
- the Catholic Church used the idea of the preferential option for the poor - used by John Paul 2nd (Pope)
- Pope Francis challenges Catholics to love more simply in solidarity with the poor
explain why Marxism may not link in with Christianity
- Marx thought Christianity teaches that God chooses what sort of lives people have, encourages the poor to be meek, and makes false promises of rewards in heaven to compensate for injustice in this world
define liberation theology
- liberation theology is a theological movement about action for the poor which began in Latin American during 1994
what are the two main aims of liberation theology
- stresses that action is more important than academic theology
- aim of the movement was to find ways in which the truth of the Christian message could work in the poverty of Latin America
5 problems that were seen in Latin America
- extreme poverty
- distinction between the rich and the poor
- drug dealers taking power
- corruption in government and police force
- the competing claims of capitalism and communism caused violence
who were the two leading liberation theologians involved with the movement from the beginning
Jon sobrino and Gustavo Gutierrez
liberation theology was inspired by Pavlo Freire. What were his views
- ‘conscientientisation’ describes the ways a person becomes aware of the power structures in society
- education was essential to enable people to ask the right questions about injustice, and so bring about change
orthapraxy (right practice ) should come before orthodoxy (right belief ). True or false
true
what did liberation theologians believe about the kingdom of God ?
it is not just some thing that Christians should hope for after they die but it is something we should bring up in this world
explain Gutierrez’s idea on sin
- for liberation to happen there has to be liberation from social and economic oppression and liberation from sin
- sin is not just personal but institutional too. There can be whole methods of disobeying God and his commands so sin can be done by a society. ‘Structural sin’ can be seen in capitalist societies
explain how the exodus story to support liberation theologians
God sends Moses to pharaoh with the demand that people are liberated from slavery ‘let me go ‘
biblical text about Jesus that support liberation theology
- Jesus’ resurrection - seen as the ultimate expression of freedom. ‘I will raise them up at the last day ‘ . John
liberation theology inspired who ?
Marx
context on Marx
lived in the 19th century
Great social change
industrial revolution
what did Marx argue ?
- argued that the development of technology means that people become less immediately connected to the results of their work
- production becomes more mechanised so people’s working lives focus on only one part of a process, so that people feel less pride in the finished outcome
- people feel at the mercy of things they cannot control as individuals , such as governments or war
explain why Marx argued that people become alienated
because they feel powerless. Forced to work for wages to survive but have no control over the goods they are producing
Marx argued that in a capitalist society …
private individuals own the means of production e.g. factories.
Employees feels as if they are part of a machine - unable to love fulfilling loves because they are becoming exploited by private ownership of the means of production
according to Marx, how does a capitalist society alienate workers ?
- division between those who own the means of production and those who work for the owners
- this divide leads to conflict
- eventually the people at the bottom will become violent in order to break the social structures that alienate them
Marx was an atheist . Explain this
- the ruling classes used religion to keep social classes divided so they could stay in power. Christianity teaches that God chooses who sort of loves people have, and makes false promise of rewards in heaven to compensate for injustice in this world
context on the Cold War
the Cold War between the USA and USSR offered competing ideologies
USA beloved in capitalist system of government and the USSR followed communism
socialist governments were overthrown with the support of the USA and rebel movements developed
who supported Marx’s belief that the poor were alienated from society and that they were exploited by capitalism
Gutierrez
Gutierrez argued that Christians have a duty to…
themselves in politics, otherwise injustice stays as it is
what was the responsibility of the church in Latin America
to speak out against injustice and exploitation as these are dehumanising
church should take political action to promote justice with the aim of building a classless society
Segundo on the preferential option for he poor
the crushing effects of poverty doesn’t allow for the kind of peace, love that are central to the Christian message
difference between segundo and Gutierrez’s ideas on the preferential option for the poor
- Gutierrez thought that people needed to be freed from poverty and exploitation before they could be freed from sin
- Segundo thought liberation from sin is first as freedom from poverty might be unachievable
Christians of Latin America were mostly…
Catholics
when liberation theology first began the leaders of the Catholic Church were concerned about Marxism . Why was this ?
because he was an atheist
what were Cardinal ratzinger ( Pope benedict the 16th) concerns about liberation theology
- only God can remove human suffering
- Christian liberation should primarily be seen as liberation from sin
- violent revolution shouldn’t be given more importance than Christian mission
- dangers to adopt Marx theories emphasise class and community at the expense of the individuals
explain how Bonaventure goes against liberation theology
- practical opposition to oppression shouldn’t be emphasised more than the teachings of the gospels because it sidelines the spiritual message of Christianity
- liberation theology emphasis structural sin but the bible emphasises personal sin
- only God can deliver liberation
explain how Richard McBrein goes against liberation theology
LT takes some biblical themes but ignores others completely - only sees oppression in economic terms
