Liberation Theology And Marx

Question 1

What were Marx’s teachings?

Answer 1

The teachings of Karl Marx are best understood through his underpinning principles of praxis:
-Society is constantly changing through history: going through conflict, stability and then conflict again
-Change comes about through analysing a situation
-Then working out the reasons behind it
-Then changing it

Question 2

What is the definition of praxis?

Answer 2

Understanding a situation and then bringing about change in it; a critical reflective process that moves from theory to action

Question 3

What is the definition of alienation?

Answer 3

The estrangement of people from what they are meant to be; degrading a person into a thing or object or making a person give up their proper place in society

Question 4

What is exploitation?

Answer 4

After an initial period of harmony, society broke down and people are now in competition with one another; they are means to ends- objectified. So, humans became dehumanised and were unable to live fulfilling lives- exploitation

Question 5

What key factors did Marx establish in exploitation?

Answer 5

-Religion and belief in God has brainwashed people into thinking that God is the cause behind change in the world, rather than physical processes- this is an illusion that causes false hopes in people (for example an afterlife)
-Religion tells people that some people are born to rule over other people and that everything will be equalised in the afterlife. This objectifies some people and alienates them
-Capitalism, which is driven by profit, makes some people objectify others (such as workers being ‘owned’ by the ruling classes); society would be better off under communism, where everyone shares equally
-The production line makes everyone depersonalised and therefore alienated; workers simply ‘make’, not create, are paid and then have to spend their earnings in places owned by the ruling classes

Question 6

What does Marx teach about these factors in his concept of alienation and exploitation?

Answer 6

-The fewer ruling classes (bourgeoisie) control the many workers (proletariat) who are alienated, exploited and objectified. Religion is an additional tool to ensure that they are kept in their place, with the promise of a better future in the afterlife
-In Marx’s analysis of history, he saw times when the workers had tried to resist this way of life, but had been met by violence and, in his view, the society of his time demonstrated this very specifically

Question 7

What did Marx say about religion?

Answer 7

-Marx said that religion is one of the more powerful tools to oppress the workers: ‘Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opiate of the people’
-Opium as a drug was used to dull pain and get away from the troubles of this world. The alienated and exploited people were ‘given’ religion in the same way

Question 8

What is needed with alienation and exploitation?

Answer 8

Praxis is therefore required. Marx believed that, having reflected on the causes of alienation, an uprising would need to take place to install communism as the right way for society to exist and to reject the capitalist machine

Question 9

When and where was liberation theology established?

Answer 9

-The uprising that Marx said was required seemed, in the 1970s, to be taking place in Latin America, where many poor people were under the control of oppressive governments; workers were alienated; capitalism and industrialisation were prioritised
-Industrialisation filtered into key institutions, including schools and the state, as well as the church
-Gustavo Gutierrez is a central figure in the foundation of liberation theology. He believes his theology has been influenced by Marxism, though most liberation theologians are quick to point out that there is only 1 true teacher, Jesus, and that Marxism is an ‘instrument’ that helps the methodology of liberation theology

Question 10

What is believed in liberation theology?

Answer 10

-Liberation theology believes that the Christian must not stand back; the class struggle is too great. Society has inequality at its heart- structural inequality- and this leads to structural sin- the social sin that is deeper than any individual sin
-Capitalism has not worked and liberation theology believes that praxis is required to change these structures
-Socialism is the best of current alternatives, though still not ideal
-Structural sin is the ultimate form of alienation because every member of society is alienated
-It is also something Christian’s are familiar with because of the idea of original sin- humans are corrupted and need to break away from it as much as possible

Question 11

What idea does liberation theology embrace?

Answer 11

-Liberation theology embraces the idea, found in Luke’s Gospel in particular, of reversal. One of Luke’s themes is social justice and the social revolution that Christianity promised
-The kingdom of God is not in the distant heaven, but among us. To read Christianity the way many commentators think Luke wanted means:
-Theology starts with the earth and people, not with doctrine or God
-The poor (proletariat) become drivers for action (praxis)

Question 12

What is the definition of the hermeneutic of suspicion?

Answer 12

The process of interpreting the Bible (hermeneutics) by asking questions that have not been asked before to challenge traditional or official interpretations; in the context of liberation theology, it’s focus is on economic motivations

Question 13

How is the hermeneutic of suspicion used in liberation theology?

Answer 13

The hermeneutic of suspicion is considered useful in liberation theology. As a way of interpreting the Bible, it places a Marxist reading on texts and applies them to the needs of an alienated society

Question 14

In 1979, what points were made about structural sin by Latin American bishops?

Answer 14

-The church needs to challenge social sin as much as individual sins
-The church must not mirror the oppressive bourgeoisie and should let the people have a say in its decisions
-The church needs to re find itself as a community, not as an institution

Question 15

What is the idea of the preferential option for the poor?

Answer 15

-Preferential option for the poor reflects the core message of the parable of the sheep and the goats, that humans will be judged based on their recognition of Jesus in the needy
-The phrase implies that the Gospel demands that Christians must give priority to the poor (when they can: it is aimed at the rich and influential) and act in solidarity with them (in the same way that Jesus did)

Question 16

In what 5 ways can the preferential option for the poor be justified?

Answer 16

-God is a living God who seeks justice for his people
-Jesus worked for the poor
-We will be judged based on our response to the poor
-The first apostles looked after the poor
-Christian’s should work for the common good and try to transform society

Question 17

What is orthopraxis?

Answer 17

Right actions

Question 18

What is orthodoxy?

Answer 18

Right belief; the official beliefs of the church

Question 19

What do liberation theologians say about orthopraxis and orthodoxy?

Answer 19

-Christian’s should not stand by when presented with injustice or human suffering as all people are made in God’s image and likeness. Inspired by Marx, liberation theologians prioritise action, called orthopraxis, over belief (orthodoxy)
-Liberation theology places orthopraxis before orthodoxy. In terms of the preferential option for the poor, this places feeding the hungry before making them believe in key aspects of the faith or before being obedient to the rules of the church
-Therefore, the preferential option for the poor stars with the reality ‘on the ground’ and works from there

Question 20

What is said about the kingdom of God with the poor?

Answer 20

-The kingdom of God must be brought about on earth for those who are alienated and live in poverty. For some, this has been interpreted as requiring violent struggle:
-Camilo Torres Restrepo, a catholic priest, joined the Columbian national liberation army and was killed in action, standing up for the oppressed

Question 21

What did Gutierrez say about liberation?

Answer 21

Gutierrez did not promote violence, but did not reject it outright. He said that liberation takes place over 2 stages, both of which are essential:
1. Fixing the human made problems of poverty and oppression through human methods- liberating them from structural sin
2. Liberating people from personal sin and promoting reconciliation

Question 22

What is said about spiritual liberation?

Answer 22

-Some liberation theologians suggest that spiritual liberation should come first, such as Juan Segundo, who argued that Christian’s can definitely free people from personal sin, but may or may not be an,et to change social structures

Question 23

What has been the Catholic Church response to liberation theology?

Answer 23

-The Catholic Church has taken time officially to welcome liberation theology. Pope John Paul II endorsed the phrase ‘preferential option for the poor’ but also emphasised spiritual poverty alongside material poverty.
-Pope Benedict XVI was suspicious of the marxist influences and (before he became pope) argued that the Catholic Church would work for the poor but not using Marxism as a tool
-Pope Francis, who comes from Latin America, has endorsed much of liberation theology, although distanced himself from the Marxist aspects of it
-He himself lived a simple lifestyle and has criticised capitalism. In 2015, he named Oscar Romero, the archbishop of San Salvador who was killed as a liberation theologian, a martyr of the church

Question 24

Why shouldn’t Christian theology engage with atheist secular ideologies?

Answer 24

-Some Christian’s would argue that Christian theology should keep away from atheist ideologies. In the example of liberation theology and Marxism, there is some suspicion about a worldview that begins with a rejection of God and religion as one of the key tools of oppression
-Here there is a direct contradiction between a fundamental aspect of church teaching and a key element of Marxism. The church should be prepared to remain distinctive and not try to assimilate with such beliefs because it would suggest that truth can be found outside the revelation of Jesus Christ and the Bible

Question 25

Why should Christian theology engage with atheist secular ideologies?

Answer 25

-Those Christian’s who take a natural theology approach might say that reason can be (partially) accurate outside the church
-In this case, it is right for Christianity to engage with other ideologies, even if only to use them as tools to help its own reflection

Question 26

Does Christianity tackle social issues more effectively than Marxism?

Answer 26

-Some might accuse Christianity of being too gentle when it comes to tackling poverty and oppression, and would argue that the revolutionary uprising approach of marxism is the only way to bring about significant change
-However, where revolutions have brought about communism, it is debatable whether this approach has been entirely successful
-Christianity accepts that suffering is a part of life and tries to engage with that at every level, but is is most effective when it does so at a local level
-Where Christianity is most effective is where each individual responds to the need to build the kingdom of God in their own context, rather than the Marxist approach of tackling society on a larger scale
-The key difference between Christianity and Marxism is, of course, the spiritual dimension
-Christian’s would argue that the reality of God can touch peoples lives in a very real way; Marx rejects religion and says that it is too focused on the afterlife
-Christian’s might say that religion is more about people in this world than about the afterlife

Question 27

Reasons why there has not been enough engagement with Marxism by liberation theology?

Answer 27

-Marxism calls for an uprising; Christianity does not seem to have made enough impact doing it more gently
-There has been too much attention to Marx’s atheism- more thought about the causes of alienation and ways to tackle this would create deeper changes
-Many of the processes of the 2 ideologies are similar: the importance of analysing history, the importance of working towards a better future
-Fear of Marx’s atheism or promotion of violence has led his approach to be diluted too much; Christian’s now talk about spiritual poverty and don’t place enough focus on real, material poverty
-Christianity needs to understand from Marx the importance of re evaluating society in each new stage of history- it can then have an impact even beyond the current aims of liberation theology, such as in modern secular society

Question 28

Reasons why there has been too much engagement from liberation theology with Marxism?

Answer 28

-Communism has been shown to be unsuccessful and so Christianity should not have linked itself with this approach
-Liberation theology has lost sight of Jesus’ death on the cross, which liberates people from sin first and foremost
-Liberation theology argues that praxis will bring about change; the Christian message should be that Gods grace will bring this about
-Liberation theology has skewed the debate: it suggests that it is the only way to counteract issues in society, whereas society is significantly more complex than this approach suggests
-Marxism contains areas that deny the importance of the individual and that deny God’s existence. It is too dangerous to engage with some of it as it might lead to unorthodox beliefs entering the church

Question 29

Is it right for Christian’s to prioritise one group over another?

Answer 29

-Liberation theology very specifically prioritises the poor and oppressed over other groups. The Bible is clear that God works for the poor and needy and Jesus came to bring salvation to outcasts
-However, it is not just the poor who are outcasts. This might be behind Pope John Paul’s call to widen the scope to the spiritual poor as much as the materially poor
-As Jesus taught in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich need as much salvation as anyone else. In this parable, the rich man who ignores the poor Lazarus at his gate ends up in hell and he is told that he had the opportunity to prevent this if he’d paid more attention to the teachings of the scriptures
-Arguably, liberation theology could be over emphasising the poor to the detriment of the rich: Jesus died for all people
-A response might be that it is not so much the rich that are condemned for being rich, but those rich people who did not help the oppressed

Question 30

What is a key quote about prioritising the poor or not?

Answer 30

Jesus said, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners’-Mark 2:17