Liberation Theology And Marx Flashcards
What is the ao1 spec for liberation theology and marx
Marx teaching ok alienation and exploitation
Liberation theology’s use of Marx to analyse social sim
Liberation theology’s teaching ok preferential option for the poor
What is the ao2 spec for liberation theology and marx
Whether Christian theology should engage with atheist ideologies
Whether Christianity tackles social issues more effectively than Marxism
Whether liberation theology has engaged with Marxism fully enough
Whether it is right for Christians to prioritise one group over another
What causes alienation
When humans are dehumanised and unable to live fulfilling lives
What causes exploitation
When humans are treated as objects and used as a means to an end
What is the bourgeoisie
Ruling class (owns the means of production)
What is the proletariat
Working class
Why did marx argue that belief in God causes alienation and exploitation
- rejected the belief that God controls history, as this is a false consciousness
- religion gives power to the state or ruling group to control the population
What is a false consciousness
When someone is unaware of the ways in which they are being exploited and alienated
Who was marx
19th century German economist and philosopher who’s ideas lead to the development of communism
What is historical materialism
Material or physical conditions of all processes in the world which develop through a process of conflict, then harmony, only to fall into conflict again
What was Marx’s quote about religion and what does it mean
‘religion is the opium of the people’
- opium causes people to hallucinate and reduces pain
- religion glorifies suffering, the afterlife encourages acceptance of earthly injustices, divine right to rule causes inequality
What did marx say was the second cause of alienation and exploitation, after religion
Capitalism
What is praxis
Action
- underpinning principle of Marxism, which begins with analysing a situation whether there is oppression or injustice and then working out what has caused it
Where was liberation theology most popular
El Salvador
Background context of liberation theology in Latin america
Many people lived in poverty due to government corruption
Archbishop Oscar Romero famously associated with the movement, leading to his assassination
What is liberation theology
Christian theology that emerged in Latin America in the 1960s in response to ongoing oppression of the poor
What is liberation theology’s view on the kingdom of God (heaven)
It is the transformation of society here and now
How does liberation theology use Marx’s views
Uses Marxism as a tool to analyse the social conditions which have led to the alienation and exploitation of the poor
Jesus is still the one true teacher
What is the hermeneutic of suspicion
Questioning the official or common interpretation of the Bible
Encouraged by liberation theology, which analyses the Bible in the context of Marx’s theories of alienation and exploitation
What is social sin
Rethinks traditional notions of sin as not just a personal struggle but a societal one
- it refers to injustices in our institutions and social structures that lead to alienation and exploitation
How does the catholic church contribute to social sin
Focussed too much on orthodoxy (right beliefs) and not enough on orthopraxis (right action)
What Are the two types of liberation
Social (freedom from social sin)
Spiritual (freedom from personal sin)
What is ‘preference’ in the preferential option for the poor
Aimed at all Christians who are not poor and therefore have the power and means to place the poor first
What is ‘option’ in the preferential option for the poor
Idea that solidarity is a free act where the privileged learn to be poor themselves by discarding any feelings of arrogance and superiority
What is a Christian base communty
Communities in Latin America that play a key role in standing in solidarity with the poor
They emphasise orthopraxis over orthodoxy by providing food, shelter and pastoral care
What are the 5 motivations that justify preferential option for the poor, made by the boff brothers
Eschatological (when God judges us, as shown in the parable of the sheep and the goats)
Apostolic (first apostles taxed people to raise money for the poor)
Ecclesiological (all Christians should seek the transformation of society)
Christological (jesus helped the poor)
Theological (god would want justice for his people)
What is orthopraxis
Right action
What is first act praxis
Experiencing poverty and oppression and identifying what needs to change
What is second act praxis
Judging what the world of God has to say about what has been observed
What do the three mediations do
Show us how to move from first act praxis to second act praxis
What are the three mediations
Seeing - analysing society using marx
Judging - hermeneutic of suspicion applied
Acting - doing something to bring about change
How does the catholic church respond to liberation theology
Always praised preferential option for the poor, but will not accept it fully
Why will the catholic church not accept liberation theology fully
- Marxism is an atheist ideology
- emphasis on material poverty risks neglecting spiritual poverty
- suggests that the church contributes to social sin, disregarding that the church has god given authority
How did Pope John Paul II respond to liberation theology
Concerned over Marxist influences so rejects
How did Pope Benedict XVI respond to liberation theology
Wrote multiple articles opposing liberation theology
How does pope Francis respond to liberation theology
Sympathetic to some ideas of liberation theology as he comes from Latin America
He lives a simple lifestyle in order to challenge capitalism
How does pope Francis respond to liberation theology
Sympathetic to some ideas of liberation theology as he comes from Latin America
He lives a simple lifestyle in order to challenge capitalism
