I think the story that needs to be told about the people in our service is how many of the people in the Washington neighborhood, especially those that I see each and every time I work the Open Closet, are struggling to meet everyday needs. There are many fortunate people in the Dubuque area and these people receiving the free clothing appreciate so much that a basic need is given to them and it is one less thing to worry about. Unfortunately, there are more needs that these people have, and only they know if they are being met. They need a roof over their head and food in their stomachs and we do not know if those needs are being met. I believe that the community and St. John’s are doing a great job of caring for the less fortunate in the community by clothing them with the clothing at the open closet and by serving meals. I believe that more could be done.
This past Friday night I went to see “The Blind Side.” This is a movie that tells the amazing story of Michael Oher. Michael's mom abused drugs and he was taken from her at the age of seven. He rarely saw her after that. He was in and out of foster homes and occasionally slept on his friends couch. His friend’s dad got his friend and him into a Christian school. He attended this school and shortly after they started, he heard his friend’s mom talking about his burden on the family and Michael took to the streets. Everyone at the school knew him as big Mike and while walking in the cold and rain with only a t-shirt and shorts on, he was picked up by a very well off family whose kids attended the same Christian school as Mike. The let him sleep on the couch as long as he wanted to, bought him clothing, and eventually gave him a room and a life where he did not have to scrounge for his basic needs. He started playing football at that high school, went on to play at Ole Miss, and now is a Rookie in the NFL. It is amazing what people can do with resources. This family has been a great blessing on Michael and watching his story moved me to tears. I am so fortunate to have my basic needs met and I will be the first one to admit that I take them for granted each and every day. I wish I could be to someone as this family was to Michael Oher.
From watching this story, I empathized so much. If I had the resources and money that this family did, I would do exactly what they did. I think by telling the story of Michael Oehr’s life, more people are aware of the needs surrounding them. It is in our back yard and we do not even realize it. I think if we told the story of the people in the Dubuque community to those more fortunate in the community, we could get more people to help them out with their basic needs.
Nussbaum would agree with this. She believes that if we tell the story of people who are silent, that their voices will be heard. We can do this in the Dubuque community. She believes that literature builds compassion. The readers would have compassion for the people that are struggling to meet their basic needs. She also believes that this would enhance the understanding of human beings. It would also make us aware of our own vulnerability. This sounds kind of negative when I read that word, but I do not mean it in a negative context. She also believes that we live in a society that we urgently need to understand and I do not feel as if everyone understands the struggles of these people when their daily needs are met. We also could gain understand of why people are different than us. Awareness of cultural differences is essential in order to promote respect for another, and this is an essential foundation for dialogue.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
The Lutheran Church (ELCA) vs. Catholic Church
There are a lot of differences between the Catholic Church and the ELCA. The Catholic Church is much older than the ELCA and the ELCA was a church that broke off from the Catholic Church because they did not agree with some of their teachings, practices, etc. The Catholic Church also has a papacy which is different from the ELCA. The Lutheran Church does not have a hierarchy like that. There are some beliefs in the Catholic Church such as the Nicene Creed that is said during mass. The Lutherans do not have this.
A big difference between the Catholic and Lutheran church is the sacraments. The Catholic Church observes seven sacraments. They are: Baptism, Confirmation, Anointing of the sick, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Holy Orders, and Holy Matrimony. The Lutheran Church only observes Baptism and Communion. The Catholic Church and the Lutheran Church both observe communion but there is a major difference. Catholics believe in transubstantiation and Lutherans do not. This is the belief that the bread and wine is actually changed to the body and blood of Christ. The ELCA has an open communion and the Catholic Church does not. If you are Catholic, you cannot participate in communion.
Another big difference is the role of women. Women play a much bigger role in the Lutheran church because they are allowed to. In the Catholic Church women are not allowed to be priests. Lutheran women are allowed to be pastors.
In the Catholic Church, beliefs are very black and white. When it comes to abortion, there is no room for it. From the “womb to the tomb” a life must be respected. Life has dignity and this must be respected. Catholics also believe in a just war, but they also believe that we have never had one. Lutheran’s know that sin is present in the world and therefore believe that war is going to happen. This was apparent in the readings as well. There were fewer references in the Catholic religion about recognizing sins. Catholic’s believe that it is okay to be homosexual but is wrong to act on it. Therefore they cannot live together. In the Lutheran Church, homosexuals can live together as far as I know.
One common theme between the two churches is that on the idea of immigration. Both churches were very active in helping those affected by the raid in Postville. They both believe that everyone has human dignity and should be able to make the life that they want. Both churches are also very active in helping the poor in the community.
A big difference between the Catholic and Lutheran church is the sacraments. The Catholic Church observes seven sacraments. They are: Baptism, Confirmation, Anointing of the sick, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Holy Orders, and Holy Matrimony. The Lutheran Church only observes Baptism and Communion. The Catholic Church and the Lutheran Church both observe communion but there is a major difference. Catholics believe in transubstantiation and Lutherans do not. This is the belief that the bread and wine is actually changed to the body and blood of Christ. The ELCA has an open communion and the Catholic Church does not. If you are Catholic, you cannot participate in communion.
Another big difference is the role of women. Women play a much bigger role in the Lutheran church because they are allowed to. In the Catholic Church women are not allowed to be priests. Lutheran women are allowed to be pastors.
In the Catholic Church, beliefs are very black and white. When it comes to abortion, there is no room for it. From the “womb to the tomb” a life must be respected. Life has dignity and this must be respected. Catholics also believe in a just war, but they also believe that we have never had one. Lutheran’s know that sin is present in the world and therefore believe that war is going to happen. This was apparent in the readings as well. There were fewer references in the Catholic religion about recognizing sins. Catholic’s believe that it is okay to be homosexual but is wrong to act on it. Therefore they cannot live together. In the Lutheran Church, homosexuals can live together as far as I know.
One common theme between the two churches is that on the idea of immigration. Both churches were very active in helping those affected by the raid in Postville. They both believe that everyone has human dignity and should be able to make the life that they want. Both churches are also very active in helping the poor in the community.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
The Lutheran Church (ELCA) vs. Presbyterian Church
I think that there are quite a few similarities with the Lutheran Church and Presbyterian Church but there are also some differences. In the sense of institution, I believe that there is a big difference. I do not see the influence of government in the role of the Lutheran Church. I see this more in the Presbyterian Church. The Presbyterian Church has a positive view of government and social institutions. They also have commitment to order and orderliness. They draw members from more educated groups that have had a certain access to power. This struck me, because up until the readings and presentation I always believed Catholicism did that. This might just be me, but I see Catholic’s as well educated and well off in life. That is just my stereotype I guess. One other thing that was mentioned in the area of institution is that even though they came from more educated groups and had access to power, they are also concerned with defending the rights of the poor. They also believe that God alone is the Lord of the conscience.
The Presbyterian Church says that people are saved through faith not works and that works are a manifestation of faith. The Lutheran Church would agree with this. Another thing that the Lutheran Church would agree with, as well as the other denominations, is the idea of human dignity and protecting the poor. This has been a common theme throughout our discussions.
One thing that I believed was different was the government within the church. The government in the Presbyterian Church had sessions compromised of pastors and elders. A presbytery is a basic unit of government within their church. They have meeting that consist if equal amounts of ministers and elders. I do not know who is in attendance at the synod meetings in the Lutheran Church but Pastor Jay said nothing about people from the church being present. The government in the Presbyterian Church is more similar to Catholicism than Lutheranism. One thing that is opposite of what Catholics believe is that everyone has an individual conscience which has a supreme authority over popular thinking.
The Presbyterian Church has a similar stance on social issues in general with the Lutheran Church. Contrary to Catholicism, social issues are not so spelled out on what the response by the church should be. When it comes to the issue of abortion, the Presbyterian Church believes that the issue is personal and that people are empowered to make a moral decision on whether or not to end a pregnancy. They believe that the decision must be based on scripture, faith and Christian ethics. They also believe that in any choice that we make, we are accountable to God but he offers forgiveness. This seems to be a contradiction. I believe that both are true but it kind of seems like they are getting around the issue, but again, that is my personal belief. The Lutheran church believes that the issue is complex and that the mother’s life is more important. The Lutheran Church seems to spell out specific instances rather than general beliefs.
Another similarity that the Lutheran Church and Presbyterian Church have is that I believe that they are more realistic than Catholicism. On page 35 of the first article that we read it says “At the same time, there is the “realistic” awareness that no human institutions or authorities may claim absolute authority. Because of human sinfulness power may become corrupted…” This agrees with what Lutherans believe. They have clauses to account for the fact that we live in a fallen world and they accept that. This is very different from the Catholic Church.
The Presbyterian Church says that people are saved through faith not works and that works are a manifestation of faith. The Lutheran Church would agree with this. Another thing that the Lutheran Church would agree with, as well as the other denominations, is the idea of human dignity and protecting the poor. This has been a common theme throughout our discussions.
One thing that I believed was different was the government within the church. The government in the Presbyterian Church had sessions compromised of pastors and elders. A presbytery is a basic unit of government within their church. They have meeting that consist if equal amounts of ministers and elders. I do not know who is in attendance at the synod meetings in the Lutheran Church but Pastor Jay said nothing about people from the church being present. The government in the Presbyterian Church is more similar to Catholicism than Lutheranism. One thing that is opposite of what Catholics believe is that everyone has an individual conscience which has a supreme authority over popular thinking.
The Presbyterian Church has a similar stance on social issues in general with the Lutheran Church. Contrary to Catholicism, social issues are not so spelled out on what the response by the church should be. When it comes to the issue of abortion, the Presbyterian Church believes that the issue is personal and that people are empowered to make a moral decision on whether or not to end a pregnancy. They believe that the decision must be based on scripture, faith and Christian ethics. They also believe that in any choice that we make, we are accountable to God but he offers forgiveness. This seems to be a contradiction. I believe that both are true but it kind of seems like they are getting around the issue, but again, that is my personal belief. The Lutheran church believes that the issue is complex and that the mother’s life is more important. The Lutheran Church seems to spell out specific instances rather than general beliefs.
Another similarity that the Lutheran Church and Presbyterian Church have is that I believe that they are more realistic than Catholicism. On page 35 of the first article that we read it says “At the same time, there is the “realistic” awareness that no human institutions or authorities may claim absolute authority. Because of human sinfulness power may become corrupted…” This agrees with what Lutherans believe. They have clauses to account for the fact that we live in a fallen world and they accept that. This is very different from the Catholic Church.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
The ELCA vs. UCC
The Lutheran Church and the United Church of Christ has many similarities and also some differences. I have a better understanding of this from the readings and from the presentation delivered by Carla and Meghan. One general thing that I observed is that both the ELCA and the United Church of Christ are liberal churches.
When it comes to sacraments in the two churches, they observe the same sacraments. They observe Baptism and Communion. In the United Church of Christ, Baptism is observed as a child and is part of the service. In the Lutheran church, they observe an infant baptism. Communion is a meal in remembrance of the sacrifice that God made for us all. It is open to anyone who believes and the age of the first communion is up to the parents. The fact that it is an open communion and the age at which children partake is the same for the Lutheran church.
Both churches have a very liberal stance on homosexuality. They recognize it in the church and ordain homosexuals. The Lutheran church that I am working with has gay members in their congregation and willingly accepts them. Immanuel does not have any open gay members and they are waiting for the situation to present itself.
To me, it seems like the United Church of Christ has a more liberal stance on abortion than the Lutheran church. The Lutheran church would prefer that it did not happen but understand special cases where the mother’s life is in danger or in the case of a child conceived due to rape. The UCC agrees with this but also says that it is the women’s choice.
The stance of war in the two churches is a little different. The Lutheran church recognizes that we live in a fallen world and accepts that war is bound to happen. The UCC sees war as “playing God” and they do not participate in that.
We did not talk about prisoners with Pastor Jay so I do not know what the Lutheran church’s stance would be on this issue. The UCC believes that prison is a place for rehabilitation. They also believe that the death penalty is wrong. They also believe that this is playing God. They are very vocal about the death penalty. I think that Lutheran’s would agree that the death penalty is wrong but I do not know for sure.
The UCC is in favor of women’s rights as is the ELCA. They both ordain women as pastors. It also seems from talking to Pastor Jay and listening to Carla and Meghan’s presentation that there is more prejudice against women pastors by other women. In the UCC there is more prejudice against the head pastors but the regular female pastors are generally treated well.
When it comes to the ELCA and UCC, it seems that both churches have the same stance on Immigration. They are for the rights of people as human beings.
The ELCA and UCC both recognize divorce but for different reasons. The ELCA recognizes that we live in a fallen world and sometimes it is better to get a divorce than keeping the marriage together depending on the situation. The UCC does not see divorce as a problem because they look at the context of this Bible. I have never looked at divorce that way. It kind of opened my eyes to that idea.
The UCC and the Lutheran church have the same ideas on human dignity and taking care of people that are in need in the neighborhood. St. John’s has the open closet, coats for kids, and various health care programs to offer to people in the church and in the neighborhood. Immanuel has the food pantry. Both churches help with this in bringing food to church and then it is taken to the food pantry. Both churches have an older congregation.
Immanuel wants what is best for the community and if that means packing up and moving it sounds like they would be willing to do it. They think someone who is better equipped to deal with the issue in the neighborhood should be working in that area. They are afraid to work in the community because of the violence etc. that has been going on lately. I do not see this in St. John’s. The open closet has almost two hundred people that come through on any given Saturday that they are open. They have people that work there from the neighborhood and it seems like they are more involved in the neighborhood. It does not seem like they are afraid to work with the people.
I think that the ELCA and UCC have a lot of similarities and some minute differences. I learned a lot this week about the United Church of Christ that I did not know before. I feel more educated about the different types of faith traditions.
When it comes to sacraments in the two churches, they observe the same sacraments. They observe Baptism and Communion. In the United Church of Christ, Baptism is observed as a child and is part of the service. In the Lutheran church, they observe an infant baptism. Communion is a meal in remembrance of the sacrifice that God made for us all. It is open to anyone who believes and the age of the first communion is up to the parents. The fact that it is an open communion and the age at which children partake is the same for the Lutheran church.
Both churches have a very liberal stance on homosexuality. They recognize it in the church and ordain homosexuals. The Lutheran church that I am working with has gay members in their congregation and willingly accepts them. Immanuel does not have any open gay members and they are waiting for the situation to present itself.
To me, it seems like the United Church of Christ has a more liberal stance on abortion than the Lutheran church. The Lutheran church would prefer that it did not happen but understand special cases where the mother’s life is in danger or in the case of a child conceived due to rape. The UCC agrees with this but also says that it is the women’s choice.
The stance of war in the two churches is a little different. The Lutheran church recognizes that we live in a fallen world and accepts that war is bound to happen. The UCC sees war as “playing God” and they do not participate in that.
We did not talk about prisoners with Pastor Jay so I do not know what the Lutheran church’s stance would be on this issue. The UCC believes that prison is a place for rehabilitation. They also believe that the death penalty is wrong. They also believe that this is playing God. They are very vocal about the death penalty. I think that Lutheran’s would agree that the death penalty is wrong but I do not know for sure.
The UCC is in favor of women’s rights as is the ELCA. They both ordain women as pastors. It also seems from talking to Pastor Jay and listening to Carla and Meghan’s presentation that there is more prejudice against women pastors by other women. In the UCC there is more prejudice against the head pastors but the regular female pastors are generally treated well.
When it comes to the ELCA and UCC, it seems that both churches have the same stance on Immigration. They are for the rights of people as human beings.
The ELCA and UCC both recognize divorce but for different reasons. The ELCA recognizes that we live in a fallen world and sometimes it is better to get a divorce than keeping the marriage together depending on the situation. The UCC does not see divorce as a problem because they look at the context of this Bible. I have never looked at divorce that way. It kind of opened my eyes to that idea.
The UCC and the Lutheran church have the same ideas on human dignity and taking care of people that are in need in the neighborhood. St. John’s has the open closet, coats for kids, and various health care programs to offer to people in the church and in the neighborhood. Immanuel has the food pantry. Both churches help with this in bringing food to church and then it is taken to the food pantry. Both churches have an older congregation.
Immanuel wants what is best for the community and if that means packing up and moving it sounds like they would be willing to do it. They think someone who is better equipped to deal with the issue in the neighborhood should be working in that area. They are afraid to work in the community because of the violence etc. that has been going on lately. I do not see this in St. John’s. The open closet has almost two hundred people that come through on any given Saturday that they are open. They have people that work there from the neighborhood and it seems like they are more involved in the neighborhood. It does not seem like they are afraid to work with the people.
I think that the ELCA and UCC have a lot of similarities and some minute differences. I learned a lot this week about the United Church of Christ that I did not know before. I feel more educated about the different types of faith traditions.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Updated Service Learning Plan
My initial learning plan was kind different than everyone else’s. My plans have also changed quite a bit since the first post. In my first post, my goals were:
1) Obtain a sense of accomplishment from this service experience.
2) Become closer with the people in the honors class.
3) Learn something from this experience to take into the future.
4) Accomplishing a sense of understanding about people from different walks of life.
I would say from my experience so far, I am working on all of these tasks. I am won’t fully gain the sense of accomplishment until I have completed the course but I am working on it. It is so rewarding to help with the open closet. There are approximately two hundred people that can come through on a given Saturday. I will have to admit that some of these people probably take advantage of the open closet and do not really need to get their clothing from there, but there are many people that come through that truly need the open closet. I have really taken to the children that come through on Saturdays. When one walks through the door I am determined to find them something that fits, and something they like before they walk out the door. A little girl came in last Saturday morning wearing flip flops, a skirt, and an oversized sweatshirt and it was extremely cold outside. We went through a whole industrial laundry cart to find her something. I also went through the children’s room to find her some clothes. When I handed her a dress and her face lit up, it made me feel great. Even something as small as giving her an article of clothing made that girl happy. I am guilty of taking the everyday necessities for granted, and I am sure many others are as well. I feel bad for wanting stuff now, and I am thankful for what I have been given. I know that when this service experience wraps up I am going to be grateful for the experience I have received. It will probably be something that I will never forget.
I think our class is becoming closer. There are only about a fourth of us left from the original class, so I think that helps. Class seems more laid back and we laugh a lot more than we did when we were first years.
One thing that I have learned already from this learning experience is that I want to continue volunteering for the less fortunate for as long as I can. It is so rewarding to put a smile on someone’s face, and also to provide someone with something that they cannot provide for themselves. I know I will learn more from this experience that I can take with me into the future.
I am receiving a sense of understanding about people from different walks of life. People come through that do not have jobs, are homeless, are disabled, etc. Now I have never been any of these things so I am learning a little bit about what it is like for them. Some people are sick and cannot afford the necessary medical help they need so they suffer from it. Is constricts their movements and stuff they should be able to do on their own.
One thing I would like to add to my learning plan is adding something to the open closet. To me, it does not seem like they are really in a church. People come in, get the clothing they need, we treat them with a friendly smile and a helping hand, and that’s it. There is little to no ministering that goes on on these Saturdays and I would like to see more of that. It could be something as small as handing out a flyer for the upcoming church events and inviting them to come, or more of a personal discussion with the people that come through. Since there are a lot of people that come through on a given Saturday, this would be very hard. I think the flyer would be more realistic.
Another thing I would like to add to the lesson plan would be something independent of the open closet. I will not be able to complete all of my service hours with just the open closet, and I want to help out with more than just that. We talked about getting stuff set up with the soup kitchen but the communication is lacking there and I do not know if we are going to be able to get much done with that. Terri, who is the head of the open closet, has talked about getting supplies for Christmas baskets to hand out to the elderly people in the community. This would be the first time that this would be done through them. They are looking to do about twelve, but would do more if they had the resources. Clarke is helping them out with some donations so after they figure out what they are getting, Terri said she would let me know what they still needed and I said we might be able to get some stuff as well. Small ideas keep popping up and they are very feasible. I just hope to make a difference in the community down there, even if it is in a small way.
I think St. John’s would like to connect to the neighborhood with the soup kitchen. They have been trying to get this set up for a long time. I think if we could get the other churches to help out, they could connect to each other that way. I think it would be nice if the churches got together and provided some sort of Christian entertainment for the neighborhood. I do not think there is enough Christian activity with the open closet and it would be nice to make an improvement there as well. I know the church would like to increase the number of people that come to the services each week and this could be a way to do that.
Our class could help tie the churches together. We can each talk to our respective churches and get them to come together on some sort of activity or event for the community. This might be the soup kitchen or some new event.
1) Obtain a sense of accomplishment from this service experience.
2) Become closer with the people in the honors class.
3) Learn something from this experience to take into the future.
4) Accomplishing a sense of understanding about people from different walks of life.
I would say from my experience so far, I am working on all of these tasks. I am won’t fully gain the sense of accomplishment until I have completed the course but I am working on it. It is so rewarding to help with the open closet. There are approximately two hundred people that can come through on a given Saturday. I will have to admit that some of these people probably take advantage of the open closet and do not really need to get their clothing from there, but there are many people that come through that truly need the open closet. I have really taken to the children that come through on Saturdays. When one walks through the door I am determined to find them something that fits, and something they like before they walk out the door. A little girl came in last Saturday morning wearing flip flops, a skirt, and an oversized sweatshirt and it was extremely cold outside. We went through a whole industrial laundry cart to find her something. I also went through the children’s room to find her some clothes. When I handed her a dress and her face lit up, it made me feel great. Even something as small as giving her an article of clothing made that girl happy. I am guilty of taking the everyday necessities for granted, and I am sure many others are as well. I feel bad for wanting stuff now, and I am thankful for what I have been given. I know that when this service experience wraps up I am going to be grateful for the experience I have received. It will probably be something that I will never forget.
I think our class is becoming closer. There are only about a fourth of us left from the original class, so I think that helps. Class seems more laid back and we laugh a lot more than we did when we were first years.
One thing that I have learned already from this learning experience is that I want to continue volunteering for the less fortunate for as long as I can. It is so rewarding to put a smile on someone’s face, and also to provide someone with something that they cannot provide for themselves. I know I will learn more from this experience that I can take with me into the future.
I am receiving a sense of understanding about people from different walks of life. People come through that do not have jobs, are homeless, are disabled, etc. Now I have never been any of these things so I am learning a little bit about what it is like for them. Some people are sick and cannot afford the necessary medical help they need so they suffer from it. Is constricts their movements and stuff they should be able to do on their own.
One thing I would like to add to my learning plan is adding something to the open closet. To me, it does not seem like they are really in a church. People come in, get the clothing they need, we treat them with a friendly smile and a helping hand, and that’s it. There is little to no ministering that goes on on these Saturdays and I would like to see more of that. It could be something as small as handing out a flyer for the upcoming church events and inviting them to come, or more of a personal discussion with the people that come through. Since there are a lot of people that come through on a given Saturday, this would be very hard. I think the flyer would be more realistic.
Another thing I would like to add to the lesson plan would be something independent of the open closet. I will not be able to complete all of my service hours with just the open closet, and I want to help out with more than just that. We talked about getting stuff set up with the soup kitchen but the communication is lacking there and I do not know if we are going to be able to get much done with that. Terri, who is the head of the open closet, has talked about getting supplies for Christmas baskets to hand out to the elderly people in the community. This would be the first time that this would be done through them. They are looking to do about twelve, but would do more if they had the resources. Clarke is helping them out with some donations so after they figure out what they are getting, Terri said she would let me know what they still needed and I said we might be able to get some stuff as well. Small ideas keep popping up and they are very feasible. I just hope to make a difference in the community down there, even if it is in a small way.
I think St. John’s would like to connect to the neighborhood with the soup kitchen. They have been trying to get this set up for a long time. I think if we could get the other churches to help out, they could connect to each other that way. I think it would be nice if the churches got together and provided some sort of Christian entertainment for the neighborhood. I do not think there is enough Christian activity with the open closet and it would be nice to make an improvement there as well. I know the church would like to increase the number of people that come to the services each week and this could be a way to do that.
Our class could help tie the churches together. We can each talk to our respective churches and get them to come together on some sort of activity or event for the community. This might be the soup kitchen or some new event.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
My "Talk" on Catholic Social Teaching
In my brief talk, I would talk about some basic ideas from Catholic Social Teaching and how they could possibly be used in their church. One of these ideas is that of human dignity. This is the focal point as explained in Himes chapter three. Christians need to know that we are made in the image of God and he is the creator of all. Human beings are creatures of dignity and worth not because of anything that we have done. Another idea from Catholic Social Teaching is the communal aspect of Catholicism. I think that every church needs to work on this as well on their individual relationship with Christ. I do not think that a religious community should be limited to Catholicism, even though they are most known for it and other religions are more personal. If the church works on their religious community, they can help each other grow in their faith, and they can hold help other accountable. There are a couple other main topics discussed in Himes book on CST and they are human rights, justice, common good and social life. Human rights are ever changing according to Himes. I would talk about the human rights in place today and where they could find those. Justice would then be defined for them according to the church. CST develops an understanding of justice that serves human dignity. A lot of these main concepts seem to tie together so this could lead to more discussion. A discussion on common good would be next and I would probably read question 34 from Himes text and then read his response. I think this fits well into what their church is doing with the open closet.
There are many ideas from Catholic Social Teaching and general questions that people might have are answered in the book by Himes. I think that if I was going to give a brief talk on Catholic Social teaching to my service site, I would make them read Himes chapter three so that some basic questions that they might have could be answered, and they can learn more about the basic concepts. It is a great starting point. Before this class I really did not know anything about CST and this book is easy to read and it is helping me understand more and more about CST.
I think it would also be beneficial for them to read the section entitled Application of Social Teaching of part IV of Mater et Magistra because it talks about applications of social teaching. There is a lot in part II about economics. I would have them read that just to understand their responsibility and all the good that they are doing in helping the poor in their community (as if they do not already know!). One thing that struck me in part II says: “…they will perform their work not merely with the objective of deriving an income, but also carrying out the role assigned them and of performing a service that results in benefit to others.” This seems like common sense but I believe that not a lot of people understand this. Obviously volunteers do because they do not get paid. Most people volunteer because they truly enjoy it. This would apply to their social progress, so I would emphasis this just as a gracious reminder.
I would not break them into groups but more have an open discussion with them on things they think they could improve in their church community with some ideas from Catholic Social Teaching. Some ideas are common sense, but human beings are forgetful and even if they do implement some of these ideas already, they might need a friendly reminder. I would also ask them how they can increase community involvement in their church based on CST and also how they can make their church community more communal. I think this would draw more people to the church. This is one area in which I think they are lacking just from being around the church and activities such as working at the open closet.
There are many ideas from Catholic Social Teaching and general questions that people might have are answered in the book by Himes. I think that if I was going to give a brief talk on Catholic Social teaching to my service site, I would make them read Himes chapter three so that some basic questions that they might have could be answered, and they can learn more about the basic concepts. It is a great starting point. Before this class I really did not know anything about CST and this book is easy to read and it is helping me understand more and more about CST.
I think it would also be beneficial for them to read the section entitled Application of Social Teaching of part IV of Mater et Magistra because it talks about applications of social teaching. There is a lot in part II about economics. I would have them read that just to understand their responsibility and all the good that they are doing in helping the poor in their community (as if they do not already know!). One thing that struck me in part II says: “…they will perform their work not merely with the objective of deriving an income, but also carrying out the role assigned them and of performing a service that results in benefit to others.” This seems like common sense but I believe that not a lot of people understand this. Obviously volunteers do because they do not get paid. Most people volunteer because they truly enjoy it. This would apply to their social progress, so I would emphasis this just as a gracious reminder.
I would not break them into groups but more have an open discussion with them on things they think they could improve in their church community with some ideas from Catholic Social Teaching. Some ideas are common sense, but human beings are forgetful and even if they do implement some of these ideas already, they might need a friendly reminder. I would also ask them how they can increase community involvement in their church based on CST and also how they can make their church community more communal. I think this would draw more people to the church. This is one area in which I think they are lacking just from being around the church and activities such as working at the open closet.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Protestant and Catholic Social Action
I will have to admit before I start this post that I am not Catholic so I do not know a lot about their Christian social action. I can just comment on the readings. After reading Thusen and Fisher’s readings on Christian social action I have noticed some similarities and some differences between Catholics and Protestants. One difference I did notice in the articles was that in the challenges that each of the religious groups faced. One big issue was the separation between church and state. The people did not want to elect Alfred E. Smith because he was a Catholic. He toured sweatshops and wanted equality between all people. He admired the ethnic and religious diversity around him, but the people still would not elect him. He lost by a landslide. He even expressed that he did not want his religious affiliation to interfere with the Constitution or the laws.
According to Fisher, some of the steps in changing social action came with what was going on in the world around us. He says John A. Ryan’s pioneering work made a Catholic response to the injustices that accompanied the rapid urbanization and industrialization of the United States. Ryan proposed some reforms that he believed would be reinforced with religion. This was also a challenge because the separation of church and state was a huge issue.
Dorothy Day was also an influential Catholic. She founded the Catholic Worker movement and insisted that the New Deal’s programs were too mild. She wanted spiritual dimensions to address human poverty and suffering. One thing that this article mentioned was that Day believed that few Catholics in the working class were aware of the social teachings on social issues. This kind of took me aback. I know that not everyone knows everything but you would think that if people say they are Catholic, then they would be aware of some of the issues so that they could defend them. I also think that this is changed over time. People seem a lot more educated on the issues they believe in.
The separation between church and state was a big issue in Fisher’s reading and I believe this is a lot different. In the public schools there really isn’t much of a change, but there are so many Catholic schools now that if people can afford it and really believe in Catholicism, they will send their children to a Catholic school. I know these schools are private and do not receive funding like public schools do but I do believe they receive some assistance. (I really don’t know.) Even if they do not receive assistance, it does not seem like there is much separation there because of the fact that it is a school and it is not allowed at the public schools. I am not sure if this is a very valid point. I will need to do some research. I am not Catholic and I did not go to a religious affiliated school growing up, so coming to Loras was a big change. One of my professors prayed out loud in one of my classes and later that day when I was talking to my mom on the phone I told her about it. I told her it was weird but really cool. It was weird just because I had grown up not being able to do that.
The article by Thuesen was a hard read for me so the list on differences will not be as long. One big difference I did notice between them and the Catholics was the fact that they had a lot of problems internally. There were/are divisions among the Protestants and they did/do not agree on everything.
To me, it does not seem as if Protestants are as strict as Catholics when it comes to the church. Catholics seem to separate themselves from other Christians and that is one thing that deters me from the religion. I do not understand why I cannot take communion with Catholics. We are both Christians, and both believe in the sacrifice that God made for us. We both believe that he died for our sins and will one day return. That is enough about that.
One similarity that I mentioned early is that the different groups are facing challenges. These churches are still facing problems today and that will probably never change. It is part of our ever evolving world. I do believe that both groups are making progressive changes. Politics had an influence on the two religious groups back then and they do today as well.
According to Fisher, some of the steps in changing social action came with what was going on in the world around us. He says John A. Ryan’s pioneering work made a Catholic response to the injustices that accompanied the rapid urbanization and industrialization of the United States. Ryan proposed some reforms that he believed would be reinforced with religion. This was also a challenge because the separation of church and state was a huge issue.
Dorothy Day was also an influential Catholic. She founded the Catholic Worker movement and insisted that the New Deal’s programs were too mild. She wanted spiritual dimensions to address human poverty and suffering. One thing that this article mentioned was that Day believed that few Catholics in the working class were aware of the social teachings on social issues. This kind of took me aback. I know that not everyone knows everything but you would think that if people say they are Catholic, then they would be aware of some of the issues so that they could defend them. I also think that this is changed over time. People seem a lot more educated on the issues they believe in.
The separation between church and state was a big issue in Fisher’s reading and I believe this is a lot different. In the public schools there really isn’t much of a change, but there are so many Catholic schools now that if people can afford it and really believe in Catholicism, they will send their children to a Catholic school. I know these schools are private and do not receive funding like public schools do but I do believe they receive some assistance. (I really don’t know.) Even if they do not receive assistance, it does not seem like there is much separation there because of the fact that it is a school and it is not allowed at the public schools. I am not sure if this is a very valid point. I will need to do some research. I am not Catholic and I did not go to a religious affiliated school growing up, so coming to Loras was a big change. One of my professors prayed out loud in one of my classes and later that day when I was talking to my mom on the phone I told her about it. I told her it was weird but really cool. It was weird just because I had grown up not being able to do that.
The article by Thuesen was a hard read for me so the list on differences will not be as long. One big difference I did notice between them and the Catholics was the fact that they had a lot of problems internally. There were/are divisions among the Protestants and they did/do not agree on everything.
To me, it does not seem as if Protestants are as strict as Catholics when it comes to the church. Catholics seem to separate themselves from other Christians and that is one thing that deters me from the religion. I do not understand why I cannot take communion with Catholics. We are both Christians, and both believe in the sacrifice that God made for us. We both believe that he died for our sins and will one day return. That is enough about that.
One similarity that I mentioned early is that the different groups are facing challenges. These churches are still facing problems today and that will probably never change. It is part of our ever evolving world. I do believe that both groups are making progressive changes. Politics had an influence on the two religious groups back then and they do today as well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)