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Nine Key Themes of Catholic Social Teaching


Nine Key Themes of Catholic Social Teaching: 

  1. The Dignity of every Person and Human 
    1. All humans are made in the image and likeness of God. This idea shows up in the Book of Genesis in the bible. Even humans who have committed horrible acts are worth a lot and have the greatest of human dignity. The Catholic church is against threats to human dignity, like abortion, euthanasia, and capital punishment. Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, spoke out a lot about any attack on innocent life that is still an offense. 
    2. Equality is a very important aspect of the dignity of humans. The Catholic view of human rights is very different because it is grounded on a theological framework that God is the ultimate source of our rights. Catholic human rights theory is a particularly strong contribution to church social teaching. 
  2. Solidarity, Common Good, and Participation 
    1. A good counterbalance to the first theme helps prevent/control people that might want to rebel. The Catholic encyclical teaches that being a human means experiencing rights, but equally obligations to others. You can’t recognize the full potential of your dignity unless you share your life with others. Pope John Paul II argued that God not only allows people to depend on each other but absolutely wills that humans share themselves in the context of intimate as well as larger groupings of our neighbors. To be human is to be social.

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