Kerry Read

Morality-Web Assignment

4-5-06

 

--Take "The Ten Building Blocks of Catholic Social Teaching." List and explain each. Then tell if you believe each

 

1. Principle of Human Dignity: Because all humans are created in the image and likeness of God, each person is worthy of respect and invaluable to the human family. No matter the race, age, sex, religion, social status, etc., all people have dignity simply because they are humans. This principle is the foundation of Catholic social teaching and I strongly believe in it because I couldn’t see why a girl would be less valuable than a man, especially in today’s world where most jobs can be done just as well by either sex.

 

2. Principle of Respect for Human Life: the Catholic Church believes someone is human from the moment of conception until natural death, and therefore has a right to life with Human Dignity. This is why Church is against abortion, for killing innocent life, and the death penalty, for not allowing a natural death. I also believe every one should be allowed a natural death and I am against abortion and the death penalty.

 

3. Principle of Association: We must organize our society, economically and politically, affects how we live out the Principles of Human Dignity and Respect for Life. We protect dignity and promote the common good in a society by maintaining stable families, first and foremost. We must associate inside our own families and also in other social institutions for us to achieve our fulfillment. This makes sense because if a society has no respect for poor people, or a certain race, how can the rest of that society achieve its greatest potential? I don’t think it would be able to.

 

4. Principle of Participation: People must take an active part in their society and the world in order to help bring about the common good. If no one participates in the world or fights doe for the common good, then nothing monumental will be achieved and society will be stuck. This can be applied to the working place in that if the dignity of the work is to be respected, then the workers’ rights too must be respected, such as fair wages, unions, private property, and others.  

 

5. Principle of Preferential Protection for the Poor: This calls us to apply the Principles of Human Dignity and Participation by helping the poor and as Jesus says, “the least among us.” By helping the less fortunate, we can bring them up and make society more equal and have a better balance, instead of what the U.S. in particular has where the few rich get richer, the many poor get poorer, creating a great unbalance in our society. I believe that we have the means to help those in need and we are obligated to do so in anyway.

 

6. Principle of Solidarity: Similar to the Principle of Human Dignity in that, because we are all humans, we all belong to the same family and are all of our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. We are called to “love our neighbors” while pursuing the common good; and in today’s world this applies on the international sense so that choices our government makes and actions they carry out, has effects on other countries. Again, I believe that we are all part of one human family, and because of that, are bound to love and strive to help one another.

 

7. Principle of Stewardship: God gave Adam original Stewardship over all the animals in the Garden of Eden and in doing so gave him the responsibility to care and respect them and the rest of the Earth. Today, it calls us to protect nature from deforestation, pollution, and poachers, among other things. I feel we should all do our part to save nature because it is not ours, it is a gift from God, and also so that our descendants can enjoy it as we do.

 

 

 

 

8. Principle of Subsidiarity: Limits the government so that it does not become oppressive to its people, gives the people their share of the control, and so they do not become too powerful. I believe in this Principle because governments are meant to serve the people, not visa versa, so they should have their restrictions.

 

9. Principle of Human Equality: This summarizes some previous Principles and just says that all people should be treated equally by anyone and anything in order to ensure their dignity.

 

10. Principle of the Common Good: Defined as social conditions allowing people to reach full human potential and realize their human dignity. This is one of the main striving forces behind all of the previous Principles. It is what makes us want to follow the other ones. Today, the common good can refer to what is best for international cooperation between all countries to further develop the human family and have a better chance at attaining the common good and I am all for the union between all nations worldwide.