...people have different attitudes towards abortion. Abortion can take place for various reasons, such as being afraid of financial hardship that child would bring, being subject to rape or incest, unstable relationships and sometimes may be an inconvenience to the woman who is career driven. With such reasoning to justify abortion raises many moral questions like ‘when does a human life which is morally equal to our own being? Pope John Paul II defines abortion in Evangelium Vitae as “a deliberate, lethal attack on the body of the child- with or without the aim of ending its life. The church has always condemned the act of abortion as the Catholic Christians believe that life is sacred from conception until natural death. Although, there is no clear mention of abortion in the bible, besides references to the treatment of pregnant women in war that can lead to killing of the unborn child. The church believes that the taking of an innocent life whether born or unborn is morally wrong. The churches view on abortion is backed up by a passage from the Declaration on Procured Abortion 1974: “Human life is precious. Infused by the creator, life is again taken back by him.”(Gn 2:7) and he will demand an account for it, for in the image of God man was made.”(Gn 4:10) The commandment of God is formal; ‘You shall not kill (Ex 20:13). The passage highlights the importance of first human right; life. A mature human life does not belong to society or public authority to achieve his right to live...
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...Exchange 37 (2008) 124-155 www.brill.nl/exch Ethiopian Traditional Values versus the Social Teaching of the Church Solomon Dejene Research Student, Nijmegen Institute for Mission Studies, Nijmegen, The Netherlands Email: S.Dejene@nim.ru.nl Abstract Even if the Roman Catholic Church does not have a very long history in Ethiopia and constitutes a small minority of the society, her social significance is great in part due to the structural development programs she runs through out the country. The main aim of this paper is to identify how much the Church1 has made use of traditional systems and values in reflecting and communicating pastorally particularly in regard the Social of the Church (henceforth CST). By analyzing four selected pastoral letters, this article tries to spell out the strengths and shortcomings of the Church in employing traditional systems and values in giving form to the CST. Keywords Catholic social teaching, human dignity, common good, solidarity, reconciliation and peace, contextualization, Ethiopian traditional values Introduction Most of the current national boundaries of Africa were drawn during the colonial period and do not reflect the socio-cultural, ethno-linguistic and religious compositions of the colonies. Although Ethiopia has successfully overcome European colonial power and survived as an independent state with the exception of a five year Italian occupation (1936-41), its contemporary national boarder is a result of the scramble for Africa....
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...Walter C., Jr. Preaching and Teaching from the Old Testament: A Guide for the Church. Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group, 2003. 222 pp. Paper. $8.99. Walter C. Kaiser Jr. is an evangelical Old Testament scholar, writer, public speaker, and educator born in 1933. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from Wheaton College, Bachelor of Divinity from Wheaton Graduate School, and both M.A. and Ph.D. in Mediterranean studies from Brandeis University. He was the president of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary until 2006. He was the Colman M. Mockler distinguished Professor Emeritus of Old Testament and Old Testament Ethics. Prior to this he was Senior Vice President of Education, Academic Dean, and Senior Vice President of Distance Learning and Ministries, and Professor of Old Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. In 1977 he was the president of the Evangelical Theological Society. Currently he serves on the boards of several Christian organizations. He is the author of dozens of books and commentaries. Also many of his articles appear in the Journal for the Study of Old Testament, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Christianity Today, Westminster Theological Journal, and the Evangelical Quarterly. His primary purpose in writing this book, Preaching and Teaching from the Old Testament: A Guide for the Church, is to address the lack of preaching and teaching from the Old Testament that is currently going on in the modern church. The general consensus is...
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...The Catholic Church Attempts Bringing Their Own Back On the Same Sex Marriage Issue Abstract The following paper will argue for the Catholic Church against those Catholics within the institution what agree with same sex marriage. In fact, a little more than 50 percent of Catholics according to a recent survey by Pew Research accept and support homosexuality and same sex marriage (Lipka, 2014). There will be four opposing arguments make by the magisterium, which is the teaching of the Catholic Church, against same sex marriage. These arguments include; the teachings which prohibit homosexual activity, teachings that need to include those that promote the dignity of the person, the good of marriage as a social institution, and their religious liberties as they exist today. Pope Francis declares that homosexuals are good people they just practice immoral acts that are not accepted within the institute of marriage (Hale, 2015). Arguments are based on the magisterium and our religious liberties. There is hope that that those Catholics in agreement of same sex marriage will return to the beliefs followed by the magisterium following the reading of this information. Introduction The Catholic Church Attempts Bringing Their Own Back On the Same Sex Marriage Issue The Scriptures are not silent within the Catholic Church (Montoya, 2000). He claims that homosexuality in the eyes of the church is treated as a violation according to Scriptures, and a major one standing out is...
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...accepted Aristotelian view of the world around him. This view was customary and honored by the Roman Catholic Church and most of the people who studied. Like every other intelligent person...
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...important in church history. As the early church began to expand, Christianity had to compete with a number of ethnic, philosophic, and mysterious religions in the Roman world. False teachings and doctrinal error began to surface inside and outside the church. To put an end to the confusion and restore doctrinal truth, God called a group of men, known as the Apologists, to defend the truth. The Apologists were scholarly men who took on the task of composing a defense and endorsement of Christian truths. Their objective, to dispel falsehoods and misunderstandings, and to point towards Christian truth. False teachings were found inside and outside the church. Examples of heresies in the church include Marcionism, a belief that there was a creator god who was evil and a redeemer god who was good. Ebionitism taught Jesus was not the second person in the Godhead. Instead, He was the prophetic successor to Moses. Montanism believed in celibacy and prolonged fasting. It also taught obedience to the Holy Spirit through His prophet Montanus and challenged church authority. Gnosticism, Manicheanism and Neoplatonism are examples of heresies outside the church. Gnosticism and Manicheanism are closely related, teaching among other things dualism believing spirit is good, material or physical is evil. God did not create the universe. Neoplatonism is a mystical religion based on the philosophical teachings of Plato. While these errant teachings were harmful to the early church, it forced...
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...Encyclicals Online website and thought it would be appropriate to discuss in preparation for our readings in the next weeks. It gives us the standing of the Church at the time in regards to what were considered heresies by the early Catholic church, specifically the Church’s condemnation of the teachings of Martin Luther who would go on to change an institution that had lasted for a thousand years (textbook). Upon his election to the Papacy, Leo X is said to have remarked "Let us enjoy the papacy since God has given it to us” (Catholic Encyclopedia). This quote indicates that he was a man of pleasure who lacked the seriousness to deal with the dangers facing the Church (Catholic Encyclopedia). His lavish support of the arts, the war with France and the construction of St. Peters Cathedral resulted in the draining of the Papal Treasury within two years of his election to Pope and the need to increase revenue (Britannica). This resulted in the hierarchy of the Church selling indulgences in order to bring in money. Indulgences are monies paid in order to be excused from a certain amount of punishment time spent in Purgatory (textbook). By 1517 this was big business for the Church and these teachings reached Martin Luther in Germany prompting him to release his Ninety-five Thesis (Britannica). These are the teachings that are being condemned by Leo X in the Exsurge Domine. Leo X speaks of these heresies by refering to them as “errors” and describes them as “errors are...
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...Church Evaluation Form Not every church will have every ministry. If they do not have a particular ministry, just indicate this in the space provided. Church #1 Name: Christ Fellowship Church #1 Website: http://gochristfellowship.com/ 1. Ministry is…praying for others. a. Does the church have a prayer ministry? What does it look like? A community of prayer called the Traffic Ministry Team. They give you links to get started as well as a form so that they can contact if that is a more comfortable preferance. 2. Ministry is…following Jesus’ example by practicing spiritual mentoring and multiplying. a. Does the church have a strategy for evangelism? Yes, many class room and personal opportunities to participate in many different levels of evangelism, including the Hispanic community. b. Does the church have a strategy for discipleship? Yes, Discipleship is obviously important to this church. c. Briefly describe what they look like. Evangelism opportunities are available, through open invitations to current planned evangelical trips, as well as classes teaching about their trips to come and what their purpose is. Discipleship opportunities are available through extending classes to the Hispanic community, Seniors, providing special events throughout the week. 3. Ministry is…leading small groups. a. Does the church have a small group ministry? What can learn about their small group...
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...Book Of Galations The role of women in the Christian faith has always been matter of debate. Whether women are equal to men in the eyes of the church still presents itself as a major question as we move into the 21st century. Women are still not allowed to serve as priests or hold major positions in the church s hierarchy. This inferiority is something that is seen as tradition and rarely do people question it. However, in Paul s letters he alluded to a different role that women should take on. He presents the idea that everyone is equal in the eyes of the Lord as long as they have been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Although he was not the first to ever express these beliefs, the idea that Paul presented was quite radical for his time and may not have been taken with the same authority as some of his other teachings. However, the basic formula that Paul used in some of his letters was also presented by subsequent writers years after he was finished with his ministry. The most straightforward presentation of Paul s view on the role of women is in Galatians 3:28, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. This statement brought up the idea of baptism and the key role it plays in the life of a Christian. Paul states that when you are baptized in the name of Jesus all worldly distinctions are no longer important. A person is not to be viewed based on past religion, life before baptism, or gender, he or she will now be viewed simply as a...
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...through persecution led by the Roman emperor, Nero. Also written to preserve Peter’s account of the life and teachings of Jesus Luke Author: Luke Intended Audience: Greek and Gentile Christians, also directly addressed a person named Theophilus. His importance is unknown, but believed to be a non-Christian and highly regarded Roman. Luke desired to give his audience a clear and coherent understanding of the teachings and works of Jesus through an organized account of Jesus life through eye-witness accounts. Luke often explained Jewish customs and sometimes substituted Greek words for Hebrew. John Author: John, the apostle Intended Audience: Non-Jewish believers and unbelievers who were struggling with the acceptance of Greek philosophies. John’s primary purpose for his writing is stated in chapter 20 verse 31, “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.” It is most likely a compilation of the oral traditions and theology of the apostle John that became published by a companion after his death. Acts Author: Luke Intended Audience: Addressed again to Theophilus, but intended for all believers It contained a historical account to of the origins of Christianity. The book of Acts also helps to bridge the divide between the Gospel narrative and the letters to the church. Romans Author: Paul the apostle Intended Audience: Gentile church in Rome The book was written with an emphasis on the sinful nature of man and God’s plan to...
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...Exploring the Broken Bay Catholic Diocesan Religious Education Curriculum Document Student’s Name Institution Exploring the Broken Bay Catholic Diocesan Religious Education Curriculum Document In Catholic schools, religious education is the first area of learning. Religious education enables children and the youth to justify, explain and understand Christian message and teachings as they are taught by the Catholic Church (Carswell, 2001). Religious education is taught to all those who follow and believe in Christ in the world. Through learning, students are taught research, guided on how to study and overall learn how Christians should live (Ryan, 2003). These students also get to know the distinctive vision of the Catholic Church. The Catholic curriculum systematically directs students and enhances them to reflect critically on the meaning of being a Catholic (Carswell, 2001). In Australia, Religious Education Curriculum is imperative, and a must learn program for all years of schooling. This Program, which is denoted as K-12 contains what is to be covered in the Religious curriculum (Ryan, 2003). Time allocations are prescribed to this curriculum about the age of the learners. This program is part of the learning experience and is mandated by Australian Bishops. Its primary objective is to raising religious knowledge and awareness. In Australia, Religious Education is an extremely acclaimed feature of the Australian Catholic schools through...
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...collection of interpretations, whether they be right or wrong, are ought to form. Throughout the early centuries many altered interpretations, or heresies, regarding the bible formed. Although the heresy of Marcionism was outlandish and heavily disputed against, it actually aided in the emergence of the Catholic Church. According to John Knox, of the University of Chicago, “Among the creative personalities of early Christianity few are so interesting and important as Marcion, who was expelled from the Roman community… and whose activities gave rise to the most vigorous heretical movement within the ancient church”(p.1). According to the article, Marcion and Scripture: The Impact of a Second Century Heretic on the New Testament, Marcion’s early life was filled with disgrace. “At some point later, however, he was “excommunicated by his own father” for having seduced a consecrated virgin and “degraded both her and himself.” Most modern historians think that the story of Marcion's seduction of a virgin may be a symbolic tale in which the virgin represents the church and Marcion's seduction represents his introduction of heretical teaching”(p.1-3). After being excommunicated from the Church, he took his odd beliefs to Asia Minor. Adolf von Harnack, the author of Marcion The Gospel of the Alien God, explained the bishop of Smyrna, Polycarp’s views as “Polycarp sharply...
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...can and cannot change within the Catholic Church. This happened to be the title of the primary book that we used for this course. This book, by John T. Noonan, is entitled A Church That Can and Cannot Change: The Development of Catholic Moral Teaching. A theme which Noonan immediately focuses on throughout the book is one which touches many of us deeply, slavery. As a person who has studied both law and religion and who is now embarking on a study of moral theology & ethics, I was highly interested in reading what John T. Noonan a distinguished scholar -author and member of the U.S. Court of Appeals- had to say in such an arena. Having heard him lecture, I was interested to see how his viewpoint translated into this type of arena. I was not disappointed. Throughout our course we not only discussed how this work dealt with such a topic, but we also discussed our own viewpoints on this very topic. Within the following paper I will discuss the issue of slavery, in the form of a synthetic paper, and how not only how it has evolved, but also the various positions the church has had concerning such an issue. As a backdrop, I will also use what Noonan outlined in his book as well. Therefore, this paper will be in the form of a review of Noonan thoughts (which will utilize various points from my prior presentation on this topic)/synthetic paper on the issue of slavery within the Catholic Church. John T. Noonan builds A Church That Can and Cannot Change on the fact that...
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...Exploring the Broken Bay Catholic Diocesan Religious Education Curriculum Document Student’s Name Institution Exploring the Broken Bay Catholic Diocesan Religious Education Curriculum Document In Catholic schools, religious education is the first area of learning. Religious education enables children and the youth to justify, explain and understand Christian message and teachings as they are taught by the Catholic Church (Carswell, 2001). Religious education is taught to all those who follow and believe in Christ in the world. Through learning, students are taught research, guided on how to study and overall learn how Christians should live (Ryan, 2003). These students also get to know the distinctive vision of the Catholic Church. The Catholic curriculum systematically directs students and enhances them to reflect critically on the meaning of being a Catholic (Carswell, 2001). In Australia, Religious Education Curriculum is imperative, and a must learn program for all years of schooling. This Program, which is denoted as K-12 contains what is to be covered in the Religious curriculum (Ryan, 2003). Time allocations are prescribed to this curriculum about the age of the learners. This program is part of the learning experience and is mandated by Australian Bishops. Its primary objective is to raising religious knowledge and awareness. In Australia, Religious Education is an extremely acclaimed feature of the Australian Catholic schools through...
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...During the medieval period, Religion was a topic of great importance within a person's life. The church guided society and culture based on the teachings and understandings of the life of Jesus Christ. We are able to highlight the importance of the church during the medieval period through the teachings and life of Jesus. The characteristics of the medieval period and the impact of important aspects such as monasteries, art and architecture and health and medicine, give us a more in depth idea of what it was like during the middle ages and how people were drawn to religion and the teachings of the church. Beginning in the 300s, monasticism affected the entire church and also influenced European culture, theology, agricultural methods, art, music and architecture. Monasticism is a way of life in which a group of individuals pursue holiness. It is one of the...
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