The Importance Of Catholic Social Thought In The Roman Catholic Church

UNIT 2 PRINCIPLES OF DIGNITY IN ADULT HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE PRACTICE BY MARIE BROWN

All individuals have a right to participate in the education, politic, economy and cultural life of society (Catholic Charities, 2016). It is a fundamental demand of justice system and the requirement for a human dignity that is assured for everyone in society to participate in the community (Catholic Charities, 2016). Moreover, it is wrong for someone or group of people to be excluded from participating social activities, treated unfairly or not be able to participate in society (Catholic Charities, 2016). When every individual participates in society, it will flourish.

Community is built of two main elements. First, community requires communal caring. Members need to put themselves in positions where they are able to relate to other members and does everything “within reasonable limits of self-sacrifice” (65). The second is communal reciprocity. Individuals will serve other members of the community, not for exchange of goods, but to provide generosity and support. These elements of community appear in the lives of all individuals, even the most capitalist ones. Humans are entirely capable of these.

“How is dignity upheld? The dignity of every person, independent of ethnicity, creed, gender, sexuality, age or ability, is the foundation of CST. No human being should have their dignity or freedom compromised. Poverty, hunger, oppression and injustice make it impossible to live a life commensurate with this dignity. At Caritas Australia, all our programs are people-centred with empowerment at their heart. People are never treated as commodities nor as mere recipients of aid.” (Caritas.org.au, 2015)

‘Society ensures social justice by providing the conditions that allow associations and individuals to obtain their due.’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1928).

The human person has always perplexed the minds of many. How can one comprehend something that is so complex and unique compared to the other species in the world? Various groups have formed their own beliefs and thoughts about the human being and what one must strive to do and achieve in order to have dignity and to be successful. Society believes that science, reason, and past experiences are satisfactory guides for deciding the right or wrong in any situation. That man is only a combination of atoms and particles, created entirely by accident and without much meaning or intention. However the Catholic understanding of humans is vastly different than that of secular society. The Catholic church concludes

Each individual person is worthy of respect and given dignity is the rights approach. These are not legal rights, but our right to life, freedom, speech, well-being, etc. The rights approach applies to every individual. Under this approach we should take into consideration our actions or behavior and how they affect a individual's rights. Courage, compassion, integrity, fairness, honesty are a few ideal characteristics that we as individual's should strive to use each and every day

Spock from Star Trek said it best “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few”. This statement is associated with a moral theory known as utilitarianism, which asserts that each individual should act should serve the greatest good for the greatest number (Armstrong, 2013). The Common Good is a theory or idea that in some situations an individual’s right may take a back seat to what is best for a group of people as a whole. In any society there will always be a natural tension between the interests of individuals and the interest of the group as a whole. There will always be conflict between what individuals want and what serves their interests and what is needed for the welfare, safety and security of the entire group.

Common good creates a just and peaceful world because all of the people are in harmony with each other, are affixed to one goal, and think as one mind in Christ. In order to achieve common good we must relieve our hearts with the selfishness and biases that we have against others and we must focus on the universal outcome of our actions.

The role of the Catholic Church going to the peripheries is huge for the community. First off, the Catholic Church helps those in need by donating to people who don’t have shelter, or people who don’t have food or water to drink. They also help by holding volunteer work, so people who want to help those in need can by being there. Another thing the Catholic Church does to help those in need is praying. Some people get together to help those in need by asking the Lord to help them. Others pray for them by themselves to help for those in need. The Catholic Church is very generous for being there when people are in need. The Catholic church greatly represents the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy. They would help feed the hungry by bringing goods to those who need it. The Church can give drink to the thirsty by not wasting water. The Catholic Church helps people to shelter the homeless by collecting supplies they need. They can clothe the naked by donating clothes to those who don’t have enough. The Church can visit the sick and imprisoned giving blood and spending time volunteering at nursing homes. They bury the dead by sending a card to to someone who has lost a loved one. Finally, the Catholic Church give alms to the poor by donating money, like a the poor box in the Church. The Spiritual Works of Mercy can also represent the Catholic Church helping those in need. Overall, the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy really represent how the Catholic Church helps those in need, and the Church is a good role model for all Catholics alike.

The Common Good Approach regards all individuals as part of a larger community. As such, we share certain common conditions and institutions upon which our welfare depends. For society to thrive, we need to safeguard the sustainability of our community for the good of all, including our weakest and most vulnerable members. Some things that nurture a healthy, functioning community are: stable family life; good schools; affordable nourishment and health care; effective public safety; a just legal system; fair trade and commerce; a safe, well-managed ecosystem; an accessible technological environment; a well-maintained infrastructure; and a peaceful

More than a destination at the end of the day, a community is a place people feel at home and a place where people want to feel safe at. Community responsibilities area unit a personality's duties or obligations to the community and embody cooperation, respect and participation. The thought goes on the far side thinking and acting as people to common beliefs concerning shared interests and life. A basic community responsibility is voting in elections. Being socially accountable means folks and organizations should behave ethically and with sensitivity toward social, cultural, economic and environmental problems. Striving for social responsibility helps people, organizations and governments have a positive impact on development, business

The Catholic Church took on a more significant role as a” provider of social services from the mid-nineteenth century”(Considine and Dukelow ,2009,p.15. The Church strongly endorsed the principle of Subsidiarity, supporting the belief that areas concerned with provision should be managed at local level, by various community based groups.

The world has more than one billion Catholics and with the ever growing population, it will only get larger in number. To be a Catholic means to have complete faith in God and his divine grace. Having God's divine grace means to obey it and keep it holy as it was created by God and given to his people. The religion itself is based on this and the people take it very seriously. Catholics believe that all people are of good nature but when one commits a sin it not only hurts that one person but the people and the Church.

The root of the concept of dignity, or commonly human dignity, has a long history. This root began with the long theological and philosophical history that has many-faceted. Nevertheless, its legal history is relatively short. As it has moved through its long history, human dignity has been influenced by different theological traditions. It was also influenced by the views of philosophers who developed human dignity in their moral and political contemplations. In the twentieth century, however, the concept encountered a new phenomenon. It brought into the legal world. Then, it received its momentum in the middle of the twentieth century. From the middle of the twentieth century