Clases Doctrina Social de la Iglesia

1. INTRODUCTION – The Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church
INTRODUCTION – The Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church

2. INTRODUCTION – The Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church
• Social interactions form much of who
we are as humans
• As humans, we live for more than the
next meal; we live for company and
conversation
• People naturally form social groups
– neighborhoods, schools, clubs, teams,
corporations, towns, nation states
– groups need to agree on guidelines for
behavior and obey common laws
BECAUSE WE ARE SOCIAL BEINGS,
WE NEED ONE ANOTHER

3. INTRODUCTION – The Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church
BECAUSE WE ARE SOCIAL BEINGS,
WE NEED ONE ANOTHER (continued)
• Much of human history is the story
of how different groups of people
succeeded or failed at bringing
order to human relations
• Because of Original Sin, human
knowledge is limited
• Without divine guidance, truth itself
is subject to dispute

4. INTRODUCTION – The Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church
• The teachings of the Catholic
Church on this subject, called
Catholic social doctrine, help us to
apply this divine guidance
• As with all Christian doctrine,
Catholic social teaching proceeds
from a proper understanding of
God
BECAUSE WE ARE SOCIAL BEINGS,
WE NEED ONE ANOTHER (continued)

5. INTRODUCTION – The Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church
• This course studies the theological foundations of Catholic
social doctrine and how it was affected by the social changes
of recent centuries
– Define key terminology and what saints and scholars have said about
justice and rights
– How Catholic social thought has developed throughout history
– During the Industrial Revolution, social circumstances underwent
radical transformation
– The principles of Catholic social teaching and their application in the
world and in our lives
• Popes and bishops responded to societal changes with a series
of documents and convening Councils
BECAUSE WE ARE SOCIAL BEINGS,
WE NEED ONE ANOTHER (continued)

6. INTRODUCTION – The Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church
IT IS NOT GOOD TO BE ALONE
• In the Book of Genesis, we learn basic principles that form our
understanding of social order
– God is the origin of creation, and we were made by Him for a purpose
– God has given man “dominion” over the world and all that’s in it
– God created our first parents in a state of marriage, and man and
woman have roles equal in dignity
– The family is the basic structure or cell of human society, and God
directed man to “multiply” and “fill the earth”
– God intended humans to live together in society

7. INTRODUCTION – The Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church
IT IS NOT GOOD TO BE ALONE (continued)
• Society provides us with the
conditions necessary for human
fulfillment – friendship, family, love –
but society also makes envy, betrayal,
and neglect possible
• Original Sin, caused by Adam and
Eve, was inherited by all their
descendants
• This resulted in mankind being
alienated from God and in need of
salvation

8. INTRODUCTION – The Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church
THE OLD TESTAMENT:
LEARNING TO LIVE AS GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE
• After the first sin, God did not abandon humanity but
promised us a Redeemer
• We acknowledge Mary as the mother of this Redeemer and
that she was preserved from the stain of Original Sin
• When sin spread, God permitted humans to suffer the
consequences of sin – pain and sorrow – in order to lead them
to desire peace and fulfillment through the restoration of
human nature’s original goodness
• God chose holy men to be prophets, called to teach men how
to live good lives worthy of heaven, such as Noah, Abraham,
and Moses

9. INTRODUCTION – The Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church
THE OLD TESTAMENT: (continued)
LEARNING TO LIVE AS GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE
• God spoke through these
prophets, giving specific
instructions and guidelines, such
as the Ten Commandments
• As these instructions were
ignored, sin continued to spread
• God also promised that one day,
the Messiah would establish the
kingdom of heaven on earth

10. INTRODUCTION – The Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church
THE NEW TESTAMENT:
A SOCIETY OF HEAVEN AND EARTH
• God sent Jesus to establish His Kingdom on earth and bring all
men to God, not just the Chosen People
• Christ also founded the Church, his own Mystical Body, in
order to unite all populations
• Through Baptism, we are given a new life and united with
others in Christ
• This unity is strengthened in the Sacrament of the Eucharist
• The New Testament presents the Church as a communion of all
those in Heaven acting together with believers in purgatory
and on earth

11. INTRODUCTION – The Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church
• Christ’s salvation is greater than the
Communion of Saints because he
restores our communion with God,
which was lost through Original Sin
• Through Christ and baptism, we are
now children of God and called to live
a holy life
• Catholic social doctrine is Christ’s
teaching applied to the problems and
opportunities of living in societies,
making them training grounds for the
community of Heaven
THE NEW TESTAMENT:
A SOCIETY OF HEAVEN AND EARTH (continued)

12. INTRODUCTION – The Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church
CONCLUSION
• God created us to be his
children, but Adam and Eve
committed Original Sin, which
spread to all nations
• Through the prophets, God
revealed his laws and taught the
Israelites, his Chosen People
• When the Israelites ignored
God’s laws, God sent Jesus to
redeem humanity

13. INTRODUCTION – The Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church
CONCLUSION
• God revealed his doctrine
through Christ and His Church
• The Church’s social doctrine
helps us order society in a way
that will bring us fulfillment and
happiness