Essay on Structure of Sin and Social Justice in Religion

Structures Of Sin

After writing the 20,000 - word encyclical, Pope John Paul II was viewed as the "foremost political-moral relativist of our time," (Safire). Relativism is used to describe a situation whereby the truth is relative from one person to another based on their beliefs or culture. Many people have continued to view the pope as a religious leader who is morally expected to provide direction on what is right and what is wrong. However, Pope John never took a side especially when it came to geopolitics. The Pope mentioned the existence of two opposing blocs mainly the East and the West. The East has been described as atheist and statist while the West has been described as a region that respects free will which is rooted in Judeo-Christian precepts.

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However, the central question is based on the position of the Roman Catholic Church. According to the Pope, the Roman Catholic Church was not taking any side. In his own words, he described the church as a "social doctrine that adopts a critical attitude toward both liberal capitalism and Marxist collectivism,'' (Safire). It was at this point that he describes the meaning of the Structure of Sin based on the two blocs. On one side is a region that desires for profit and the other thirsts for power with the intention of imposing an individual's will upon others (Safire).

I believe that the Vatican's view of the West as greedy and the East as power lustful is slightly inaccurate. However, I do agree with the Popes statements when he states that the two blocs are "guilty of impoverishing the innocent and exploited third world," (Safire). I support his remarks when he indicates that the poor third world countries have continued to suffer as a result of imperialism and they now deserve a share of what the developed nations have earned. The Pope advocates for a noble cause when he indicates that people should sell superfluous church ornaments and other costly items to provide clothing, food, and shelter. This is a good indication of true Catholic social teachings.

Social Justice

According to Christian teachings, social justice refers to God's original intention for the human race where the world was capable of providing all human beings with their basic needs to flourish and keep the peace. However, according to Glenn Beck, people should leave their churches if they have the words 'Social Justice' or 'Economic Justice' in their websites (Beck). Unfortunately, many people did not know what Beck was refereeing to. In the modern society, secularism has found its way inside the church, and some churches have started to adopt certain policies and practices that are contrary to what the Bible teaches. Beck was asking people to leave churches or dominations that mask practices like abortion, homosexuality, euthanasia, racism, policies in the healthcare sector meant to pay for practices like abortion and sex change procedures under 'social justice.' At some point, he states that "Now, am I advising people to leave their church? Yes! If I'm going to Jeremiah's Wright's church? Yes! Leave your church," (Beck). He was referring to Pastor Jeremiah Wright who is known for being President Obama's pastor but is on record for spewing racism and cursing America in the name of 'social and economic justice.' Therefore, people need to understand that Beck is not asking people to leave their churches but those that hide behind the term 'Social Justice' to advocate for specific practices that are contrary to what the Bible teaches.

References

"Glenn Beck: Leave Your Church". News & Reporting, 2018, https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2010/march/20-51.0.html. Accessed 3 Aug 2018.

Safire, William. "ESSAY; 'Structures Of Sin'". Nytimes.Com, 1988, https://www.nytimes.com/1988/02/22/opinion/essay-structures-of-sin.html. Accessed 3 Aug 2018.