Liberation Theology

[SalesianSDB]

As I understand it liberation theology teaches that:

Jesus not only identified himself with the oppressed and the victims, but he too was oppressed and a victim to the cross.

The death of Jesus was not because he was a victor to death and to conquer death, but because he was a victim of the Jews and Pharisee. He couldn’t at any moment choose to not be on the cross (I always thought He did have that power and chose to stay on).

And because He was a victim, the empty tomb really means nothing. In Christianity and Catholicism the empty tomb signifies the overcoming of death (as the song goes: *O death, where is your sting? O hell, where is your victory? O church, come stand in the light The glory of God has defeated the night *)

And salvation as I understand it God saves the oppressed and poor automatically, because He is one of them. Then for the oppressors to be saved their salvation is connected to each other and collectively they must give up everything and give it to the oppressed to be saved. And in liberation theology the oppressor is defined as anyone benefiting from society, so in black liberation theology, since whites have benefited from their ancestors who persecuted blacks, whites are the oppressor even if they didn’t do anything, they benefited from it. So technically, by this definition aren’t we all oppressors here for the most part?

So this is my understanding of what liberation theology is. If it is wrong, please tell me, I am here to learn. If you could help me out with specifics I’d appreciate it because I only know of it in generalities.

Thank God Cardinal Ratzinger stopped liberation theology in Latin America when he was a cardinal!

Any help would be great.

 

[Apollos]

Wikipedia has a good summary: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberation_theology

 

[Elizabeth502]

As I understand it liberation theology teaches that:

Jesus not only identified himself with the oppressed and the victims, but he too was oppressed and a victim to the cross.

The death of Jesus was not because he was a victor to death and to conquer death, but because he was a victim of the Jews and Pharisee. He couldn’t at any moment choose to not be on the cross (I always thought He did have that power and chose to stay on).

And because He was a victim, the empty tomb really means nothing. In Christianity and Catholicism the empty tomb signifies the overcoming of death (as the song goes: *O death, where is your sting? O hell, where is your victory? O church, come stand in the light The glory of God has defeated the night *)

And salvation as I understand it God saves the oppressed and poor automatically, because He is one of them. Then for the oppressors to be saved their salvation is connected to each other and collectively they must give up everything and give it to the oppressed to be saved. And in liberation theology the oppressor is defined as anyone benefiting from society, so in black liberation theology, since whites have benefited from their ancestors who persecuted blacks, whites are the oppressor even if they didn’t do anything, they benefited from it. So technically, by this definition aren’t we all oppressors here for the most part?

So this is my understanding of what liberation theology is. If it is wrong, please tell me, I am here to learn. If you could help me out with specifics I’d appreciate it because I only know of it in generalities.

Thank God Cardinal Ratzinger stopped liberation theology in Latin America when he was a cardinal!

Any help would be great.

Well I’m not going to dignify the so-called “theology” cough] with the specifics that you want, but I’ll add to your general summary: It posits that all of Jesus’ words can be interpreted as political and economic emancipation of all underclasses, as supposedly that was Jesus’ mission. You see, supposedly, Jesus as a “type” was a foreshadowing of a modern liberator which we, lacking such a leader, should act in his stead to represent. Charity of neighbor is not the message: political emanicipation is the message. Jesus came specifically to save The (economically) Poor, not us sinners, not the spiritually poor, not anyone from the developed world – just the poorest of the Third World. So, the “real” Christian is committed to liberating oppressed peoples, or he does not follow the “theology” of Jesus.

 

[GerardMajella]

I agree with the post above. I would also add that you want to think of liberation theology less as “theology” and more as “political”. The “political” component of liberation theology being a theory that the “ends justifies the means”, and use of violent force to obtain political change is “acceptable”. It’s basically Marxism under a different name.