What is "social justice"?

[johnnycatholic]

What is “social justice” and how is it different from justice in general? Isn’t this term politically biased in that it is used mainly by cultural and economic marxists? Isn’t the usual purpose for using this phrase generally to divide people into different victim groups for use as political tools?
I think we should go back to the more Catholic “culure of death”.

 

[Dale_M]

“Social justice” is common parlance for the Church’s social teaching. The phrase is used in several Church documents - I don’t think there is anything wrong with it.

“Culture of Death” is narrower than Social Justice. I think the new name encourages us to converse a little more widely than we had done under the old name.

 

[Susan1006]

Remember when Jesus told us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and visit the sick and incarcerated, etc? Those and other corporal acts of mercy are the foundation for social justice. If Catholics want to go to heaven, they have to do their part for the poor and underpriveleged. I don’t think its really optional, do you?

 

[johnnycatholic]

In U.S. political discourse the phrase is more often used by those who are left wing in ideology and when I say that I mean it is more often used by the culture of death.
I just think that the phrase carries the stigma of being too much of a left wing political catchphrase. I think that’s why it is called the pontifical council for justice and peace and not the pontifical council for social justice and peace.
The phrase does widen the discussion but it also removes emphasis from the most important area of “social justice”. Quite frankly humanity can’t, won’t, and does not deserve social justice until the cancerous attitudes and spiritual evils of the culture of death have been eradicated. When Sister Joan Chittister stops proclaiming to be such a big advocate of social justice (meaning womenpriests in addition to universal health care), I’ll think better of it.

 

[johnnycatholic]

Remember when Jesus told us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and visit the sick and incarcerated, etc? Those and other corporal acts of mercy are the foundation for social justice. If Catholics want to go to heaven, they have to do their part for the poor and underpriveleged. I don’t think its really optional, do you?

This is irrelevant to the discussion. Nobody has said anything about not helping the poor.

 

[catharina]

In U.S. political discourse the phrase is more often used by those who are left wing in ideology and when I say that I mean it is more often used by the culture of death.
I just think that the phrase carries the stigma of being too much of a left wing political catchphrase. I think that’s why it is called the pontifical council for justice and peace and not the pontifical council for social justice and peace.
The phrase does widen the discussion but it also removes emphasis from the most important area of “social justice”. Quite frankly humanity can’t, won’t, and does not deserve social justice until the cancerous attitudes and spiritual evils of the culture of death have been eradicated. When Sister Joan Chittister stops proclaiming to be such a big advocate of social justice (meaning womenpriests in addition to universal health care), I’ll think better of it.

I refer you to this link.

usccb.org/catechism/text/pt3sect1chpt2art3.htm

It provides the Catechism’s definition of social justice. I might also suggest that you simply ignore the words of Joan Chittister. Anyone can kidnap and negate the meaning of a term. As for what humanity might deserve, I’ll put forth the fact that not a single one of us has deserved the grace that a life in Christ givess - but the mercy of God grants it to us.

 

[Susan1006]

Thanks for the link. I was just going to get my book out The paragraphs 1939-1942 on solidarity almost make me cry. Why can’t it be that way. Come Lord Jesus!

 

[LCMS_No_More]

Thanks for the link. I was just going to get my book out The paragraphs 1939-1942 on solidarity almost make me cry. Why can’t it be that way. Come Lord Jesus!

Solidarity goes against the grain of American thinking and American Catholics tend to let that Americanism affect their religious beliefs. We should all strive to be Catholic Americans.

 

[IrishAm]

“Justice” alone typically refers to a judiciary system. “Social justice” is often simply a term used to differentiate itself with “legal justice.” It is, presumeably (maybe “hopefully” , broader and more humane . . .

 

[rlg94086]

Solidarity goes against the grain of American thinking and American Catholics tend to let that Americanism affect their religious beliefs. We should all strive to be Catholic Americans.

I don’t see that LCMS_No_More. Can you explain how you believe “solidarity goes against the grain of American thinking?”

 

[Bobby_Jim]

I don’t see that LCMS_No_More. Can you explain how you believe “solidarity goes against the grain of American thinking?”

We tend to admire “rugged individualists”, “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps”, “self-made man”, and the like. The shadow side of this is that we can sometimes look at people who aren’t those things, and assume that they are lazy slobs and it’s their own fault and they lack basic human dignity.

 

[rlg94086]

We tend to admire “rugged individualists”, “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps”, “self-made man”, and the like. The shadow side of this is that we can sometimes look at people who aren’t those things, and assume that they are lazy slobs and it’s their own fault and they lack basic human dignity.

But, that is an overgeneralization of the American spirit. We also exhibit a lot of charitable giving and solidarity.

Are you saying, as Catholics, we don’t expect people to take responsibility for themselves? Isn’t that part of the dignity of a human being?

 

[Al_Masetti]

“Social Justice” came around at about the same time as “Liberation Theology” and “Feminism”.

In my opinion, it’s an excuse to use a slogan to justify immoral and, in many cases, violent behavior. It allows a mob to seize someone’s property illegally, for example, and without due process … but with a great deal of emotion.

Anybody with good rhetorical skills can whip up a mob into a frenzy and take action … and justify it by calling it “social justice”.

 

[catharina]

“Social Justice” came around at about the same time as “Liberation Theology” and “Feminism”.

In my opinion, it’s an excuse to use a slogan to justify immoral and, in many cases, violent behavior. It allows a mob to seize someone’s property illegally, for example, and without due process … but with a great deal of emotion.

Anybody with good rhetorical skills can whip up a mob into a frenzy and take action … and justify it by calling it “social justice”.

The use and acceptance of social justice as a TERM is recent. However, detailed teaching regarding justice and our social obligations go back more than one hundred years to Pope Leo XIII who responded to the differing responsibilities that the Industrial Revolution brought to the world and the expanded challenges for Roman Catholics. Again, I present the Vatican link.

vatican.net/archive/catechism/p3s1c2a3.htm

Anybody with adequate rheotorical skills might whip a mob into frenzied behaviors, calling it social justice, democratic freedoms or communist imperative. The Church has offered specific teachings regard social justice and it cannot be denied.

 

[Al_Masetti]

freemoneyfinance.com/2006/06/the_bible_work_.html

Cribbed:

For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” 2 Thessalonians 3:10

Yep, don’t work, don’t eat. I think that says it all.

Notice that it doesn’t say that those who CAN NOT work should not eat. No, we should have compassion on and help out those people. But if someone can work, yet WILL NOT work, then he’s left to the consequences of his actions (or inactions in this case).

Here are a couple other verses on this same line of thinking:

Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. Proverbs 10:4

How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest – and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man. Proverbs 6:9-11

So get out there and work! Or find a way to survive without eating.

***** End of crib.

Christianity and Judism have always had mechanisms for supporting people who could not support themselves; where do you think the notion of TITHING came from.

ALWAYS.

The Church always has had effective mechanisms for supporting the poor.

But this was all VOLUNTARY support for the poor. The “government” didn’t seize private property to support people who claimed to be poor.

In Germany and in England, when some folks looked with envious eyes at the resources the Catholic Church had available to apply to the poor, there were campaigns effected to seize those properties.

Thus, the Protestant Revolution(s). Proof? Look, for example, at the “abbeys” in England used as private homes. They were originally poor houses used by the Church. After the “revolution”, they were seized and the poor were thrown out into the street.

 

[catharina]

freemoneyfinance.com/2006/06/the_bible_work_.html

Cribbed:

Thessalonians 3:10

Yep, don’t work, don’t eat. I think that says it all.

Notice that it doesn’t say that those who CAN NOT work should not eat. No, we should have compassion on and help out those people. But if someone can work, yet WILL NOT work, then he’s left to the consequences of his actions (or inactions in this case).

Here are a couple other verses on this same line of thinking:

Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. Proverbs 10:4

How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest – and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man. Proverbs 6:9-11

So get out there and work! Or find a way to survive without eating.

---

Christianity and Judism have always had mechanisms for supporting people who could not support themselves; where do you think the notion of tithing came from.

ALWAYS.

The Church always has had effective mechanisms for supporting the poor.

But this was all VOLUNTARY support for the poor. The “government” didn’t seize private property to support people who claimed to be poor.

Three verses from the Bible do not a theology make. I referred you to a Church document and you complain about seizures by the government. I think we’re addressing different subjects.

 

[Al_Masetti]

Three verses from the Bible do not a theology make. I referred you to a Church document and you complain about seizures by the government. I think we’re addressing different subjects.

Not really.

The only real differences are the number of words.

 

[catharina]

Not really.

The only real differences are the number of words.

We are not really addressing different subjects? I’m more certain now that we are - and I haven’t a clue what your response means.

Anyway, peace to you.

 

[vern_humphrey]

**Social Justice Some Definitions **

ecatholic2000.com/sj/socjust.shtml

In order to define social justice, let us begin, by taking a look at what social ministry is:

Social Ministry has two main aspects: social service (also known as Parish Outreach) and **social action **

Social Service is giving direct aid to someone in need. It usually involves performing one or more of the corporal works of mercy. That is, giving alms to the poor, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick or imprisoned, taking care of orphans and widows, visiting the shut-ins etc. Another name for it is charity.

Social Action is correcting the structures that perpetuate the need. Another name for this is Social Justice. Through the lens of social justice, we begin to take a look at the problems and issues facing us in our own communities, the nation and finally the world, and we begin to ask questions such as, “Why is there so much unemployment in our area?” “Why are there so many poor in our community?” “How will the deforestation of our rain forests affect our global climate?” etc. Very often when you are performing social service, you also become involved in solving the problem which created the need in the first place, and the two are closely related and often blend together. An example of this would be, someone comes to your food pantry, and tells you he/she has no food, because he/she lost their job recently. You may know of an employer looking to hire someone right away for a job requiring little or no skills. You give that person food, then place that person in touch with the employer. You then would have solved both problems for that person. (a) the immediate need of food through an act of charity (social service) and (b) you would have corrected the problem which created and perpetuated the need. (social justice)

 

[LCMS_No_More]

We tend to admire “rugged individualists”, “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps”, “self-made man”, and the like. The shadow side of this is that we can sometimes look at people who aren’t those things, and assume that they are lazy slobs and it’s their own fault and they lack basic human dignity.

Add “I got mine!” to that and that’s pretty much what I mean.

And I would like to say for the record, the BEST anti-poverty program around is a good union job with benefits and a pension plan; things under attack by a certain group of politicians representing corporations.