Social Justice: Elements of a Just World

Stage 1 Studies in Religion Cabra Dominican College 2011

God’s dream for the world….

• "God says to you, 'I have a dream. Please help me to realize it.’ It is a dream of a world whose ugliness and squalor and poverty, its war and hostility, its greed and harsh competitiveness, its alienation and disharmony are changed into their glorious counterparts.“

Archbishop Desmond Tutu

A ‘Just’ world…

• Looks like…..?

• Sounds like…..?

• Feels like….?

My image of a ‘Just World’….

What is YOUR IMAGE OF A JUST WORLD ?

Take 5 minutes to think about it and write down some ideas to share with the class.

Elements of a Just World

1. Concern for Basic Needs 2. Concern for Personal Dignity 3. Concern for Solidarity 4. Concern for Social Structures

1. Concern for Basic Needs

“God destined the earth and all it contains for all people and nations so that all created things would be shared fairly by all humankind under The guidance of justice tempered by charity.”

Vatican II, The Church in the Modern World, #69

1. Concern for Basic Needs

 Food  Clothing  Shelter  Healthcare  Rest  Employment  Equal Opportunity  Social Services  Education

2. Concern for Personal Dignity

“Then God said: Let us make (people) in our image, after our likeness…”

Genesis 1:26

2. Concern for Personal Dignity

 Valuing dignity  respecting worth   personal empowerment  make own decisions  participate in the decisions of country & communities.

 right to self esteem Sharing power

3. Concern for Solidarity

“Furthermore since work which (people) share together causes them to have common hopes, sorrows, desires and joy it unites their wills, their minds and their hearts. For when (people) work they recognize one another as brothers and sisters”

Pope Paul VI, On Promoting the Development of Peoples, no 27.

3. Concern for Solidarity

 working WITH, not working FOR  recognizing that we are ONE human family: we need each other, the good of one coincides with the good of all.

 breakdown barriers between rich/poor, young/old, black/white,  Inequity of powers requires a redistribution of power.

4. Concern for Social Structures

“Society should be structured so that it is easy for people to be good” attributed to Peter Maurin, co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement.

4. Concern for Social Structures

 recognizing that personal problems BECOME societal problems  Society's education system, transport system, patterns of government spending, use of natural resources etc are all part of working towards a JUST world  We need to transform societies structures to create a society that provides for all our basic needs and self-esteem.

Sources used:

• • • •

www.jmeelf.com/Elements%20of%20a%20Just%20World.ppt

http://godhasadream.com/ Copyright © 2004-2006 Maui Media, LLC - All Rights Reserved ‘The Four elements of a Just World’ in A call to Justice http://www.coc.org/system/files/Eighth+Sunday+in+Ordinary+Time+%5Ba %5D.pdf

Images Used: • • • • • • http://joshuakaufmann.com/2011/04/what-is-the-image-of-god/ http://thesocialistway.blogspot.com/2011/06/solidarity-forever.html

www.cartoonstock.com.au

http://www.oxfam.org.au/act/take-action/3things/change-the-world 3things-at-a-time http://kevin567.wordpress.com/2010/11/04/harmony/ http://www.rollbackcampaign.org/contest2010/ Prepared by: Ms McIntosh, 2011