Catholic Social Thoughts and Community: A Detailed Analysis

This essay provides an in-depth analysis of Catholic Social Thoughts (CST), examining its core principles and their implications for both self and community. The paper begins by establishing the foundational importance of CST within the Catholic Church, emphasizing the Church's commitment to human dignity and social justice. The essay delves into several key principles, including the sanctity of human life, the importance of family and community, the balance of rights and responsibilities, the preferential option for the poor and vulnerable, the dignity of work and workers' rights, the concept of solidarity, and the care for God's creation. Each principle is explored with reference to its ethical and moral dimensions, and the essay highlights how these principles contribute to building a just society. The conclusion reinforces the significance of CST as a guide for ethical living and social action, offering moral principles for navigating the complexities of modern society. References from various scholars are also included to support the analysis.

Running head: SELF & COMMUNITY
Self & Community
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Executive Summary
The Catholic Church declared that lives of human beings is revered and that the human life’s
solemnity is the basis of an ethical vision in respect of the the world. Moreover, Church’s
conviction in the human life’s sanctity as well as the innate human individual’s dignity is the
basis of each and every principle of the Church’s societal teachings.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Principles of Catholic Social Thoughts (CST)................................................................................3
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
Reference.........................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
In this assignment, Catholic Social Thoughts is regarded as a fundamental as well as key
constituent in respect of faith. The Catholic Church has the certainty that human beings have a
right and a duty towards performing a dynamic function within the society, for seeking in a
collective way, general betterment and benefit of everyone, especially the deprived and the
susceptible.
Principles of Catholic Social Thoughts (CST)
Human Person’s Life as well as Dignity
Within a world, warped by covetousness and weakening respect in respect of human
existence, the Catholic Church declared that lives of human beings is revered and that the human
life’s solemnity is the basis of an ethical vision in respect of the the world. The Church’s belief
in the human life’s sanctity as well as the innate reverence of the human individual is the basis of
each and every principle regarding the Church’s social teachings. (Turner, 2015). The human
life’s value is getting endangered through the rising use of death sentence. There occurs the
undermining of dignity for life when the creation of human life gets condensed to the
manufacturing of a product, similar to the aspect of human cloning or proposals in respect of
genetic engineering to create the “perfect” human life. On the other hand, the Catholic Church is
having the belief that all individuals are valuable and that human beings are more significant in
comparison to other objects, and that the quantification of various foundations is whether it’s
threatening or enhancing the human individual’s life as well as dignity (Walker, 2014).
Call to family, participation and community

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Within an international cultural aspect determined through tremendous selfishness,
traditional aspect regarding the Catholic Church proclaims that a person isn’t just blessed but
social as well (Wright, 2017). The family is the essential social foundation, which needs to be
assisted as well as strengthened and should not be weakened. Despite the fact that our society is
mostly lauding individualism, the Catholic traditional aspect teaches that human beings are
growing as well as actualizing achievement in the society (McCann, 2014). The Catholic Church
has the belief, human beings have the right and also, a duty in respect of participating in the
world, for seeking in a collective way the general betterment and wellbeing of everyone,
especially those who are deprived and susceptible. Catholic Church teaches that the
government’s role as well as other establishments is to do the safeguarding of the human life as
well as human dignity as well as doing the promotion of the universal good (Sander, 2015).
Rights and responsibilities
Within a world in which a few are speaking majorly regarding “rights” whereas others
majorly regarding “responsibilities”, the Catholic traditional aspect is teaching that the dignity of
human life can be safeguarded as well as a healthy community can be actualised only when there
occurs safeguarding of human rights and responsibilities are actualized. As a result, every
individual is having a fundamental right for living as well as right regarding those things
necessary in respect of human affability. In correspondence to these rights are the responsibilities
as well as duties to each other, towards the families as well as towards the society at large
(Massaro, 2015). While there is often a division of public debate within the nation between those
who are focusing on individual accountability as well as those who are focusing on social
responsibilities, the tradition of the Catholic Church is insisting that both are essential (Wolcott,
2016).

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Option regarding the poor and vulnerable
Within a world portrayed in terms of rising affluence regarding a few and persistent
poverty regarding others, Catholic teaching is proclaiming that an initial ethical assessment is the
way by which majority of vulnerable associates fare. Within a society stained by intensifying
partitions within the affluent as well as underprivileged, traditional aspect regarding the Catholic
Church will do the summoning up of the Last Judgement story and providing instruction to place
in the beginning, the needs regarding the underprivileged and vulnerable (Gonzalez, 2016).
The Dignity of work and the worker’s rights
Within a marketplace in which mostly the quarterly bottom-line is taking preference over
the rights of the workers, the Catholic Church believes that the economy should be serving the
people, and it should happen the other way. Work is considered to be something that is more
than a means for making a living (Dormor, 2016). It is considered being an outline for continuing
participation in the creation of God. When the work based dignity will be getting safeguarded,
then the preliminary worker’s rights should be given proper respect, the right regarding effective
work, regarding upright as well as fair wages, for organizing as well as joining unions, regarding
private property as well as for economic endeavour (Binder, 2016). To respect these rights does
the promotion of an economy that is safeguarding the lives of humans, defending the rights of
human beings as well as advancing the welfare of everyone.
Solidarity
Our culture is having the temptation of turning inward, becoming apathetic and at times,
isolationist in the face of global accountabilities. According to the Catholic social thoughts, it
was proclaimed that we are a sole family of human beings, irrespective of the public, ethnic,

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cultural and ideological characteristics (Beyer, 2014). In respect of learning to exercise the
desirable quality relating to cohesion will state that the scenario to learn in loving our neighbour
is to have a global aspect within a society that is having interdependence.
Care regarding God’s Creation
In a world, faced with disagreement relating to environmental issues, the Catholic
traditional aspect insists that representatives of the Church should be showing their respect for
the Maker via their stewardship in relation to formation. To care in respect of the world isn’t just
a catchphrase in respect of Earth Day, it’s a requirement with reference to the conviction of the
representatives of the Church. The representatives of the Church have been summoned to
safeguard human beings as well as the world, and to live our faith in association with each and
every creation of God. This challenging aspect regarding the environment is having basic ethical
as well as moral dimensions that cannot be avoided (Anderson, 2016).
From the above discussion, I would like to delve into the fact that the Catholic Social
Thoughts is considered being a rich fortune of wisdom to build a society that is considered being
just as well as living lives of holiness in the midst of challenging aspects relating to the modern
society. According to me, it is offering moral principles as well as rational worth that are very
much required in our time. During this phase of prevalent hostility as well as reducing respect in
respect regarding human life as well as dignity within our country as well as throughout the
globe, The Gospel regarding life as well as the Biblical call in respect of righteousness requires
the proclamation as well as getting shared with clarity, energy as well as urgency that is
considered to be new.
Conclusion

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To conclude the discussion, it can be stated that the Catholic Social Thoughts is
depending upon the as well as undividable from our acknowledging of human lives as well as
dignity for human beings. All individuals are created in the image of God as well as redeemed by
Jesus Christ, and as a result, considered precious and respect-worthy as a member regarding the
human family. All individuals, from the time of birth to death, are having innate solemnity as
well as the right to life having consistency with that stateliness. Dignity for human life is coming
from God, not from any value or achievement of human beings.

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Reference
Anderson, J. (2016). The Hermeneutical Function of the Family in Right Understanding of
Catholic Social Teaching and Its Use for Catholic University Education. Journal of
Catholic Higher Education, 35(2), 119-132.
Beyer, G. J. (2014). The meaning of solidarity in Catholic social teaching. political
theology, 15(1), 7-25.
Binder, A. D. (2016). An evaluation of temporary assistance for needy families from the Catholic
social teaching perspective. University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Dormor, D., & Harris, A. (2016). Tina Beattie is Professor of Catholic Studies and Director of
the Digby Stuart Research Centre for Religion, Society and Human Flourishing at the
University of Roehampton in London. Her research interests are in Catholic theology,
mysticism and sac-ramentality; theologies and theories of gender; Catholic social
teaching, and. ecclesiology, 12, 1-2.
Gonzalez, A. L., & Balderas, J. U. (2016). Study Abroad and Service-Learning in a Catholic
Social Teaching Context: The Implications for Teacher. Handbook of research on
effective communication in culturally diverse classrooms, 356.
Massaro, T. (2015). Living justice: Catholic social teaching in action. Rowman & Littlefield.
McCann, D. P. (2014). Who is responsible for the common good? Catholic social teaching and
the praxis of subsidiarity. In The common good: Chinese and American perspectives (pp.
261-289). Springer Netherlands.

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Sanders, K. M. (2015). Catholic Social Teaching, Vatican II, and Civil Rights: A Social Justice
Trinity in the Fight to Save a Central Louisiana Black Catholic School. US Catholic
Historian, 33(2), 83-101.
Turner, B. H. (2015). 'Dignitatis Humanae'and the Development of Moral Doctrine: Assessing
Change in Catholic Social Teaching on Religious Liberty(Doctoral dissertation, Catholic
University of America).
Walker, G. (2014). Review of" The Common Good of Constitutional Democracy: Essays in
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Markets & Morality, 16(2).
Wolcott, G. (2016). The Rehabilitation of Adam Smith for Catholic Social Teaching. Journal of
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Wright, K. S. (2017). The principles of Catholic social teaching: A guide for decision making
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