Category: Catholic Church

The Catholic Church has been corrupted since it has been established, but more recently has the secrets of the church surfaced. They have been faced with sexual assault allegations, corrupted leaders and hierarchy, and many other disturbing things that should not go on inside a church. The authority inside the church do not help the reputation of it either. They hire and do things that a person of that title should not do.

The leaders in the church do not care about the church and the people in it. For example, a priest with a history of child molestation was hired on a board that assisted the church decide what to do when handed rape allegations (Lee). The Pope himself has been a part of the scandal. He dismissed sexual abuse accusations about a Chilean Bishop named Juan Barros. He also knew about the abuse of nuns and did nothing to help (Horowitz). Another example is that the Vatican did not talk about the abuse of their nuns for some time before finally speaking out, but even then, they were not much help to the nuns (Max).

The sexual abusers of the nuns do more harm than good after they abuse the women. They think that they are helping the women by making them repent, or in other cases, paying for their abortions after they rape them. Abused nuns are emotionally and physically traumatized by the men’s actions. One nun stopped going to confession unless it was her spiritual father because she was assaulted by two priests (Max). Another woman said that the bishop’s actions became more inappropriate until the day he raped her (Pope). Often times nuns are told that they have to pay for the men’s help with ‘sexual favors’ (Max). The church has been no help to these women at all. They are often paid to be quiet, others are thrown onto the street alone once they speak out (Horowitz). On another occasion, an entire congregation of abused nuns was shut down. Instead of punishing the men, they threw the women out and shut the entire thing down. The men also make excuses for their actions. They convince the women that they cannot help it and that they have no control (Pope). They also blame their actions on the fact that they were abused as children themselves. These men need to own up to their actions and face the consequences instead of brainwashing the women and fooling them into thinking that what they are doing is right.

But not all of the nuns are the victims. There are cases of nuns abusing children, and since the church is so focused on the priests, abusing children and women, they have not said much of anything about this problem. One young girl was raped by a nun for years (McKay). Some nuns are known for beating children based on the way they make their beds, read their prayers, and what they wear. One woman stated that while she was in a Catholic home, a nun ripped her clothes off in front of all the other children due to the nun being able to see her under garments. The same nun also sexually assaulted and violated the girl in a boiler room with a maintenance man (Nadi). The church has been so focused on the priest scandals that they do not do much to help the children or punish the nuns, just like the priests that are accused of abuse.

Some of the cases of abuse are highly disturbing. “Another boy was repeatedly raped from ages thirteen to fifteen by a priest who bore down so hard on the boy’s back that it caused severe spine injuries. He became addicted to painkillers and later died of an overdose” (Michelle). Priests also made a boy pose naked, as Jesus Christ on a cross, while they photographed him with a polaroid. They then gave him and others gold cross necklaces to mark them as being ‘groomed’ for abuse (Michelle). The most disturbing cases are when the priests attack during the practice of the religion or when they make the victim feel as if it’s their fault. One seven-year-old boy was sexually assaulted by a priest who then told the boy he should confess his sins to the same priest (Michelle). In Italy, a priest forced himself onto a nun while she was confessing her sins to him (Max). A priest forced a nine-year-old boy to perform oral sex on him, then ‘purified’ the boy’s mouth with holy water (More). These children are assaulted and then told they should repent and ask for forgiveness for their ‘sins’.

Most of the victims are young boys, and this mostly has to do with the hidden sexuality of the priests. Homosexuality is against the Catholic religion, yet one in every five priests are homosexuals. These priests will preach on Sundays and lead a double life every other day of the week (Snyder). Many Catholics have identified the abuse as being homosexual pederasty. Gay priests have even made their way into authority figures, most of the prelates and clerics are gay and are in great authority (Snyder). The homosexual priests are primarily the ones who are the abusers, yet they are still apart of the church and are looked up to by the rest of the Catholics.

Sexually abusive priests have allegations all across the world. In India, a bishop was arrested after being accused of raping a nun thirteen times (Pope). There are also accusations that Pope Francis knew of sexual misconduct by certain people in the church, such as Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick. A Vatican official even quit after being accused of sexually abusing a former nun (Horowitz). One priest was accused of having thirty different lovers (Snyder).

Although most of the accusations made against the church are about sexual misconduct, not all of them are. For example, the chairman of the Vatican’s children’s hospital was accused of using around half a million euros on renovating a penthouse, when the money was meant for the children (Nadeau). That is not the only example of the misuse of money. Bishop Michael Bransfield spent over $4.6 million renovating his residence, giving gifts to clergy, liquor, and flowers (Lavish). In Chicago, the church used money for schools to deal with other problems, such as the sexual abuse allegations. That is where a lot of the Church’s money goes. They use it to pay for silence from the victims or to protect themselves from the allegations. The dioceses in Tuscan, Arizona, Spokane, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Davenport, Iowa, and San Diego all got bankruptcy protection while the sexual abuse cases started to surface. Churches have been paying the victims over a course of several years. All the way back in 1998, the church paid $30.9 million to 12 sexually abused victims of one priest. In 2004, one church settled ninety cases for $100 million. The L.A. church had a $660 million agreement with five-hundred victims in 2007. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver paid $5.5 million to settle eighteen cases of childhood abuse in 2008. The most disturbing thing they do with their money is that they pay pedophile priests to buy their silence and to ease them out of priesthood. Instead of using their money to help the poor or properly punishing the priests that have committed crimes, they pay those priests and their victims to keep them quiet. Their goal is to keep their reputation clean, but paying those people is actually doing the opposite.

Pennsylvania has become a hot topic for the sexual assault cases in America. Over one-thousand children were molested, while there were more than three-hundred abusive clergy. Of the abused, twenty-two percent were under eleven-years-old, fifty-one percent were between eleven and fourteen, and twenty-seven percent were between fifteen and seventeen. The Catholic children have known nothing but trauma when they are supposed to be going to church to learn about the Word of God, not be sexually abused by their priests. But over two-thousand priests had single allegations made against, and over a hundred had ten or more made against them. These cases have gone all the way back to the early/mid-nineties. They spiked in the sixties and kept increasing until they stopped being reported in the eighties.

Sexual abuse cases are not the only disturbing things found within the Catholic Church. In Ireland, there were fetus remains found in the sewers of a home for unwed mothers ran by the church (Snyder). They have kidnapped tens of thousands of babies from catholic-run hospitals all over the world and forced them into adoption. In the Netherlands, a few boys were castrated in church run hospitals after complaining about being sexually abused by priests. A nine-year-old girl was raped by her stepfather and had and abortion, the church then excommunicated the doctors whose performed the procedure, but not the step dad. The church has also shut down adoption centers rather than letting homosexual couples adopt the children. In America, they got onto nuns for helping the poor too much, rather than them not protesting gay rights (Lee). Some preachers were preaching publicly that Jesus was the only way to God (Snyder). Probably the most disturbing of all is that the church officials follow a ruler book for hiding the truth, such as sexual misconduct or misuse of money.

The Roman Catholic Church has many more secrets that have yet to have been discovered. But with what is known, it is safe to say that the entire system needs to be reevaluated and reinstituted. They go against a lot of what they stand for and try to hide the fact that they do. The officials have manipulated many people that look up to them and it seems that they do not care. They have caused harm to many children and instead of punishing the people that have done this, they pay the victims and the abusers to buy their silence. All for their reputation.

“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts- no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff. For the worker is worth his keep” (Bible).

The Catholic understanding of freedom bestows a judicious response to an innumerable number of social pressures which contradict it. From a Catholic perspective, all people are vested with a free will, giving them the ability to choose good and discard bad. If people use this freedom correctly and choose good, they will ultimately achieve long-term happiness, one of the most basic human yearnings. This is quite the opposite to the secular understanding of freedom, which states ‘if it feels good, do it’, incorrectly implying that choosing bad may actually be good in some cases. Three social pressures which challenge the Catholic understanding of freedom includes the mass media, peer pressure and the use of pornographic material. The Catholic Church responds to these pressures through Commandments, moral principles, beatitudes, and the teachings on virtues.

The mass media often promotes certain social values, attitudes and expectations that are not necessarily life-giving, often restricting people from achieving freedom in their lives and violating some of God’s most basic moral principles. According to the Catholic Church, “The mass media can give rise to a certain passivity among users, making them less than vigilant consumers of what is said or shown” (CCC, par. 2496). This means that the media often forces people into accepting immoral things as the ‘norm’, virtually removing a level of consciousness from them as they feel obliged to follow what is portrayed to them. The Catholic Church recommends that in order to avoid these pressures, “users should practice moderation and discipline in their approach to mass media” (CCC, par. 2496). This tells us, that, due to the manipulating capabilities of the media, people should limit the amount of time viewing media sources and ensure that when they do, they are disciplined in understanding whether something they are shown is morally right or wrong behavior in order to live a devout Christian life of freedom. Celebrities in the media often portray an image which many people often adopt in their lives in the hope of being seen as ‘cool’ or ‘popular’. In 2015, Donald Trump, the person of whom many Americans look up to as their leader, mocked a disabled reporter on live television. According to the Washington Post (2017), “‘You’ve got to see this guy’, [Donald Trump] said before jerking his arms spastically”. Although some people may be able to easily recognize that this is immoral behavior and avoid it in their lives, others may be confused by moral principles and think that it is ‘cool’, replicating it in their lives in an attempt to become more popular. This directly violates Genesis 1:26, which states that humans were created in God’s own ‘image’ and ‘likeness’. This ultimately prevents people from achieving freedom on the basis that they are trying to lead a life which belongs to someone else, and the fact that they will regret these immoral things later in life, leading them to a life of miserable isolation and unhappiness.

Peer pressures can prevent people from attaining freedom in their lives as it discourages them from making their own choices and rather encourages them to follow others, ultimately preventing them from being their own person. These pressures are often placed on people with certain criteria of what is cool or popular. This often includes things such as fashion: what people should wear and how they should present themselves. The Catholic Church responds to these pressures by saying that people should exercise modesty in such situations, because “modesty inspires a way of life which makes it possible to resist the allurements of fashion and the pressures of prevailing ideologies” (CCC, par. 2523). Modesty involves staying true to oneself and being your own person, allowing people to avoid the pressures of others and give them the strength to live a free life. The Bible also tells us that “we must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29), and Solomon, the son of David, says, “My child, if sinners entice you, do not consent” (Proverbs 1:10). Therefore, according to the Catholic Church and its teachings, we must refrain, through the use of the virtue of modesty, from all peer pressures in order to live a life of freedom.

The use of pornographic material can ultimately result in the loss of freedom in the consumer as it encourages addictive behaviors and can stir strong feelings of lust in them, one of the seven deadly vices, violating some of God’s most straight forward moral principles and preventing a free life. According to a survey carried out by Huffpost (2014), 50% of religious men and 20% of religious women stated that they were addicted to pornography, quite a disturbing statistic for the freedom of these individuals. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells: “Pornography consists in removing real of simulated sexual acts from the intimacy of partners, in order to display them deliberately to third parties. It offends against chastity as it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other. It does grave injury to the dignity of its participants (actors, vendors and the public). It is a grave offence. Civil authorities should prevent the production and distribution of pornographic materials” (CCC, par. 2354). Pornography can stir strong feelings of lust in its users and lead them to decadence as they begin to treat others as sex objects rather than human beings. The Catholic Church teaches that “purity of heart brings freedom from widespread eroticism and avoids entertainment inclined to voyeurism and illusion” (CCC, par. 2525). This correlates to the sixth beatitude: “Blessed are those who are pure in heart, for they shall see God’s face”, as those who are pure in heart are able to see all that is good in life and avoid evil. The Catholic Church also teaches us that pornography directly violates the sixth and ninth commandments of God (“You shall not commit adultery”; “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife”), as participants are exploiting the bodies and sexual expression of others for their own pleasure, rather than for the unitive and procreative purposes of marriage.

In order to achieve freedom, the Catholic Church teaches that people must use their free will to destroy any internal or external pressures which may influence the way that we behave and reduce our ability to live a free life. People who do so will ultimately lead a life of long-term happiness, eventually uniting themselves with God the Father in Heaven. People must ensure that when they are in search for this freedom that they do not follow the secular understanding ‘if it feels good do it’, as this may result in them giving way to strong emotions influenced by social pressures and make a bad decision. Although these decisions may feel good in the short-term, they will indefinitely lead to regret, unhappiness and an absence of freedom later in life. The mass media, peer pressures and pornographic material are examples of these social pressures which violate the Catholic understanding of freedom. The Catholic Church responds to these pressures through the Commandments, moral principles, teachings on virtues and the beatitudes. Saint Paul tells us that in order to protect our freedom, we must “…not be conceived; bad company ruins good morals” (1 Corinthians 15:33).

The Catholic Church is a well-known and well-respected part of modern society. Every baptized person has an ongoing responsibility to follow Jesus’s way of life in their thoughts, words and actions. Jesus is known for forgiving and redeeming Catholics who have sinned. The Bible also contains some things that do not fit in with modern society. Modern Christians feel pressured to obey the laws of the Bible and suppress feelings they may have against some of these rules. Pope Francis quotes: “I ask you, instead, to be revolutionaries, I ask you to swim against the tide; yes, I am asking you to rebel against this culture that sees everything as temporary and that ultimately believes you are incapable of responsibility, that believes you are incapable of true love”. This quote shows how we are able to change the world into a world where everyone can be equal.

Same-sex marriage is considered counter cultural because it is a minority group. Throughout the past gay relationships were frowned upon because it was not classified as normal. According to Leviticus 20:13, “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them”. This quote can show how the Catholic Church was against gay marriage and the lengths it would go to stop it. Gay marriage is now a much more prominent part of our society.

Most individuals are subject to inequality, harassment and sexism throughout their life. Inequality and sexism are still commonly practiced throughout third world countries and even less developed areas. Christianity is strongly against these trends and have launched several initiatives to combat these problems. According to Matthew 7:12, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets”. This phrase shows that you must treat everyone equally. Individuals can help to combat inequality by donating to charities that help provide necessities and support for victims. Millennials all have an ongoing responsibility to help care for others as Jesus would, and as baptized Christians have the love of all of God’s family.

In today’s modern society there are many people living disadvantaged. In Luke 10:25-37 Jesus said: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’”. This section of text further elaborates the point to treat all equally and to demand justice for those less fortunate. Jesus said to try to treat others as we would wish to be treated. The Catholic Church has eagerly tried to follow this way of living. To help combat the norms and spread justice the church launched the St. Paul Initiative. The objective of this cause it to help the less fortunate by raising money for homeless by selling pre-loved clothes.

Overall, the Catholic Church has pushed against the norms of society and helped combat problems.

A true hero is seen as someone who possess strong characteristics of bravery, courage, determination, dedication, endurance, perseverance, valour, selflessness, sacrifice and humility. History has produced many of people who have fit this criterion, however, one person in particular is seen by many Christians and non-Christians as our true hero. Throughout his time on Earth, Jesus was viewed as a hero by many, however, his relevance as a hero in present society is beginning to be questionable. Jesus’s selfless and hero-like attributes were ever so apparent in everything he did which led everyone to view him as the true hero of mankind.

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13). Of the major qualities that define a hero, selflessness is apparent in everything Jesus did during his lifetime. Selflessness is the concern more with the needs and wishes of others than with one’s self. “Jesus came to serve, to give the Good News of the Father’s love and compassion. He reached out to the sick, oppressed, hungry, lonely etc.” (A New Handbook for Today’s Catholics, pages 22-23). It is obvious that everything that Jesus did was for everyone else and there is never mention of Jesus acting selfish for himself. Jesus healed the blind man on the Sabbath, breaking the laws of working by making clay to heal this man. Blind men were also considered cursed and unclean. This indicates how Jesus was willing to throw away the accepted values of the time in order to provide his assistance to others. It is therefore evident, the Jesus portrayed qualities of selflessness in his work which demonstrates his heroic potential.

Perseverance and determination are other key characteristics that is identified to be the qualities of a true hero. Perseverance is the persistence in doing something despite the difficulty or delay in achieving success, while determination is the quality of being determined to proceed with the task. Jesus was faced with several obstacles during his course to become Earth’s mightiest hero. For Jesus to continue to succeed he had to overcome physical death itself. However, his crucifixion did not restrain him from fulfilling his duties, as he was able to overcome this delay demonstrating his perseverance. Jesus was consistently mocked and abused by his haters and non-believers, however his strength and determination did not allow this to prevent him from demonstrating his full potential. As a result, Jesus can be viewed as a hero due to demonstrating qualities of perseverance and determination throughout his teachings.

To conclude, Jesus has always been seen as a hero to everyone within the Catholic Church as well as those who are not. During his time on Earth he demonstrated many of the true hero characteristics including selflessness, perseverance and determination. It is these qualities which will ensure Jesus remains as a hero, for Christians and non-Christians, for as long as the world exists.

Pope Francis was the first Pope from the Americas, being born in Argentina. Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born to Italian immigrants, graduated from a technical school, and left as a chemical technician. However soon after he graduated, he then began his training at the Diocesan Seminary of Villa Devoto. In 1958, he entered the novitiate of the Society of Serving God. Between 1964 and 1986, he studied theology and taught literature and physiology at two schools. Bergoglio was then ordained as a priest in 1969 and then became Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998. Later on, in 2001, he was named cardinal-priest of Saint Robert Bellarmine by Pope John Paul 2, and then in 2005, he was elevated to president of the Bishops’ Conference of Argentina until 2011, where he was then the 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church in 2013.

In the first of four years of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the Pope, he focused on 4 issues. Firstly, he formed a new way of evangelizing (spreading the good news) – evangelization should be about the mercy and compassion of our Father God instead of a list of rules and demands. The Pope continuously speaks about how we must show love and compassion to our neighbors as God shows us love and compassion, this preaching is directed to the poor and marginalized, and Pope Francis follows his teachings by reaching out to the homeless, the vulnerable, and refugees. Many popes before Bergoglio have written of the new evangelization, but none has written like Bergoglio. He writes it with compassion that instantly grabs everyone’s attention. The new message is based on the message of the Gospel. The Pope made the new evangelization to be about love for the people, and through God’s love, we all have a responsibility to love one another in the same way. Pope Francis made it about orthopraxis (how we live the faith) instead of orthodoxy (how we explain the faith). Pope Francis says: “What does evangelize mean? To give witness with joy and simplicity to what we are and what we believe in”. Pope Francis also says: “We have observed that, in society and the world in which we live, selfishness has increased more than love for others, and that men of goodwill must work, each with his strengths and expertise, to ensure that love for others increases until it is equal and possibly exceeds love for oneself”. This quote relates to Matthew 5:1-12, which is the beatitudes. Pope Francis shows the expectations of the Beatitudes through his love and compassion for society and everyone in it, and also how our love for each other can strengthen all of us. His call to the action of evangelizing relates to the love and leadership shown in the Beatitudes.

Secondly, Pope Francis allowed discussion and debate within the Church, he would have done this so he could hear and consider others’ thoughts, worries, and ideas so that they can form a strong Church. Before Pope Francis was the Pope many bishops and theologians were investigated and/or silenced if they even suggested or disagreed with anything the Pope said. Pope Francis said: “Instead of being just a church that welcomes and receives by keeping the doors open, let us try also to be a church that finds new roads, that is able to step outside itself and go to those who do not attend Mass, to those who have quit or are indifferent”. This action relates to the scripture 1 John 4:16-18: “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them? This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment. In this world, we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love”. Pope Francis wants our world to grow and become better, because as we love, we are in God, and Pope Francis reminds his people of that every week at his Mass. However, it is not just all words and no action, Pope Francis shows the love that was given to him by God towards his teachings and his people.

Thirdly, the Pope is moving the Roman Catholic Church away from thinking and acting off ethics based on rules on the ability to judge well and more into a new way of thinking about moral issues. Pope Francis is moving the Church to focus on adapting to the new challenges and circumstances of the new world. The Pope is preaching more about instead of splitting the world into Good and bad, we must view everyone as injured sinners, and they all go to the church, which is where we find aid as a hospital, and receive the Eucharist, which is rather, than a reward for the perfect is instead food/aid for the injured.

Pope Francis believes that God gave us this love, so we must use it to spread love and give others love, and the scripture that supports this and his action upon the ethics of the Roman Catholic Church is Luke 19:1-10, which is Zacchaeus the tax collector. In this Bible verse, Jesus shows love and forgiveness for Zacchaeus and in return, Zacchaeus spread and gave love to all that he met. Pope Francis forgives those who believe in love and forgiveness from God, and through this act, Pope Francis is allowing all those who are forgiven to continue to spread and give love.

Finally, Pope Francis is raising awareness of environmental issues, mainly of climate change – he preaches that the safety of the environment is a central belief in the Catholic faith. He knows that climate change is the most important moral issue, and many environmentalists are on board with his belief. He tells us: “Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience”. In John 13:34-35, the Bible says: “A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another”.

Throughout Pope Francis’s entire life, he has shown and demonstrated what the commandment of love truly means and how we must follow it. The commandment of love says we must love one another as Jesus and God loves us, and as we do this, we will become the disciples of Jesus. Pope Francis has proved to be Jesus’s disciple of love and continues to love and care for everyone. In the Bible, Jesus loved all of his brothers and sisters, no matter who they are, which included the outcasts, the isolated, the sick, the hated, the poor, and the vulnerable, and even though not everyone agreed with his actions, he still never stopped perusing the commandment of love. Pope Francis also demonstrates Jesus’s belief as he attends to and loves the outcasts and the vulnerable, which proves how Pope Francis has continued Jesus’s legacy. The Catholic social teachings Pope Francis demonstrates are solidarity, preferential options for the poor, and the common good. Pope Francis demonstrates these teachings through his love and cares for the poor, his compassionate, faithful, and kind heart towards those who are lost, and his love and care for the community and social mission.

Pope Francis continues to spread and give love with his values and beliefs and continues to make changes to benefit our world. Every day Pope Francis inspires thousands of people. Pope Francis gives light to those who are shadowed in darkness and he will be the one to change the world through love. Now Pope Francis is continuing to focus on very current and important circumstances that should have the Roman Catholics to say, Pope Francis wants to make the Roman Catholic Church a modern part of how we love one another.

During medieval times in Europe, the only religion to be recognized was that of Christianity particularly the Catholic faith. The lives of both men and women were undeniably dominated and defined by the Christian faith. It matters not what tier or status you have, you still fall under Christian religious dominance. The lives of many, no matter what occupation we’re dedicated to, follow Christianity. Many monasteries and institutions were created for support and worship and thus gaining more wealth and power. The events that played out due to such a system brought great change to the Catholic Church and those surrounding it. It led to splits in the Church which is called the Schism of 1054. The prospects of the Roman Catholic Church were questioned by many men like Martin Luther who actively pointed out the wrongs in the Church’s doings by posting his 95 theses and he brought a call for reform within the Church. Further splits were coming with the invention of Protestantism. It wasn’t uncommon to see those who would pray to God five times a day or to see those who would attend mass at any opportunity they had. When good fortune would come upon them, they would kneel and thank God, and when misfortune plays, they would take the blame for their sins. This is where the issue of ignorance can be seen. The issue was that the Christian faith was everything and the only thing that mattered among the common folk. They fail to question anything because they believe that Christian dogmas are the only things to believe in. When the Black Death came around, most blamed it on their sins, nothing else. It was so apparent that no one questioned or looked into any other cause. They would pray, and even when they knew deep down that nothing worked, they would just say that they failed to pray enough, they failed to commit completely to their faith, never anything else. In reality, if these people could only keep up good hygiene, the crisis would have been prevented. Maybe the cause of sin was what they wanted to believe to further strengthen their faith. This is where I would say that secularism was actually a step in the right direction.

Secularism, basically is the separation of man and religious views; it refers to a state in which belief or lack of belief is seen as a private matter. When speaking of the term ‘secular’, it is very common to hear it being referenced along with the Age of Enlightenment. When I think of events like the Age of Enlightenment or the Scientific Revolution, concepts such as God, humanity, nature, and reason come into question. What I’m saying is that the Age of Enlightenment is what questioned such concepts. Anyway, I honestly view the secular state to be a step in the right direction. There was a point in time when I was younger when I would say things like “if the concept of religion were never an immediate part of society then things would be better”. What I was referring to was obviously the conflicts that came with opposition to the enforcement of the Christian faith. One of the more common conflicts that came was the Great Schism of 1054. The Great Schism was defined by a split in the Christian Church into the Orthodox and Roman Catholic. There were actually religious and political reasons for the split. The Eastern Orthodox Church would make use of icons, while the Roman Church looked down upon them. There was as well a language barrier with the Roman Church speaking Latin and the Orthodox Church speaking Greek. To one another they believed the other to be barbaric. Anyway, I think the problem here comes from the idea of having a political system based on religion. In a society where everyone is well versed in the Bible, whether be a monk, a doctor, or even a man of science, the main issue is always going to be how can one begin to do this or what is the right way to do that. I cannot say a religious viewpoint would support the making of advancements in society. What I mean is that compared to the use of logic and rational thought I would say that faith in religion in reality isn’t enough. At the same time secularist ideology is not immune to a divide in ideologies, but what is born from them is still beneficial.

During and even before the events of the Scientific Revolution, the Roman Catholic Church was still such a powerful entity. It was quite obvious that there would be some form of conflict between religions. And science. The ideas that came from the Scientific Revolution contradicted the Church’s teachings. The Church thus feared that people who gradually accepted these ideas would start to doubt the key element of the Christian faith. The result of this would be a weakened influence from the Church on its people, which would also reduce its power. An example or representation. Of the conflict between science and religion would be the case of Galileo Galilei who published a book that contradicted the ideas of the Church. Although the more famous contradiction would be that of heliocentric and geocentric ideas. This is when Galileo was interrogated by the Church, after which he was put under house arrest for the rest of his life, and only received an apology centuries later. Also, questions about astronomy, anatomy, and mankind, in general, were beginning to be answered. People started to apply logic and reasoning to many aspects of life, leading to further advancements in education and learning. Going back to the idea of a religious society, based on how I depicted Galileo’s story, I would say that the papacy in this situation represents ignorance seeing as they immediately denied Galileo’s theories. As I said before, the Church wanted to silence these scientists so that belief in the faith and the faith of the Church would not weaken and they could hold their power. Now the question would be if this is just a case of the papacy trying to keep religious order among the people, or is it an example of corruption among the theocratic rulers? Based on what I’ve been reading, it would seem that I would have to go with the latter. Throughout my readings when reading about the Catholic Church, there was always a power struggle. Galileo inspired others to think rationally and free themselves from the confinements of the Church, and he initiated the analysis of the Church from a skeptical viewpoint. It also inspired other philosophers to come out and share their own ideas, such as Thomas Hobbes, who had created theories of government and man that had little room for religious ideas. Similar to Galileo’s story is William Harvey. William Harvey made lots of discoveries that were contradictory to the Church’s views. William Harvey was an English physician who wasn’t satisfied with divine creation as a means to explain the human body’s anatomy. Harvey’s work remains to be one of the most significant in human biology. His findings contradicted the story of creation in the Bible, which led to skepticism of the Bible. Before the accepted teaching of Harvey, the idea of blood flow was that of being a natural spirit. Harvey did not bother with such theories. He theorized that blood in the body was limited and the heart works as a pump that allows the blood to flow through. This indirectly gave way to the thought of human evolution, which today is widely accepted and taught in most schools today. There was also Isaac Newton who also made another huge breakthrough that resulted in the growth of secularism. Newton had been able to explain concepts with evidence to his claim that allowed for the further split between government and religion. His views changed the natural way of thinking, people no longer viewed God as the one that makes everything happen, which caused the people to stray away from faith alone and use logic and reasoning to explain everything.

I still believe that a secular state is an ideal state for a proper government to run. In my research, I could see how strongly religion contradicted the Scientific Revolution. Like I said before, the papacy tried to keep these ideas hidden, it would seem that they would want to keep the people of the state ignorant, after all, it would be easier to control a citizenry that does not contradict their leaders. An example of that would be in Nigeria where the issues of political ignorance are high. Some people don’t know how to defend themselves because they’re not properly educated to know their human rights. Just like the papacy, this who speak against the government is to be silenced, just like in the Middle Ages, where those would fear to speak and only follow due to fear of being put to death as such cases were treated. Although Nigeria is, on paper, a secular state, people still see religious influence in the making of decisions over other religious views. Even now I think religion is a higher influence in Nigeria than actual political influence. For example, Hausa law, which is dedicated to the Quran’s laws as well comes first in a dispute. The point is that in the government of Nigerian society, there is heavy influence learning towards favoritism of both religion and other personal qualities, not really related to where or what you studied.

My main debate at this point is that a secular government is better than a theocratic system. The idea of the theocratic system depicts the idea of a government that has laws sourced from an ancient text which gives no attention to the people. There is nothing like people’s choices or democracy in general that can give rise to prejudice and issues in human rights. In a secular government, said government actually surveys what the people want and applies it to the rule of law. The government must take all steps necessary to ensure the integrity of the natural human rights of the people. The secular state does not try to control but instead, they assist the development and integration of people of different backgrounds. A theocratic government would typically charge such freedoms under the guise of heresy. Again, I would like to point out that the call for heresy was the word that kept most people in fear it is how the Church had such a powerful influence in the Middle Ages. The theocratic rule is what seems to hinder actual development in society, so at the same time, it would seem that a society is better without it. The Scientific Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment gave birth to many breakthroughs in scientific discovery and changed the way most people think of the world and as well as new explanations that helped people to understand how the world actually worked. The theocratic system always came off as authoritarian in nature, the issue not just being that the theocracy held power, but the fact that they held too much power. In France in 1789, the Church’s revenue was estimated to be about 150 million. They as well owned about six percent of land throughout France and other properties it operated such as schools, monasteries, convents, and hospitals. It was a visible indication of the Church in French society. The Church was also permitted to take a percentage out of the earnings from agricultural production, it was also exempted from being taxed on its own earnings. This prosperity of the Church soon earned complaints from the people as well as from parish priests who were not included in the wealth bestowed upon the upper hierarchy of the Church and eventually called for reform. The Catholic Church may have been the church of the people, but the abuses it took advantage of meant that it did not always have their trust.

Environmental Ethics implies the control in Philosophy that reviews the ethical relationship of individuals to, and furthermore the worth and good status of, nature and its non-human substance. Environmental Ethics is an issue that covers 4 primary elements, deforestation, global warming, pollution, etc. Deforestation is an issue that initially turned into a serious concern in the 1950s, it is an issue where a wide zone of trees is brought down. This issue turned out to be serious because of people setting fires many years back. It is currently a disturbing issue, the ongoing disturbing updates on deforestation in the Amazon rainforest being ablaze for 12 days in a row, the Amazon rainforest is known and called the lungs of the planet for its job in absorbing carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, and delivering over 20% of the universes oxygen. Global warming is an issue where a slow increment in the general temperature of the world’s atmosphere is generally attributed to the greenhouse effect brought about by expanded degrees of carbon dioxide, CFCs, and different contaminations. This global warming is anticipated to have various impacts on the seas. Continuous impacts incorporate rising ocean levels because of warm development and liquefying of glaciers and ice sheets, and warming of the sea surface, leading to increased temperature stratification.

Pollution is an issue where something is introduced into the environment that is grimy, unclean, or has a destructive impact. Dangerous waste dumped into the water is a case of pollution. The Catholic Church’s teachings on the issue of environmental ethics are the perspectives on human life and human dignity as the most sacred establishment, a fundamental that appears in most of the church’s ethical and social teachings. A Catholic environmental ethic can be planned among contemporary environmental ethics, expressly by examining Catholic social teaching along with the axes of anthropocentrism and anthropocentrism by looking at Catholic social teachings.

The Catholic Church feels that especially as it has been portrayed by Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. In their distributions and speeches returning to 1987, they gave much thought to raising environmental awareness and endeavored reliable undertakings to plot the persistence of how an environmental ethic normally fits inside the church’s ethical teachings. John Paul lit up the close associations between catholic social instructing and environmental ethics, and Benedict XVI wove these subjects together considerably more firmly. The Catholic Church additionally believes that Because we are a piece of God’s creation, individuals are associated with all animals, the natural world, without a doubt the entire universe. The two records in Genesis demonstrate that individuals are made in the picture and similarity of God, and are to be in charge of the consideration of all creation, an undeniable job which, as Catholics, we should pay attention to. This Bible passage is related to deforestation and the sanctity of life since he expresses that trees are God’s creation and all that exist acclaims, God. This relates to deforestation because the Bible unmistakably expresses that it is just plain wrong to harm and demolish what God has given us so we ought to be responsible for God’s creation for how we use it.

This bible passage discusses how God isn’t only an incredible figure on the planet—he is the maker of the world. He carried it into reality with the majority of its interconnected procedures, vivify and lifeless, which implies that even the littlest stone is crafted by his design. This bible passage relates back to the issue of global warming as it expresses how we destroy the earth and what we call God’s creation. This Bible passage is directly tending to the sanctity of life and it additionally addresses and relates to pollution since it says ”you shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land” this accentuates polluting is abusing God’s trust and is stating what we destroy is God’s blood as the creation of the earth is made by him. This catechism reference discusses how God who is our maker of heaven and earth and we who are a piece of God’s creation, people are associated with all animals, the natural world, in fact, the entire universe. The catechism reference demonstrates that individuals are made in the picture and resemblance of God, and are to be in charge of the consideration of all creation. This relates back to the issue of deforestation as we totally damaged the duty of assessing our environment. In this catechism reference, it says that what exists isn’t exist if God’s presence didn’t exist. In short, God is the maker of heaven and all that exist. This relates back to the issue of global warming and affects the sanctity of life as it underlines that harming our environment/home and that future generations would not exist because of people abusing God’s creation. This papal encyclical from Pope Francis justifies the issue of what we do now will put at stake our own pride and for the fate of endless generations to come. Through this papal encyclical, relates to the issue of deforestation as it discusses what we harm on the earth will then pass on to the next generation if we continue to cause harm to the trees/rainforest the oxygen will be at stake for all. In this papal encyclical, Pope Francis discusses the harm we have caused on our Earth and what we call home, is starting to look increasingly more like a gigantic heap of foulness. Through this papal encyclical, relates to the issue of pollution as it pinpoints insights into the issues of creatures that live in the seas that have turned out to be increasingly endangered due to the junk that has been dumped onto our sea. Pope Laudato Sí discusses the issues that we caused and how we can resolve these issues. This relates back to global warming, global warming is an issue that we humans made and we should take responsibility to resolve this situation as soon as possible. The Islamic teachings on the issue of environmental ethics are similar to the teachings of the Catholic Church. The two accept that God is the proprietor and maker of everything known to man, the Islamic teaching they exude from one source and are reinforced by just one reason, which is to serve the divine will. The Qur’anic view holds that everything on the earth was made for mankind. It was god’s blessing to us, however, a blessing conditions nevertheless. The tests are proportions of our demonstrations and love in the broadcast sense, that is living in a manner that is satisfying to Allah, endeavoring in all that we keep up the congruity of our internal and external environments. In the Quran, it is very evident and clear what the Islamic stance on deforestation is. The following Quran passages are examples of the Islamic teachings on the sanctity of life on the issues of our environment. In this Quran passage, God says ‘community’ to depict the similitude among individuals and creatures. It’s dismal to think in reality, creatures’ rights are terribly abused all through the Muslim world. This, relates to the issue of deforestation as we take the homes of creatures that live in the trees in this passage discusses God being earth’s source of each interconnection of life, regardless of whether it is the downpour from the sky, it is he who sent down the downpour. These passages relate to environmental issues as it instructs us that God’s creation(environment)should be our duty and responsibility to take care of the environment as he made us in the picture of him. Environmental ethics affects society in our world today through the issue of deforestation, global warming, pollution, and so on.

We need trees and plants to survive. They give oxygen, water, food, and prescription to everybody everywhere throughout the globe. But if deforestation proceeds at the rate it’s occurring today, we won’t have a significant part of the important forestry left.

Pollution is one of the essential causes of a significant number of other environmental concerns in our present day, including climate change and biodiversity. Every one of the 7 key kinds of pollution air, water, soil, clamor, radioactive, light, and warm is affecting our environment at the present time.

Global warming has seen to be a concerning issue to our general public today as it has been accounted for that the temperatures of each mainland have warmed generously since the 1950s. Consequently, there are increasingly hot days and less chilly days, on average, and the hot days are hotter. The shrinking of ice is probably the biggest effect on our world today as the area of sea ice has shrunk since 1979, by between 3.5 % and 4.1% every decade, on average. Summer ocean ice has dwindled significantly more quickly. This ocean ice misfortune is presently presenting genuine dangers to the Arctic’s indigenous species seals, fish, wolves, foxes, and polar bears.

Environmental issues are affecting Catholics in our world today. The Catholics Church says environmental issues are wrongdoing and God’s creation ought to be cared for. The Church respects creation as extraordinary and ought to be taken care of by man for who and what is to come. Through this Catholics struggle to keep the environment safe from being called to harm God’s creation which at that point can affect Catholics spiritually.

Deforestation is an issue that Catholics are affected by through the catholic teachings, they believe human beings are made in the picture and similarity of God and are to be in charge of the consideration of all creation. Through this deforestation is removing creatures’ nobility and is basically violating the teachings of the Catholics which then impacts the sanctity of life. Environmental issues are affecting Muslims in our world today. The Islamic teachings state that they exude from one source and are reinforced by just one reason, which is to serve the divine will. Deforestation affects Muslims since it puts a tool on them spiritually on the way they live because they believe they are making an immortal sin.