Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Challenge and Response (4.1) - Coggle Diagram
Challenge and Response (4.1)
VALRA (2008 - Present)
Challege
Legalization and normalization of abortion up to birth, after 24 weeks requiring two doctors
80000 abortions per year, 34% of women aged 20-29 who have been pregnant having an abortion
Denial of the human dignity and personhood of the unborn child, not mentioning them in legislation
Forcing doctors to act against their moral conscience by requiring them to refer women
Denial of subsidiarity in not recognizing the role of the father in the life of the child
Stance
All Life Is Sacred
"God created humankind in his image" (Gen 1:27)
"Thou shall not kill" (Exod 20:13)
"gravely contrary to the moral law" (CCC)
"protected absolutely from the moment of conception" (CCC 2270)
Supporting Women & Families
"The forgiveness of God cannot be denied" (Pope Francis)
Response
Pastoral
Pope Francis changed Church law allowing for all priests to absolve the sin associated with an abortion. (2016)
“I henceforth grant to all priests… the faculty to absolve those who have committed the sin of procured abortion” (Pope Francis)
Organisations run or supported by the Church, such as Catholic Care and the Caroline Chisholm Society, support families and women who experience difficult social and financial situations.
Advocacy
Archbishop Denis Hart makes a submission to the Victorian Law Reform Commission to argue against the change to law.
“Clearly unborn children are actual, not potential, human beings.” (Denis Hart)
March for the Babies, annual protest each October to roll back abortion laws that Catholics support.
Prayer groups, such as the Vigil for Life every first Friday of the month at St John Vianney’s Catholic Parish, Mulgrave.
Education
Education of students in over 330 Catholic Schools in Melbourne on the dignity of human life.
Ethics
Any situation that questions the way in which people should live their lives.
Christological Crisis (313-381CE)
Stance
“regarded as a Christian from 312 CE onwards” (Tanner)
"small and very insignificant questions" (Constantine)
Alexander intially judged heresy
"the Word was God" (Jn1:1)
Theological - Athanasius - Christ indeed is absolute God
"Only God can save us" (Athanasius)
Constatine had an obligation to keep Church together
"restoration of general concord" (Constantine)
Response
“lawless and anti-Chirstian men have recently arisen, teaching an apostasy” (Alexander)
Constatine pushed for council at Nicaea in 325CE resolve debate - 320 bishops attended - new element of social structure Ecumenical Council
Nicene Creed - first solemn declaration of Catholic teaching
"consubstantial with the Father" (Nicene Creed)
"Arius and a dozen of his followers were excommunicated (318CE)" (Comby)
Challenge
“not truly God” (Arius).
"the Father is greater than I" Jn14:28
Edict of Milan 313CE - Christianity legalised
“spread rapidly throughout the whole of the empire” (Comby)
"trouble flared up in Alexandria" (Comby)
"man could not be saved" (Alexander)
“was not always” (Arius)
Theological
Any situation that contradicts or involves the beliefs of a tradition.
Black Plague (1347-1351CE)
Challenge
All of the Franciscans in Marseilles died (Claveau)
“many people could not receive the last rites because there were no priests to administer them” (Armenio)
21% of Church officials in Avignon died (Claveau)
“Mothers would flee from their children and husbands from their wives” (Armenio)
25 million people died (Armenio)
"mysticism and superstitious practices" (Claveau)
Stance
Human Action
“a rumour was heard that this mortality came from the Jews” (Jean Le Bel).
Pope Clement VI deems the Jews innocent
"without plausibility" (Clement VI)
Divine Action
"festering boils on humans" (Exod 9:9)
"mysterious decree of God" (Clement VI)
"many believed this was a miracle and divine vengeance on the sins of the world" (Jean le Bel)
Response
Pragmatic Responses
“the Pope gave permission for burial in the papal cemetery, where, in March and April, 11,000 corpses were interred.” (Claveau)
Clement VI issued an indulgence, remission from sins, for all plague victims, to grant peace to their families (Fiona Wood)
Fearful Responses
Flagellants were groups of people who would hold penitential processions hoping to provoke God’s mercy.
“beat themselves as hard as they could with knotted lashes” (Jean le Bel)
Provoked by the lie that the Jews had poisoned wells, many Catholics violently persecuted the Jews.
“In February, 1349, the new council burned 2000 Jews” (Robert Gottfried (Strasbourg))
Clement VI strictly opposed this and published the papal bull Quamvis Perfidiam in 1348 which denounced this persecution, calling for the protection of the Jews.
“seduced by that liar, the devil (Clement VI).
Continued Existence
Any situation that could change the religion’s identity or ongoing function.
Challenge
A challenge is a situation that stimulates a response from society and/or religious traditions and religious denominations.
Stance
A stance is a principled perspective about a challenge held by a religious tradition based on its beliefs, ethics and core teaching.
Response
Any action taken by a religious tradition to address a challenge.