Christianity and society
a3_dreamer asked this question on 1/26/2001:
Hi
My name is ashley and I am a college student that is doing a research project on Christianity. I wanted to get some views of different people. So if you can help me out it would be greatly appretiated. Here are a few questions that I was hoping you could answer for me.
1. How does christianity influence people's daily lives, in terms of moral behavior or life choices that peolple make?
2. How does christianity and world view shape the social, economic, and political forces of a society?
3. What is the influence of christianity and world view on family life?
Thank for any help that you can provide me.
mscperu answered
Greetings:
The joy of the risen Lord be in your heart.
Re 3
I prefer to begin answering your last question. Individuals' moral choices are the consequence of education and example of the parents. Christianity considers the family as the basic cell or nucleus of society. Christians have the conscience that they have been saved by the Son of God incarnated who gave His life; rose from the dead and sitting at the right of the Father intercedes for us. Salvation is a free gift of God that is lived as a divine filiation by adoption, experiencing the same divine nature of Christ sustained by the Holy Spirit that inhabits every baptized. All action, reaction and general life is or should be a response to this gift. This way the Christian life is a dialogue between the believer and his personal history of salvation and God Father through Christ and the Holy Spirit.
This same communication with God should be lived by all members of the family according to their mission and status. The external signs of this vocation are love of the enemy and freedom from greed, i.e. sharing material and spiritual possessions with those who don't have them, non-resistance in front of violence, etc. (Compare Mt 5-7) Are you in a state of grace, i.e. is your body temple of the Holy Spirit? Is your family teaching you to love the enemy and share with those in need even with good needed by you?
Re 2
The principles of Christianity regarding society are outlined by the social doctrine of the Church. These are minimum requirements like the dignity of the human person, freedom, right to possessions, right to associate, religious freedom, subisidiarity and the preeminence of the person regarding capital, social distributive justice and the protection of the weak. At the same time, the common good is to be observed and promoted by all. I repeat, this is a minimum in a dialogue with non-Christians. However, for Christians themselves the sermon of the mountain is the real Constitution.
Re 1
Moral choices of Christians are the consequences of the above. Persons who observer the categories of number 2 are moral persons but do not live like Christians. Christian life is living the gospel with all consequences. Read Matthew chapters 5-7.
vale
mscperu
PS. I have seen these questions before. It seems there is a general college program.