Social Justice

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Social Justice

• Joining the Struggle for a Better World
• Tony Brennan
• Guilford Young College, Hobart

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Naming ourselves and some injustices

• Our names, where were from and a Local,
  national, global, historical or current issue
  important in our region
• Or we name some people we think who have been
  active for social justice locally or globally

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What is Justice?

• Do you define it in terms of individual or
  collective rights or dues? Is it both or more?
• Justice tends to be described by adjectives
• Natural Justice
• Legal Justice
• Commutative Justice
• Distributive Justice
• Restorative Justice
• Social Justice
• Social Justice might be defined as the pursuit
  of those social goods which are common
  aspirations for each and all. What would these be
  ?

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Prior Assumptions Questions

• What is justice injustice?
• Is justice only a Christian concern?
• Why does God allow injustice?
• Perhaps injustice proves there is no God? How
  could a loving creator permit the suffering of
  the innocent?
• Perhaps God is involved wherever people work for
  a better world?
• Is evil and injustice individual or social-
  structural/ institutional?
• Other questions or issues?

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Other Religions and Philosophies Do they care
about Justice Too?

• Judaism- Tzedaka, Prophets
• Buddhism- Compassion, simplicity, selflessness,
  non-attachment
• Islam- Alms Giving Pillar
• Bahai- Vision of Peaceful Future
• Secular world views have inspired many
  compassionate people and movements Fred Hollows,
  Ted Egan, Medicines San Frontiers, the United
  Nations, Others

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If we could shrink the earth's populationto a
village of precisely 100 people, all the existing
human ratios remaining the same, it would look
something like the following
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If Earths 6.5 billion people were only 100
people there would be

• 57 Asians 21 Europeans 14 from North/South
  America 8 Africans 52 would be female 48
  would be male 70 would be non-white 30 would
  be white 70 would be non-Christian 30 would be
  Christian 89 would be heterosexual 11 would be
  homosexual

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• 6 people would possess 59 of the entire
  world's wealth and all 6 would be from the
  United States. 80 would live in substandard
  housing 70 would be unable to read 50 would
  suffer from malnutrition 1 would be near
  death1 would be near birth1 would have a
  college education1 would own a computer When
  one considers our world from such a compressed
  perspective, the need foracceptance,
  understanding and education becomes glaringly
  apparent.

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The Injustice Spiral
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The Justice Spiral
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Proportionalist Social Ethics

• Natural Law Ethics have greater currency in the
  Catholic Church today (based upon the understood
  purpose of humans in Gods plan) and are embedded
  in the Churchs doctrine and Canon Law
• Situational Ethics (or Love Ethics/ Agapeism) is
  the general position of Protestant Christians and
  Churches
• Proportionalism is the ethical perspective which
  underpins the social justice tradition. It dates
  back to the Just War theory of Augustine,
  extended by Aquinas, and up to the current day in
  Liberation Theology. It proposes that Natural Law
  teleological ethics apply unless in an a contest
  of issues the ethical agent might choose to do
  the lesser evil. It is controversial as it
  defends the primacy of conscience social and
  personal.

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See.Question.Reflect.Act

• Christians committed to social justice seem to
  share a number of things in common
• They take inspiration from the Hebrew prophets
• They take inspiration from the Gospels
• They respond to a similar set of social
  principles
• They have the support of church teachings about
  social justice
• They use a strategy of social analysis focussed
  upon empowering social conscience to action
• They use skills and processes to get focussed,
  organised and effective.

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Gods Justice Call

• Micah 68
• Act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly
• Amos 524
• Let justice flow like a river and integrity like
  an unfailing stream.

• Luke (418-20) Jesus reads Isaiah (611-2)
• The spirit of the lord has been given to me...
  He has sent me to bring the good news to the
  poor To set the downtrodden free, to proclaim
  the Lord's year of favour.

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114 Years of Catholic Social Teaching The First
Three Great Documents

• 1891, On the Condition of Labour, Rerum
  Novarum, Leo XIII neither capitalism nor
  socialism.
• 1931, The Reconstruction of the Social Order,
  Quadragessimo Anno, Pius XI model of a just
  society.

• 1961, Christianity and Social Progress, Mater et
  Magistra John XXIII on international aid
  global responsibility.

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114 Years of Catholic Social Teaching The
Second Vatican Council
1963, Peace on Earth, John XXIII human rights
and the common good, peace and justice. 1965, The
Church in the Modern World, Vatican II on
justice and dignity of all peoples. 1965,
Apostolate of Lay People, Vatican II all have a
shared mission to renew the world.
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114 Years of Catholic Social Teaching
Liberation Theology

1967, On Religious Freedom, Vatican II the right
to religious liberty and other freedoms. 1967,
The Development of Peoples, Paul VI development
and social justice bring peace. 1968, The
Medellin Conference, Latin American Bishops
liberation theology 1971, A Call to Action, Paul
VI duty of all Christians to work for justice.
1971, Justice in the World, Bishops Synod Action
for justice is part of preaching the
Gospel. 1975, Evangelisation in the Modern World,
Paul VI justice and liberation from
oppression. 1979, The Puebla Conference, Latin
American Bishops role of the laity, to opt for
the poor.
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114 Years of Catholic Social Teaching Pope John
Paul II
1981, On Human Work, John Paul II dignity of
work and industrial justice. 1983, The Challenge
of Peace, U.S. Bishops nuclear war and
deterrence. 1986, Economic Justice for All, U.S.
Bishops economic rights poverty. 1988, The
Social Concerns of the Church the preferential
option for the poor. 1988, The Church and Racism,
Pontifical C. for J. P., Anti-Semitism and
racism condemned
1990, The Missionary Activity of the Church, John
Paul II enculturation, respect for cultures.
1990, Peace with God, Peace with Creation, John
Paul II ecology and sustainability. 1991, One
Hundred Years, John Paul II cautions against
global capitalism. 1992, Common Wealth for the
Common Good, Australian Bishops. Distribute more
fairly. 1993, Refugees a Challenge to
Solidarity, Pontifical Council. The plight of the
refugee. 1994, The Third Millennium. John Paul
II. The future and Jubilee 2000.
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Christian Action for Justice

• Anglican Social Responsibility Committee
• Anglicare- Brotherhood of St Laurence
• Baptist Union- Tim Costello as National Director
  of World Vision during the Boxing Day 2004
  Tsunami Response
• The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
• Uniting Church
• Example of Ecumenical Action eg the Jubilee Debt
  Cancellation Campaign

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Twelve Key Justice Principles

• Act for justice as a dimension of faith
• Respect the dignity of the human person
• Defend the rights of peoples to political, social
  and
• economic participation
• Make an option for the poor
• Observe the link between love and justice
• Promote the common good
• Insist that institutions serve people at
  appropriate
• levels (subsidiarity)
• Insist that governments provide a safety net
• for the interests of citizens
• Give priority to people over things or capital
• Share and use earth's resources as good stewards
• (sustainability)
• Recognise global solidarity
• Advance peace and tolerance of diversity.
• (Adapted from Henriot, P. et al. (1988) Catholic
  Social Teaching Our Best Kept Secret. Dove,
  Melbourne., p.20-22

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The UN Millennium Development Goals

• To reduce the extent of hunger and acute poverty
  by half by 2015, will be challenging but IS
  achievable The eight steps are agreed by
  economists to be
• Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
• Achieve universal primary education
• Promote gender equality and empower women
• Reduce child mortality
• Improve maternal health
• Combat HIV/Aids, malaria and other diseases
• Ensure environmental sustainability
• Secure a global partnership for development

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But what can we do?Where do we start?

• School Based Community Outreach
• School based Restorative Justice
• Community partnerships
• Agencies- Fundraising
• Agencies- Social Action St Vincent de Paul,
  Edmund Rice Camps, Amnesty International
• Just Do Something write a letter to the editor
  or MP
• Other ideas?

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See.Question.Reflect.Act

• Seek Experience
• Ask Questions
• Reflect Spiritually
• Act Justly
• ? Can you think of groups/people already doing
  this?

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Acting for Justice Online

• Religions and Justice www.hillconnections.org/jt/
  ot.htm
• ACSJC www.acsjc.org.au
• Catholic EarthCare www.catholicearthoz.net
• WATER-AID http//www.givewater.org
• FAIRWEAR CAMPAIGN http//www.acfid.asn.au/fairwea
  r/
• GREENPEACE http//www.greenpeace.org/index.shtml
• JUBILEE AUSTRALIA http//www.jubileeaustralia.org
  .au/
• FORCETEN http//www.forceten.org.au/
• SOCIAL ACTION CENTRE http//www.fraynework.com.au
  /home/sao/index.html
• SOCIAL CHANGE NET http//www.socialchange.net.au/
  

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Electronic Newsletters

• ACSJC
• briefing-subscribe_at_socialjustice.catholic.org.au
• Social Action Office cathyok_at_sao.clriq.org.au
• OzSpirit ozspirit_at_v2.listbox.com