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Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church Review
User Submitted Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church ReviewsDecember 26, 2008 The Church's Social Teaching Proclaims the Sanctity of Life During every recent national election, "Catholic Social Teaching" has been cited, to downplay the primacy of sanctity of life issues. Within this 4 part, 13 chapter work, can justification be found for such an interpretation? *Part 1 GOD'S PLAN OF LOVE FOR HUMANITY THE CHURCH'S MISSION AND SOCIAL DOCTRINE THE HUMAN PERSON AND HUMAN RIGHTS PRINCIPLES OF THE CHURCH'S SOCIAL DOCTRINE *Part 2 THE FAMILY, THE VITAL CELL OF SOCIETY HUMAN WORK ECONOMIC LIFE THE POLITICAL COMMUNITY THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SAFEGUARDING THE ENVIRONMENT THE PROMOTION OF PEACE *Part 3 SOCIAL DOCTRINE AND ECCLESIAL ACTION *Conclusion FOR A CIVILIZATION OF LOVE After a detailed, comprehensive study of the Compendium, will you be able to downplay emphasis on Sanctity of Life concerns? Of course not! The Vatican's "Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church" offers absolutely no support for such! Only someone who does not truly understand Catholic Social Teaching - or someone who is deliberately misrepresenting it - could offer such an interpretation! The Sanctity of Life is at the very core of Catholic Social Teaching. As per Pope John Paul II, "The inviolability of the person, which is a reflection of the absolute inviolability of God, finds its primary and fundamental expression in the inviolability of human life. Above all, the common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights -- for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture -- is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition of all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination" (The Vocation and the Mission of the Lay Faithful in the Church & in the World, 1988). July 23, 2008 Amazing I wish I would have read this a long time ago. To the point and great read on Social teaching. February 16, 2008 Great Book -- but NOT for Deacons This compendium is surprisingly readable, and gives a broad view of the Church's glorious social teaching -- something which is not well understood by many. I am confident that in time, my copy will be dilapidated. I must take issue, however with a reviewer who also gave five starts to the Compendium. He said it was "essential for deacons". But in the book's introduction, it is plainly stated that the book was primarily for Bishops, but also for priests, for men and women religious, for lay people, for Christians in non-Catholic communities, for those of other religions, and for those with no religion at all. In short, the book is for every human on this planet EXCEPT Catholic Deacons. February 7, 2008 Tremdendous! I'm one quarter the way through: reading slowly with pencil often in hand. This is a MUST READ for all who have grown tired of the way of the world. It offers so much tangible direction and as a result hope. "Hope" in the sense of what we are to be about. Another reviewer suggested that a family might read it. Indeed! I've all but decided that it shall be the gift I give to those about whom I care come Christmas. Surely, some eyes might roll. But it is too precious of a "gift" not for some attempts to be made to put it on a lamp stand. December 13, 2007 Good Citizenship This is essentially a book about good citizenship. It can and should be read by any senior adolescent or adult person of good will. It should be on the bookshelf of any family raising children, just like Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, and parents should discuss it with their young as these are nearing adulthood. Likewise, it should be discussed in the junior and senior classes of any high school, and certainly again in college and university level courses of human sciences (e.g. Sociology). The book is absolutely non-confessional. In fact you need not even be a Christian to appreciate it, just, as I said before, a person of good will. Of course, the reader will have to tolerate that the words God and Church are mentioned here and there, but there is no religious indoctrination per se. The practical concepts are bound to be convincing to most everyone. September 4, 2007 An outstanding resource . . . . . . which belongs on the shelf of priests, deacons, pastoral associates, and social justice ministers throughout the Catholic Church. The "Compendium" does not break any new ground. It does not promulgate any new doctrine. It offers no new teaching. What it DOES do, is gather under a single cover, a concise presentation of ALL the Church teaching on social issues from Rerum Novarum through its publication in 2005. In other words, it is one of the most useful single-volume reference works available for anyone in ministry. No more having to keep shelves of reference material -- everything even remotely related to social justice, human rights, economic and political concerns, environmental issues, etc. can be found -- and easily accessed -- in this document. In addition to 250+ pages of text, there is a lengthy list of Church documents which are used as source material, and an extremely thorough index. I have personally taught from this book, and am proud to recommend it both personally and professionally. Very, very highly recommended October 14, 2005 A tool to inspire and guide the Catholic community through the moral and pastoral challenges that confront the Church today Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church was published to serve as a tool to inspire and guide the Catholic community through the moral and pastoral challenges that confront the Church today. The informed and informative text is organized into specific sections dedicated to revealing God's plan of love for humanity; the family as the vital nucleus of society; the relationship between social doctrines and ecclesial actions; and the fundamentals required for developing and maintaining a "civilization of love". Enhanced with extensive "Index of References" and an "Analytical Index", Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church is an appropriate and strongly recommended addition to personal and clerical reference collections, seminary and academic library reference shelves, and supplemental reading for pastors and active laity within the Catholic communities throughout the country. August 31, 2005 Beautiful, Truthful, Necessary Teaching Be warned that this amazing work is not a page-turning history of this often-neglected and rich history of Catholic Social Teaching. It reads like a John Paul II encyclical, in both its circular, thorough, hypnotic approach to the many aspects of the teaching as well as the sense one gets that one is witnessing transcendent Truth. Overstatement? Perhaps. I admit to being a huge fan of JPII, but I'm a bigger fan of the One he served so faithfully. I have also had the ability to work full-time in the area of social justice in a faithfully Catholic organization and have often been dismayed by the misunderstandings that many have of Catholic Social Teaching. There seems to be a large group of non-Catholic or semi-Catholic people who do great work "in the trenches" serving as Christ has called us all to do, but often do so with a hostility toward the Church and her teachings. There also seems to be another group of Catholics who are faithful in general to the Church's sacraments and moral teachings, but don't take the Church's call to solidarity with the poor very seriously. Christ's admonitions to both types of people are easy to find in the Gospel, so there is little need to go into that here, but this volume gives a wake up call to all of us if we will hear it. If you are Catholic, then you are called to be with and serve those who need our help (Solidarity and Subsidiarity - two key principles). It is not for us to choose to let government do it (sorry, Socialists), to serve with bitter revolutionary intent (ditto, Marxists), or to simply insulate ourselves from the less fortunate, sick and needy with material wealth (sound familiar anyone?). If you are not Catholic, then this work still has a wealth of beautiful ideas that can be shared and can serve as a rallying point for those of different faith traditions. Whatever you do, it MUST be centered on Christ. This work makes that beautifully clear without singling out anyone. It would be a great subject for group study, or for anyone who would like to understand the depths of the Church's tradition. We have greatly missed the point of JPII's papacy and teachings if we only found in them our preconceived opinions or the expected dogmatic defensiveness. The message that we are called to be Gift to one another as Christ is for the Church is one that we should all hear, and it glows out of every page in this book. So, yeah, I guess I'd recommend it. August 18, 2005 Nothing Short of a Masterpiece! If one is seeking a blueprint, a framework, and a synthesis on putting the Catholic faith 'into practice', 'into action', one will find these qualities in this Compendium. Each sentence carries meaning and there are no unimportant words in this Compendium. It is concise, yet treats each topic with erudite precision. It is inspirational and hopeful! This Compendium makes one ponder deeply about the Catholic faith. It absolutely challenges both the mind and heart of the Catholic religious and lay faithful and exhorts the heart and mind to nobler causes outside of oneself and exhorts us to build a civilization of love, a culture of life. This Compendium, coupled with the previously published Catechism of the Catholic Church, will, in the judgement of history, be considered two classical works, that is, masterpieces. This is a book that all Catholics, at the least, should have on their shelves. August 1, 2005 A Goldmine Anyone involved in teaching in a Catholic environment will have come across the question "What is the Church's view about...". This compendium gathers together material from a range of Vatican sources about the Church's teaching on social issues ranging from the dignity of the human person, through the family and work, to the relationship between nations. Handy to use for reference, this work also sets out clearly the values and principles on which the Church's social teaching is based. I've found this book extremely useful, and know that I will go on referring to it in the future. For more Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church reviews click here.
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