Gaudium et Spes Essays

Gaudium et Spes Essays Gaudium et Spes Essay Gaudium et Spes Essay Gaudium et Spes Introduction The Catholic Church has four apostolic charters introduced by the second Vatican council in Rome. One of the charters is ‘the pastoral constitution on the church in the modern world’. It is better known as Gaudium et Spes. This document was written to provide a general idea of what the Catholic Church taught about humanity and the society. The word Gaudium et Spes in the Latin language means joy and hope. In the same way, the document provides an account on the emotions such as happiness, anguish and apprehension that Christians face in this age. Gaudium et Spes defines and safeguards the function of the church in a materialistic society particularly in relation to injustice, paucity, ecumenism, technological reconstruction and finances. : Discussion The Gaudium et Spes defines culture as everything that has to do with the lives of people, all their values and practices whether good or bad; and the way in which people express themselves through language, institutions and social conditions. The author sees the need for the intervention of the Catholic Church in the area of culture in order to integrate more Christianity into it. He states that there have been so many social and cultural changes that it is as though the human race is experiencing a new age. New patterns of thinking, acting, communicating and leisure have grown that are shaping and changing people’s cultures all over the world. The author believes that the exchanges of culture should lead to the unification and harmony between nations of the world. However, he believes that care should be taken to prevent new cultures from completely erasing old traditions and wisdom and replacing people’s original cultures. In addition, he states that the development and exchanges of culture could lead to increased secularism, thus creating an environment whereby religion is regarded with hostility. He urges Christians to obey their calling, which is to control the earth and develop God’s creation in order to make an impact and be of service in the world. By making the world a better place, Christians encourage the rest of the world to come into the knowledge of the Creator. He also states that the development of science and technology may lead to agnosticism and atheism, but Christians should not let this lead them to despise the advancements, since they are useful. The author also discusses the relationship between the message of salvation and culture. He states that Jesus’ teachings were always appropriate to the cultures of the people he was speaking to. Thus, the Church should also understand people’s cultures in order to spread the Gospel effectively. The Gospel is an effective tool in the purification of people’s inequities and it shows the world the right path, thus the church should integrate with the world’s cultures in order to spread the world. The key terms used include ‘humanity’, which is used as a definition for all of humankind. The Pope constantly uses this term in order to show that the content of the constitution concerns everyone in the world and not specific individuals or races. ‘Culture’ is another key term that the author uses. He uses it to describe patterns of behavior, thinking, beliefs and other works of humanity that are transmitted through people in different par ts of the world over time. Conclusion The author concludes by stating that the development of the individual, the good of the community and humanity should all come before culture. Culture should be allowed to develop unrestrained as long as it respects the rights of all people within the community. Authorities should therefore not determine how culture should develop but should provide structures that facilitate the proper growth of culture in line with truth and respect for all people despite their economic, racial or political backgrounds.

Writing a Pitch

Writing a Pitch Writing a Pitch Writing a Pitch By Maeve Maddox Those of you planning to enter the Amazon/Penguin Fiction Contest have probably written your pitch by now. Every novelist, sooner or later, must give some thought to the pitch. Like a synopsis a pitch must presentin a short space if written, in a few minutes if spokenan overall description of the novel: main character/s, main conflict, main plot twists, and resolution. The pitch contains additional information about targeted audience and marketability. The Amazon/Penguin contest is expected to draw as many as 10,000 submissions. The 10,000 will be cut to 2,000 on the basis of 300-word pitches. Even if you dont plan to enter, you may find the contest criteria useful in planning the pitch you will eventually need if youre writing a novel. The 300-word contest pitches are expected to give judges a clear idea of the following aspects of the submitted novel: overall strength plot development character development originality of idea writing style intended market how the book fits within this market why the reader would want to read the novel The contents of a pitch are the same as what goes into a query letter. Good luck to those of you planning to enter. Any of our readers who entered last year may want to offer last minute tips. Guidelines for writing a fiction query letter Breakthrough Novel Contest site Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Has vs. HadStory Writing 101Oppose and Opposed To