dananthonygatananapi

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Social Development: Social Development

ocial development is a process which results in the transformation of social structures in a manner which improves the capacity of the society to fulfill its aspirations. Society develops by consciousness and social consciousness develops by organization. The process that is subconscious in the society emerges as conscious knowledge in pioneering individuals. Development is a process, not a programme. Its power issues more from its subtle aspects than from material objects.

Not all social change constitutes development. It consists of four well-marked stages -- survival, growth, development and evolution, each of which contains the other three within it. The quantitative expansion of existing activities generates growth or horizontal expansion. Development implies a qualitative change in the way the society carries out its activities, such as through more progressive attitudes and behavior by the population, the adoption of more effective social organizations or more advanced technology which may have been developed elsewhere. The term evolution refers to the original formulation and adoption of qualitative and structural advances in the form of new social attitudes, values, behaviors, or organizations.

While the term is usually applied to changes that are beneficial to society, it may result in negative side-effects or consequences that undermine or eliminate existing ways of life that are considered positive.

Social Development: Social Development Theory

In sociology, social development theory attempts to explain qualitative changes in the structure and framework of society, that help the society to better realize its aims and objectives. Development can be broadly defined in a manner applicable to all societies at all historical periods as an upward ascending movement featuring greater levels of energy, efficiency, quality, productivity, complexity, comprehension, creativity, mastery, enjoyment and accomplishment.[1] Development is a process of social change, not merely a set of policies and programs instituted for some specific results. This process has been going on since the dawn of history. But during the last five centuries it has picked up in speed and intensity, and during the last five decades has witnessed a marked surge in acceleration.[2]

The basic mechanism driving social change is increasing awareness leading to better organization. Life evolves by consciousness and consciousness in turn progresses by organization. When society senses new and better opportunities for progress it accordingly develops new forms of organization to exploit these new openings successfully. The new forms of organization are better able to harness the available social energies and skills and resources to use the opportunities to get the intended results.

Development is governed by many factors that influence the results of developmental efforts. There must be a motive that drives the social change and essential preconditions for that change to occur. The motive must be powerful enough to overcome obstructions that impede that change from occurring. Development also needs resources such as capital and technology and the availability of supporting infrastructures.

Development is the result of society's capacity to organize human energies and productive resources in order to meet the challenges and opportunities that life presents society with all the times. Society passes through well-defined stages in the course of its development. They are nomadic hunting and gathering, rural agrarian, urban, commercial, industrial and post-industrial societies. Pioneers introduce new ideas, practices and habits etc which are resisted in the beginning by the conservative element in society. At a later stage the innovations are accepted, imitated, organized and made use of by other members of the community. The organizational improvements introduced to support the innovations can take place simultaneously at four different levels—physical, social, mental and psychological. Moreover four different types of resources are involved in promoting development. Of these four, physical resources are the most visible but the least capable of expansion. The productivity of resources increases enormously as the quality of organization and level of knowledge inputs rise.

The pace and scope for development varies according to the stage that society is in during the developmental process. The three main stages are physical, vital (the term vital refers to the dynamic and nervous social energies of humanity that propel individuals to accomplish) and mental and all these three have their own unique characteristics.

Terminology

Though the use of the term "development" is usually confined to economic progress, in reality the term applies to political, social and technological progress as well. All these various sectors of society are so intertwined that it is difficult to neatly separate them. Development in all these sectors is governed by the same principles and laws and therefore the term can be applied uniformly to all these fields.

Economic development and human development need not mean the same thing. Strategies and policies aimed at greater growth may bring greater income to a country without bringing about an improvement in the living standards of the population. This is what happened in the case of oil-producing Middle Eastern countries where a surge in oil prices boosted the national income of these countries without much benefit to the poorer sections of the people living there. Conversely people-oriented programs and policies can bring about an improvement in their health, education, living standards and other quality-of-life measures without any special emphasis on monetary growth. This has been observed in the 30 years of socialist and communist rule in Kerela in India[3].

A distinction needs to be made between four closely related terms and phenomena that form successive steps in a graded series: survival, growth, development and evolution. Survival refers to a subsistence way of life without any marked qualitative changes in living standards. Growth refers to horizontal expansion in the existing plane characterized by quantitative expansion such as a farmer increasing the area under cultivation and a retail businessman opening more retail outlets. Development refers to a vertical shift in the level of operations that brings about a qualitative change such as a retailer turning into a manufacturer and an elementary school turning into a high school. Evolution refers to the introduction of totally new practices such as the initial introduction of credit cards or the invention of the Internet.

[edit] Human development

Development is a human process in the sense that it is human beings and not materials factors that are the driving force for development. The energy and aspiration of people who seek development forms the motive force that drives the development process. People's awareness may decide the direction in which development will take place. Their efficiency, productivity, creativity and organizational capacities determine the level of people’s accomplishment and enjoyment. What is called development is only the outer realization of latent inner potentials. The level of people's education, the intensity of their aspiration and energies, the quality of their attitudes and values, skills and information all decide the extent and pace of development. All these factors come into play whether it is the development of the individual, family, community or nation or even the whole world.[4]

[edit] Process of emergence of new activities in society

[edit] Subconscious vs. conscious development

The normal tendency of human development is to proceed from experience to comprehension. As society develops it accumulates the experience of countless pioneers down the centuries and takes the essence of that experience as the formula for success and accomplishment. The fact that experience precedes knowledge can be taken to mean that development is a subconscious process that gets carried out first while the knowledge becomes conscious later on only. We use the term subconscious to refer to those activities that people do without knowing what the end results will be or where their actions will lead them. That is the acts are carried out without a knowledge of the conditions required for their success.[5]

[edit] Role of pioneering individuals

The gathering subconscious knowledge of the society matures and breaks out on the surface in the form of new ideas espoused by pioneers who also take new initiatives to give expression to those ideas. Those initiatives may call for the formation of new strategies and new organizations which may be resisted by conservative elements in society. If the initiatives of the pioneers succeed, then it encourages imitation and slow propagation among the rest of the community. Later on growing success leads to the assimilation of the new practice by the society and in the course of time it becomes regularized and institutionalized. This process can be viewed in three distinct phases of social preparedness, initiative of pioneers and assimilation by the society.

The pioneer as such plays an important role in the development process since it is through that person that the subconscious knowledge becomes conscious. The awakening comes to the lone receptive individual first and it becomes that person's responsibility to spread the awakening to the rest of the society. Although pioneers appear as lone individuals in reality they act as conscious representatives of the society as a whole, and therefore their role should be viewed in that light.[6]

[edit] Imitation of the pioneer

Though a pioneer comes up with innovative ideas very often the initial response to a pioneer is one of indifference, ridicule or even one of outright hostility. If the pioneer persists and succeeds in an initiative, that person's efforts may eventually get the endorsement of the public. That endorsement tempts others to imitate the pioneer. If they also have success, then news spreads and brings about a wider acceptance. Conscious efforts to lend organizational support to the new initiative help in institutionalizing the new innovation.

[edit] Organization of new activities

Organization is the human capacity to harness all available information, knowledge, resources, technology, infrastructure and human skills to exploit new opportunities and to face challenges and hurdles that come in the way of progress. Development comes through improvements in the human capacity for organization. In other words, development comes through emergence of better organizations that enhance society's capacity to make use of opportunities and face challenges.

The development of organizations may come through the formulation of new laws and regulations or through new systems. Each new progress that society achieves comes with a corresponding new organization that emerges on the scene. The increasing international trade that European countries undertook in the 16th and 17th centuries demanded corresponding development of the banking industry, as well as commercial laws and civil arbitration facilities. New types of business ventures were needed to attract the tremendous amounts of capital needed to finance the expanding trade. As a result a new business entity came into use—the joint-stock company, which limited the liability of investors to the extent of their personal investment without endangering their other properties.

Each new developmental advance that society makes is accompanied by new or more suitable organizations that facilitate that advance. On many occasions the existing inadequate organization is forced to change itself to be in tune with the new development. Many countries have introduced scores of new reforms and procedures such as the release of business directories, franchising, lease purchase, courier service, credit rating, collection agencies, industrial estates, free trade zones and credit cards, etc. On top of all these, a diverse range of Internet services have also been added. Each of these new facilities vastly improves the effective usage of available social energies for productive purposes. The importance of these facilities for speeding up development is clearly illustrated when they are absent. When Eastern European countries wanted to make the transition to market-type economies, they were seriously hampered in their efforts to make that transition due to the absence of these supportive systems and facilities.

[edit] Organization matures into institution

At a particular stage the organization matures into an institution that becomes part and parcel of the society. Beyond this point it does not need laws and agencies to foster its growth or ensure its continued presence. The transformation of an organization into an institution signifies the total acceptance by the society of that new organization. The income tax office is an example of an organization that is actively maintained by the enactment of laws and the formation of an office for procuring taxes. Without the active support of the government this organization will simply disappear in the course of a few years as it does not enjoy active public support. On the other hand, the institution of marriage enjoys universal acceptance and would persist in society even if government regulations demanding registration of marriage and age restrictions were withdrawn. The institution of marriage is sustained by the weight of tradition and not by government agencies and legal enactments.

[edit] Cultural transmission by the family

Families play a major role in the propagation of new activities once they win the support of the society. A family is a miniature version of the larger society and as such the acceptance by the larger entity will find its reflection in the smaller entity also. It is the family that educates the younger generation and transmits to them such social values as self-restraint, responsibility and the skills and occupational training of fathers. Though children do not follow their fathers' footsteps as much as they did in the past, parents do in a big way mould their children's attitudes and thoughts regarding their careers and future occupations. When families take up the propagation of a new activity, it is a sure sign that the new activity has become an integral part of the society.

[edit] Education

One of the most powerful means of propagating and sustaining new developments is the system of education available in a society. Education is the means for organized transmission of society's collective knowledge to each next generation by the previous generation. It equips each new generation to face the opportunities and challenges of the future with the knowledge gathered from the past. It shows the young generation the opportunities that lie ahead for them and thereby raises their aspiration to achieve more. The information imparted by education raises the level of expectations of youth as well as their aspirations for higher income. It also equips them with the mental capacity to devise ways and means to improve productivity and enhance living standards.

Society can be conceived as a complex fabric consisting of interrelated activities, systems and organizations.[7] Development occurs when this complex fabric improves its own organization. That organizational improvement can take place simultaneously in several dimensions.

* Quantitative expansion in the volume of social activities
* Qualitative expansion in the content of all those elements that make up the social fabric.
* Geographic extension of the social fabric to bring more of the population under the cover of that fabric.
* Integration of existing and new organizations so that the social fabric functions more efficiently.

Such organizational innovations occur all the time as a continuous process. New organizations emerge whenever a new developmental stage is reached and old organizations get modified to suit the new developmental requirements. The impact of these new organizations may be so powerful as to lead the people to believe that these new organizations are powerful in their own right. Actually it is society that throws up the new organizations required to achieve its objectives.

The direction that the developmental process takes is very much influenced by the awareness of the population as to what are the opportunities available in the society. Increasing awareness leads to greater aspiration which in turn releases greater energy that helps bring about greater accomplishment.

[edit] Resources

Since the time of the English economist Thomas Malthus, it has been thought that the capacity for development is severely limited due to the inherent limitation in the availability of natural resources. Resources can be divided into four major categories: physical, social, mental and human resources. Land, water, mineral and oil, etc. constitute physical resources. Social resources consist of society's capacity to manage and direct complex systems and activities. Knowledge, information and technology are mental resources. The energy, skill and capacities of people constitute human resources.

The science of economics is very much concerned with scarcity of resources. Though physical resources are limited in their availability, the same cannot be said about social, mental and human resources which arguably are not subject to any inherent limits[8]. Even if these appear to be limited at present, there is no fixity about the limitation and these resources can and will continue to expand over time and that expansion can be accelerated by be expanded if appropriate strategies. In recent decades the rate of growth of has accelerated dramatically.[9]

The role of physical resources tend to diminish as society moves to higher levels in the scale of development. Correspondingly the role of non-material resources keeps increasing as development advances. One of the most important non-material resources is information, which has become a key in-put in modern times. Information is a non-material resource that does not get exhausted by distribution or sharing. Greater access to information helps increase the pace of its development. Ready access to information about economic factors helps investors to immediately transfer capital to those sectors and areas where it will fetch a higher return. The greater input of non-material resources helps explain the rising productivity of societies in spite of a limited physical resource base.

The application of higher non-material inputs also raises the productivity of physical inputs. Modern technology has helped increase the proven sources of oil by 50% in recent years and at the same time reduced the cost of search operations by 75%. Moreover, technology has shown that it is possible to reduce the amount of physical inputs in a wide range of activities. Scientific agricultural methods demonstrated that soil productivity could be raised by application of synthetic fertilizers. Dutch farm scientists have demonstrated that a minimal water consumption of 1.4 liters is enough to raise a kilogram of vegetables compared to the thousand liters that traditional irrigation methods normally require. Henry Ford's assembly line techniques brought down the man-hours of labor required to deliver a car from 783 minutes to 93 minutes. These examples show that the greater input of higher non-material resources can raise the productivity of physical resources and thereby extend their limits.[10]

[edit] Role of technological development

When the mind engages in pure creative thinking it comes up with new thoughts and ideas. When it applies itself to society it can come up with new organizations. When it turns its attention to the study of nature it discovers the laws and mechanisms by which nature operates. When it applies itself to technology it comes up with new discoveries and practical inventions that boost productivity. Technical creativity has had an erratic course through history, with some intense periods of creative output followed by some dull and inactive periods. However the period since 1700 has been marked by an intense burst of technological creativity that is multiplying human capacities exponentially.

Though many reasons can be cited for the accelerating pace of technological inventions, one major cause is the role played by mental creativity in an increasing atmosphere of freedom. Political freedom and liberation from religious dogma had a powerful impact on creative thinking during the period of the Age of Enlightenment. Dogmas and superstitions had an incredibly restrictive effect on the scope for mental creativity. For example, when the astronomer Copernicus proposed a heliocentric view of the world, it was rejected[citation needed] because it did not conform to established religious doctrine. When Galileo perfected a telescope for viewing the planets, his invention was condemned by churchmen as an instrument of the devil as it seemed to be so unusual and hence fit to be deemed heretic. Such obscurantist fetters on freedom of thought were shattered only with the coming of the Enlightenment. From then on the spirit of experimentation began to thrive afterwards.

Though technological inventions have markedly increased the pace of development, the tendency to view developmental accomplishments as mainly powered by technology is a partial view that misses the bigger picture. Technological innovation was spurred by the general advance in the social organization of knowledge. In the Middle Ages efforts at scientific creativity were few and relatively and isolated for one another, mainly because there were no effective arrangements for the preservation and dissemination of knowledge. Since there was no organized protection for patent rights, scientists and inventors were very secretive about their activities and operations. The establishment of scientific associations and the publication of scientific journals spuured the exchange of knowledge among scientists and created a written record that could be examined by posterity.

The development of technology is dependent on the presence of other types of social organizations. Nobel laureate economist Arthur Lewis observed that the mechanization of factory production in England which became known as the Industrial Revolution was a direct result of the reorganization of English agriculture. The enclosure of common lands in England generated surplus income for the farmers. That extra income generated additional raw materials for industrial processing along with greater demand for industrial products which was difficult to meet by traditional manufacturing processes. The opening of sea trade gave an added boost in demand for industrial production for export. Factory production increased many times when production was reorganized using steam energy combined with moving assembly lines, specialization and division of labor. Thus, technological development was both a result of and a contributing factor to the overall development of society.

Individual scientific inventions do not simply spring out of the blue. They build on past accomplishments in an incremental manner and give a conscious form to the subconscious knowledge that society gathers over time. As pioneers are more conscious than the surrounding community, their inventions normally meet with initial resistance, which recedes over time as their inventions gain wider acceptance. If opposition is stronger than the pioneer, then the introduction of an invention gets delayed. In medieval times when guilds exercised tight control over their members, progress in medical invention was slow mainly because physicians were secretive about their remedies. When Denis Papin demonstrated his invention of a steam engine, German naval authorities refused to accept it fearing it would lead to increased unemployment. John Kay, who developed a flying shuttle textile loom, was subject to physical intimidation by English weavers who feared the loss of their jobs. He had to flee to France where his invention was more favorably received. The widespread use of computers and application of biotechnology raises similar resistance among the public today. Whether the public receive an invention readily or resist depends on their awareness and willingness to entertain rapid change. Regardless of the response, technological inventions occurs as part of overall social development and not as an isolated field of activity.

[edit] Limits to development

The concept of inherent limits to development arose mainly because development in the past was determined largely by the availability of physical resources. Humanity itself relied more on muscle-power than thought-power to accomplish work. That is no longer the case. Today mental resources are the primary determinant of development. Where people drove a simple bullock cart, they now design ships and aircraft that carry huge loads across immense distances. Humanity has tamed rivers, cleared jungles and even turned arid desert lands into cultivable lands through irrigation. By using intelligence society has turned sand into powerful silicon chips that carry huge amounts of information and form the basis of computers. Since there is no inherent limit to the expansion of society's mental resources, the notion of limits to growth cannot be ultimately binding.[11]

[edit] Three stages of development

Society's developmental journey is marked by three stages which can be called physical, vital and mental. These are not clear-cut stages but overlapping ones. All the three elements will be present in any society at time. One of them will be predominant while the other two play subordinate roles. The term 'vital' denotes the emotional and nervous energies that empower society's drive towards accomplishment and express most directly in the interactions between human beings. Before the full development of mind, it is these vital energies that predominate in human personality and gradually yield the ground as the mental element becomes stronger. The speed and circumstances of social transition from one stage to another varies.[12]

[edit] Physical stage

The physical stage is characterized by the domination of the physical element of the human personality. During this phase, society is preoccupied with bare survival and subsistence. People follow tradition strictly and there is little innovation and change. Land is the main asset and productive resource during the physical stage and wealth is measured by the size of land holdings. This is the agrarian and feudal phase of society. Inherited wealth and position rule the roost and there is very little upward mobility. Feudal lords and military chiefs function as the leaders of the society. Commerce and money play a relatively minor role. As innovative thinking and experimental approaches are discouraged, people follow tradition unwaveringly and show little inclination to think outside of established guidelines. Occupational skills are passed down from parent to child by a long process of apprenticeship. Guilds restrict the dissemination of trade secrets and technical knowledge. The Church controls the spread of new knowledge and tries to smother new ideas that does not agree with established dogmas. The physical stage comes to an end when the reorganization of agriculture gives scope for commerce and industry to expand. This happened in Europe during the 18th century when political revolutions abolished feudalism and the Industrial Revolution gave a boost to factory production. The shift to the vital and mental stages helps to break the bonds of tradition and inject new dynamism in social life.

[edit] Vital stage

The vital stage of society is infused with dynamism and change. The vital activities of society expand markedly. Society becomes curious, innovative and adventurous. During the vital stage emphasis shifts from interactions with the physical environment to social interactions between people. Trade supplants agriculture as the principal source of wealth.

The dawning of this phase in Europe led to exploratory voyages across the seas leading to the discovery of new lands and an expansion of sea trade. Equally important, society at this time began to more effectively harness the power of money. Commerce took over from agriculture and money replaced land as the most productive resource. The center of life shifted from the countryside to the towns where opportunities for trade and business were in greater abundance. The center of power shifted from the aristocracy to the business class, which employed the growing power of money to gain political influence. During the vital stage, the rule of law becomes more formal and binding, providing a secure and safe environment for business to flourish. Banks, shipping companies and joint-stock companies increase in numbers to make use of the opportunities. Fresh innovative thinking leads to new ways of life which are accepted as they prove to be beneficial. Science and experimental approaches begin to make a headway as the hold of tradition and dogma weaken. Demand for education rises.

As the vital stage matures through the expansion of the commercial and industrial complex, surplus income arises which prompts people to spend more on items so far considered out of reach. People begin to aspire for luxury and leisure which were not possible when life was at a subsistence level.

[edit] Mental stage

This stage has three essential characteristics which can be described as the practical, social and political application of mind. The practical application of mind leads to the generation of a great number of inventions. The social application of mind leads to the invention of new and more effective types of social organization. The political application leads to changes in the political systems, empowering the common man to exercise political and human rights in a free and democratic manner. These changes had their beginning in the Renaissance and Enlightenment and gained a powerful impetus through the Reformation which proclaimed the right of the individual to relate directly to God without the mediation of the priest. The political application of mind led to the American and French Revolutions which first gave written recognition to the rights of the common man and gradually led to the actual enjoyment of these rights.

Organization is a mental invention. Therefore it is not surprising that the mental stage of development is responsible for the formulation of a great number of organizational innovations. Huge business corporations have emerged that make more money than even the total earnings of some small countries. Global networks for transportation and communication now connect the nations of the world within a common unified social fabric for sea and air travel, telecommunications, weather reporting and information exchange.

In addition to spurring technological and organizational innovation, the mental phase is also marked by the increasing power of ideas to change social life. Ethical ideals have been with humanity since the dawn of civilization. But their practical application in daily social life had to wait for the mental stage of development to emerge. The proclamation of human rights and the recognition of the value of the individual have become effective only after the development of mind and spread of education. The 20th century truly emerged as the century of the common man. Political, social, economic and many other rights were extended to more and more sections of humanity with each succeeding decade.

The relative duration of these three stages and the speed of transition from one to another varies from one society to another. However broadly speaking, the essential features of the physical, vital and mental stages of development are strikingly similar and therefore quite recognizable even in societies separated by great distance and having little direct contact with one another. Moreover, societies also learn from the experience of those which have gone through these transitions before and, therefore, may be able to make the transitions faster and in a better manner. When the Netherlands introduced primary education in 1618 it was a pioneering initiative. When Japan did the same thing late in the 19th century, it had the advantage of learning from the experience of the USA and other countries that had already done so. When many Asian countries initiated primary education in the 1950s after winning independence, they could draw on the vast experience of more developed nations . This is one major reason for the quickening pace of progress as the decades advance.

[edit] Natural vs. planned development

A distinction needs to be made between natural development and development brought about by the planned initiatives of government. Natural development is the spontaneous and subconscious process of development that normally occurs. Planned development is the result of deliberate conscious initiatives by the government to speed up development through special programs and policies. Natural development is a subconscious process since it occurs as the result of the behavior of countless individuals acting on their own, rather than being not driven by a conscious intention of the community. It is also subconscious in the sense that society achieves the results without being fully conscious of how it did so. The natural development of democracy in Europe over the past few centuries can be contrasted with the conscious effort to introduce democratic forms of government in former colonial nations after World War II. Planned development is also largely subconscious: the goals may be conscious, but the most effective means for achieving them may remain poorly understood. Planned development can become fully conscious only when the process of development itself is fully understood. While in planned development the government is the initiator in the natural version it is private individuals or groups that are responsible for the initiative. Whoever initiates, the principles and policies are the same and success is assured only when the conditions and right principles are followed.

India's Green Revolution

The Green Revolution in India is a good example of a planned development initiative that brings out all the essential features of the development process. Until 1960 agriculture in India did not differ markedly from what it had been during the colonial period stretching back 200 years ago. The Green Revolution is usually described as the introduction of hybrid varieties of wheat and rice, but the adoption of hybrids alone is not sufficient to explain the phenomenal achievements of the Green Revolution. Success was made possible by a comprehensive and well-coordinated program involving multiple changes in the way society managed the production of food.

Prior to the launch of the Green Revolution, Indian agriculture was largely based on subsistence-level farming which did not generate sufficient production to meet the country's food requirements. In the past this had led to periodic food shortages and famines which were managed by huge imports from abroad. Green Revolution was an attempt to break out of this condition and increase food production to make the country self-sufficient.

The Indian government realized that it needed to do many things to win the cooperation of the Indian farmers in order to make the green revolution successful. First, farmers had to be convinced that acceptance of the hybrid varieties would lead to increased yields. Then an assurance had to be given that increased production would not lead to decreased prices as commonly occurred in the past during years of bumper harvest. The government had to make arrangements to ensure supply of quality seeds, fertilizers and make provision for adequate storage space. It also had to train a huge network of extension agents to impart the necessary training to farmers so that they carry out the cultivation correctly.

The government accomplished all this by setting up many new organizations. It set up the Food Corporation to buy food grains from surplus production areas and distribute it in areas afflicted with shortage. It constituted an Agricultural Pricing Commission to ensure a minimum floor price to farmers so that there was no disincentive for increased production. Seed and fertilizer corporations were formed to ensure supply of good quality seeds and timely supply of fertilizers, etc. Agricultural scientists were motivated to do their work better by the offer of better pay scales and greater infrastructural facilities. On top of all this the government established 100,000 demonstration plots across the country to prove to the farmers that the hybrid varieties were indeed more productive.[13]

The Green Revolution succeeded not only because it was a planned initiative but also because it was a conscious and well-conceived program. It adopted the right approaches and was alive to the needs and aspirations of the farmers. Therefore it was well received. The planning and awareness exhibited in the project helped create a higher level organization that could harness the enthusiasm and energies of the farmers more effectively.

Planned development differs from natural development in the sense that it is a program sponsored by the government in an attempt to accelerate the development process that would otherwise take place slowly or perhaps not occur at all. The success of a planned initiative depends very much on its ability to ensure the terms and conditions that help the natural process succeed. Many planned government initiatives fail because they are begun without the proper understanding of the conditions necessary for their fulfilment. During the 1960s only the Government of India had the resources necessary to launch a massive program of such dimensions. But today, India's private sector is perhaps even better equipped than government to bring about rapid development as illustrated by the dramatic expansion of the country's IT industry.

The Green Revolution was so successful that it enabled India to achieve food self-sufficiency within five years and a doubling of food production within ten years. This was totally unexpected and took even many experts by surprise. More than the increased food production, the elevation of agricultural operation in India to a higher level of organization was a more noteworthy achievement. It was a perfect demonstration of the success that a planned initiative could achieve when implemented with the required knowledge and awareness.


References

* Jacobs, Garry et.al. Kamadhenu: The Prosperity Movement, Southern Publications, India, 1988.
* Asokan. N. History of USA, The Mother's Service Society, 2006.

1. ^ Jacobs, Garry and Asokan N., "Towards a Comprehensive Theory of Social Development". In: Human Choice, World Academy of Art & Science, USA, 1999, p. 152.
2. ^ International Commission on Peace and Food, Uncommon Opportunities: An Agenda for Peace and Equitable Development, Zed Books, UK, 1994, p. 163.
3. ^ Victor Fic (1970), "Kerela: Yenan of India The Rise of Communist Power 1937 -1969" (Nachiketa Publishing Bombay)
4. ^ Jacobs, Garry and Asokan, N., "Towards a Comprehensive Theory of Social Development". In: Human Choice, World Academy of Art & Science, USA, 1999, p. 51.
5. ^ Jacobs, Garry and Asokan, N., "Towards a Comprehensive Theory of Social Development". In: Human Choice, World Academy of Art & Science, USA, 1999, p. 57.
6. ^ Cleveland, Harlan and Jacobs, Garry, "The Genetic Code for Social Development". In: Human Choice, World Academy of Art & Science, USA, 1999, p. 7.
7. ^ International Commission on Peace and Food, Uncommon Opportunities: An Agenda for Peace and Equitable Development, Zed Books , UK, 1994, p. 168.
8. ^ Humans are finite beings and so limits of some kind must be present
9. ^ International Commission on Peace and Food, Uncommon Opportunities: An Agenda for Peace and Equitable Development, Zed Books, UK, 1994, p. 162
10. ^ Macfarlane, Robert and Van Harten, Robert. "Engines of Development". In: Human Choice, World Academy of Art & Science, USA, 1999, p. 47
11. ^ International Commission on Peace and Food, Uncommon Opportunities: An Agenda for Peace and Equitable Development, Zed Books, UK, 1994, p. 158.
12. ^ Cleveland, Harlan and Jacobs, Garry. "Human Choice: The Genetic Code for Social Development". In: Futures Research Quarterly, Vol. 31, No. 9–10, November–December 1999, Pergamon, UK, p. 964.
13. ^ International Commission on Peace and Food, Uncommon Opportunities: An Agenda for Peace and Equitable Development, Zed Books, UK, 1994, pp 27, 174.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_development_theory

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Theology 4 - We Make Moral Decisions

Foundation of Christian Morality

• Catholic teaching identifies morality as human actions
coming from a heart that searches for truth and yearns
for freedom.
• One can live in freedom only if one knows the truth.
• To live a good moral life, one must be in constant
acceptance of truth.

Foundation of Christian Morality

• As Christians we look for truth outside of ourselves.
• We look for truth from our Creator who has created us to give glory
to Him and who loves us despite our failing to live up to His original
expectations.
• He has given us the laws we need in order to achieve the freedom

he has created us for.
• He has given us the tools we need to put ourselves on the correct
path when we do stray.
• Thus our moral decisions are meshed with
our life of faith.

Foundation of Christian Morality

• God is transcendent and loves us unconditionally.
• He knows us better than we know ourselves. We are
created in His image. We are created immortal.
• Thus we realize that he has set up for us laws to help us
become fully human and to find our way to Him.
• We respond in freedom and we are responsible for our
actions.
• Thus He has endowed us with tremendous dignity that
needs to be fully respected in all persons.


Basis of Christian Morality- Where
are these moral laws?

Moral Law can be found in Natural Law
This expresses the original moral sense which enables
people to discern by reason the good and the evil, the
truth and the lie. It expresses the dignity of the human
person and forms the basis of fundamental rights and
duties of all persons.

Basis of Christian Morality- Where
are these moral laws?

Moral Law can be found in Revealed Law
The Old Law expressed in the 10 commandments.
These are laws that contain some truths naturally
accessible to reason. They are revealed by God and
they impact our relationship with God and with one
another.
The New Law expressed in the Sermon on the Mount It
surpasses the Old Law without destroying it and brings it
to perfection. It calls the human heart to conversion and
opens the road to greater freedom.
Basis of Christian Morality- Where
are these moral laws?

Moral Law can be found in Teachings of the Church
Throughout the ages the Church looks and listens to the
signs of the times and proceeds to evaluate their
goodness or their evilness.
The principles of Natural Law and Revealed Law are
applied to current issues and thus their goodness or
evilness can be determined.


What makes a moral act good or evil:

• The chosen action itself:
Objective norms of morality determine if an act is good
or evil, whether it is for a person’s ultimate good or not,
whether it conforms to God’s will or goes against it.
Our reason and conscience help us discover the truth of
these norms.
Certain actions are always seriously wrong because they
involve moral evil.
What makes a moral act good or evil:

• The intention of the action
This resides in the acting subject and indicates the
purpose of why an action is done. It is concerned with
the goal of the activity.
An evil intention always results in an evil action, whether
the action of itself is good or evil.
A good intention never makes an evil action become
good.
What makes a moral act good or evil:

• The circumstances, including the
consequences, are secondary elements.
They contribute to increasing or diminishing the moral
goodness or evil of human acts. They can also increase
or diminish the agent’s responsibility.
Circumstances do not change the goodness or the
evilness of an action.


Role of our Conscience

• Its major role is to bear witness to the truth. When one listens to his/her
conscience, the prudent person can hear God speaking. It also judges
particular choices, approving those that are good and denouncing those
that are evil.
• It is important to be present to one's self in order to hear and follow our
conscience. It requires reflection, self-examination, and introspection.
• Our conscience must be properly informed in order to be upright and
truthful. It formulates its judgments according to reason, in conformity with
the true good revealed by the wisdom of the Creator. We are assisted by
the gifts of the Holy Spirit, aided by the witness or advice of others and
guided by the authoritative teachings of the Church.
• Our conscience can remain in ignorance or make erroneous judgments.
Such ignorance and errors are not always free of guilt.

An example
Embryonic Stem Cell research.

We need to know what this entails. What sources do we rely on to
get to the real info?
How does Natural Law, Revealed Law, and the Teachings of the
Church apply – this is when our conscience becomes formed.
If the action is deemed evil, we condemn the action, not the people.
If the action is good, then we give glory and praise to God, since all
comes from Him and should return to Him.
Sinfulness in the world
• Mortal sin is serious sin. It includes attitudes, desires, actions, or lack of action that
kill our relationship to God and others.
• To sin mortally, all following 3 items must be true:
• Grave matter: i.e. seriously wrong actions such as murder, adultery, apostasy, etc.
• Sufficient reflection: We know full well that what we are considering doing is
seriously wrong, i.e., is sinful and opposed to God’s law, but we do it anyways.
• Full consent of the will: We do the action with freedom and not under the pressure
or influence of limiting factors like force, blinding passion.
• Sin committed with malice, by deliberately choosing evil, is the worst kind of sin.
Sinfulness in the world
• Venial sin partially rejects God. It is a stumbling block on the path of
following Jesus.
• They are not deadly, they do not destroy sanctifying grace nor friendship
with God.
• Venial sins still need to be eradicated from our lives.
• The danger is that repetitive venial sins can lead to vices, especially what
has been called capital sins – pride, envy, anger, sloth, greed, gluttony, and
lust. These can eventually lead us to mortal sin.
• Venial sins weakens love and attaches us to created goods rather than
God.


Sinfulness in the world

• All sin is the result of a personal action.
• Every sin produces social and institutional
moments that are contrary to God’s will.
• Every sin brings about evil in society and
can entice people into committing sins.
Grace in the world
• The gift of the sacrament of reconciliation
Our God is so loving that he continually invites us to
reconcile ourselves to Him and to His plan.
We are called to continuing conversion: moving away
from what weighs us down toward the loving arms of our
God.
Thus we fulfill God’s plan to bring all of creation, starting
with ourselves, back to Him.


Grace in the world

• Living the virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.
• Spiritual works of mercy
Counsel the doubtful Instruct the ignorant
Admonish sinners Comfort the afflicted
Forgive offenses Bear wrongs patiently
Pray for the living and the dead
• Corporal works of mercy
Feed the hungry Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked Visit the imprisoned
Shelter the homeless Visit the sick
Bury the dead


Grace in the world
• The call to continuing conversion and building the kingdom of God.
• As our grace-filled actions, guided by the Holy Spirit, become
manifest, others feel motivated to do the same.
Errors to be avoided
• Denying the value of truth and the value of freedom: Truth is
relative, individualistic, changes with the whims of the person.
Freedom is not possible, our decisions stem from the circumstances
of our environment and our upbringing.
• Redefining truth and freedom so that they are no longer meshed
together: Truth = what is right via opinion polls, popular consensus
Freedom = license to do what pleases me
• Elevating the role of conscience to an absolute: My conscience is
the sole authority to determine what is right and what is wrong. I
have no one to answer to except myself. The only law is found in
my inner self. This is individualism at its best.



Sources

• The Splendor of Truth, encyclical written by John Paul II, August 6th, 1993.
• This is our Faith, Michael Francis Pennock – Chapter 17
• The Catechism of the Catholic Church:
Part 3 - Life in Christ
Section 1 - Man's Vocation: Life in the Spirit
Chapter 1 - The Dignity of the Human Person
Article 3 – Man’s Freedom
Article 4 - The morality of Human Acts
Article 6 - Moral Conscience
Chapter 3, - God’s Salvation: Law and Grace
Article 1 - The Moral Law

Theology 4 - On Morality and Ethics

Morality and Ethics

􀂄 Morality
• L. mores, habit, custom
• “moral” (moralitƤt) the rightness of actions and decision,
“oughtness” and obligation
• Moral and amoral decisions

􀂄 Ethics
• G. eqoj “ethos”, habit, custom (cf. Luke 2:42)
• “ethics” (ziflichkeit), the goodness of behavior,
teleological, the pursuit of the “good”
• Summa bonum

􀂄 Morality is a subset of Ethics
􀂄 Descriptive and Normative Ethics


Levels of Thinking


Worldview: Anthropocentric or Theocentric

What is the nature of God, the world, and man?
What is “good”?
Sources of Authority
Nature, Reason (Philosophy/Science), Revelation,
Community/Tradition
Methods of Moral Reasoning
Deontology (rules), Teleological (outcomes), Existential
(attitudes, virtue)
Principles
Beneficence, Justice, Veracity, Autonomy
Rules
Policies, Laws, Codes
Decisions
Specific Issues

Worldviews & Ethics

ō€‚„ What is the nature of “God”?
• Theology
• Theistic, Deistic, Atheistic
􀂄 What is the nature of the Universe?
• Metaphysics/ontology
• Created by a Sovereign God, product of chance, naturalistic
􀂄 What is the nature of Man?
• Anthropology
• Image of God, rational animal, product of evolutionary chance
􀂄 How do we know what we know?
• Epistemology
• Revelation, authority, reason, empiricism, feeling
􀂄 What is our destiny?
• Teleology, Eschatology
• Eternal significance, entropic doom and nihilism

Worldview and Ethics
Logical Conclusions

Naturalistic Worldview
• No ultimate basis for meaning and
value
• Man not unique; no basis for
treating man differently from
animals
• No normative moral sanctions;
ethics reduced to individual or
collective sentiment; choices have
no ultimate significance
• Illness and death are part of
natural, meaningless order of
things; death simply a point in
amoral continuum, inimical only
for unfounded emotional reasons

Worldview and Ethics
Logical Conclusions

􀂄 Christian Worldview
• Meaning & value rooted in the
character of God
• Man unique, radically different
from animals, to be treated with
respect
• Ethics has a normative base;
ethical principles are binding;
choices have eternal
consequences
• Illness and death are abnormal
but not the final enemy; they are
used by God to accomplish His
purposes


Theology and Ethics

􀂄 Ethics is not a separate discipline from
theology; ethics is applied theology
The one thing I am here to say to you is this: that
it is worse than useless for Christians to talk about
the importance of Christian morality, unless they
are prepared to take their stand upon the
fundamentals of Christian theology. It is a lie to say
that dogma does not matter; it matters
enormously. It is fatal to let people suppose that
Christianity is only a mode of feeling; it is virtually
necessary to insist that it is first and foremost a
rational explanation of the universe. It is hopeless
to offer Christianity as a vaguely idealistic
aspiration of a simple and consoling kind; it is, on
the contrary, a hard tough, exacting and complex
doctrine, steeped in a drastic and uncompromising
realism.
-Dorothy Sayers, Creed or Chaos (1947)


Theology and Ethics

Any world-view which carries with it
important implications for our
understanding of man and his place in the
universe would yield its own distinctive
insights into the scope, character and
content of morality. To answer the further
question, “What is the distinctive Christian
ethic?”, is inevitable to be involved to
some extent in controversial questions of
Christian doctrine.”
–Basil Mitchell, How to Play Theological
Ping-Pong (1990)


Theology and Ethics

You would hardly find any theologian now who
supposes that Christian ethics can survive for half
a century in detachment from Christian doctrine
and this is the very last moment when the church
itself can come forward with outlines of Christian
ethics in the absence of the theological foundation
which alone makes them really tenable. Our
people have grown up on a generally Christian
atmosphere, and take it for granted that all people
who are not actually perverted hold what are
essentially Christian notions about human
conduct. But this is not true.
–Letter cited in F.A. Iremonger, William
Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury: Life and
Letters (1948)

Theology and Ethics

The “borrowed capital”
of the Christian tradition
in Western Society
-Alasdair MacIntyre,
After Virtue (1981)
Theology and the Nature of “the Good”
ō€‚„ What is “good” and why do we seek it?
􀂄 Socrates
• Is the “good” good because the gods approve
it, or do the gods approve it because it is
good? (Plato, Euthyphro)
􀂄 Plato
• Good as the highest, all-embracing, dominant
idea or form, that which preserves and
supports (Republic)
􀂄 Aristotle
• The goal of all human relations and actions
(Nichomachean Ethics)
􀂄 Matthew 19:16-18 (The Rich Young Ruler)
• avgaqo.n poih,sw (agathon poieso); good
work
• Ouvdei.j avgaqo,j( eiv mh. ei-j( o` qeo,jƅ
(oudeis agathos, ei me eis ho theos); no
one is good, except God


Theology and the Nature of “the Good”

􀂄 Implications
• All “good” comes from God;
God’s character defines what is
“good”
• One can only be “good” in the
derivative sense as reflecting the
character of God and being in
relation (through faith) with God
• The “good” we seek in “ethics” is
God Himself and His glory
• Autonomy in ethics (seeking the
“good” apart from God) is the
nature of sin and death

Theology and the Nature of “the Good”

􀂄 Onto-Theology 􀂄 Biblical Theology
BEING
Man God
“GOOD”
Man God
YHWH
Independent, Essential, BEING
Man
Dependent, Created, being
YHWH’s character as the
definition of the “GOOD”
Man’s character as “good”
only as it reflects and
is in relation to God
Arthur A. Leff, “Unspeakable Ethics, Unnatural
Law” Duke Law Journal (1979) 6:1229-1249
All I can say is this: it looks as if we are all we
have. Given what we know about ourselves and
each other, this is an extraordinarily unappetizing
prospect; looking around the world, it appears
that if all men are brothers, the ruling model is
Cain and Abel. Neither reason, nor love, nor even
terror, seems to have worked to make us ‘good’.
And worse than that, there is no reason why
anything should. Only if ethics were something
unspeakable by us, could law be unnatural, and
therefore unchallengeable. As things now stand,
everything is up for grabs.
Arthur A. Leff, “Unspeakable Ethics, Unnatural
Law” Duke Law Journal (1979) 6:1229-1249
We are never going to get anywhere
(assuming for the moment that there is
somewhere to get) in ethical or legal
theory unless we finally face the fact that,
in the Psalmist’s words, there is no one
like unto the Lord. If He does not exist,
there is no metaphoric equivalent, no
person, no combination of people, no
document, however hallowed by time, no
process, no premise, nothing is equivalent
to an actual God in this central function as
the un-examinable examiner of good and
evil.


Reflecting the Character of God
The Imago Dei

􀂄 Only three Biblical texts
• Gen 1:26-28 (after the
creation of man)
• Gen 5:1-12 (after man sins)
• Gen 9:6-7 (after the flood)
􀂄 Fundamental importance of
what it means to be human
• cpn “nephesh”; embodied
soul, also of animals
• Defining ourselves in terms of
God, in His image (slx
“tselem”) and likeness (twmd
“demut” )
• Defining ourselves in terms of
ourselves is prideful and sinful

What is the Imago Dei?

􀂄 Physical properties, mind
(nous), rationality, imagination
(image), soul
• Irenaeus: image/likeness;
nature/supernature, reason/faith,
superadditum bonum
• Boethius: rationalis naturae
individua substantia (undivided
substance of a rational nature)
􀂄 Focus on some sort of property
􀂄 This is never addressed in
Scripture. Why?
􀂄 Wrong question
10
What does it mean to be made in
the Imago Dei?
􀂄 Focus on relationship
and role
􀂄 ANE use of sovereign
“image”
􀂄 Our relationship to God
• To reflect His character
• To do His will
• To rule His kingdom
􀂄 Exodus 20:4-5 (Deut
5:8-9)

Theology 4 - On Being Human

Chapter 1. Created and Evolved

Each and every human being is a
unique person created in the image
of God.

A philosophy of being or existence

ō€‚„ PHILOSOPHY – absolute, ultimate, foundational
􀂄 Why finite beings exist at all
ō€‚„ SCIENCE – cosmology, biology, evolution
􀂄 How and why the universe is unfolding as it is
ō€‚„ Thomas Aquinas: God is “Subsistent Being
itself” – sheer “TO-BE”, the limitless, actual
perfection of all perfections (including the
perfection of Personhood), the creative source
and origin of all that is.

What is it to be a person?

ō€‚„ Person = “an individual substance of a rational
nature”
􀂄 some-thing - individual
ō€‚„ some-one – reflective, self-conscious, relational
ō€‚„ What? “nature” = instance of a kind
􀂄 Who? a particular someone
ō€‚„ “Person” can be used analogously of individuals
of various kinds – human, angel, God

Modern understanding of person

􀂄 Human personhood understood in isolation
from God
􀂄 Self-sufficient source of meaning and truth
􀂄 John Locke (1632-1704) made a distinction

􀂄 Human living organism of a certain species
ō€‚„ Person … consciousness which is inseparable
from thinking and essential to it
􀂄 Omits principle of substance



Chapter 2. Bodily and Spiritual

Human persons are at once both material
and spiritual beings: we belong to a
physical universe, and yet we are
destined for relationship with God, now
and for eternity.
We are finite beings with a capacity for
God who is infinite.

The “spirituality” of human intelligence

ō€‚„ “Spiritual” = non-physical, not explainable
in material or scientific terms
􀂄 We are able to grasp the intelligibility of
the world in a universal non-material way
􀂄 The human intellect is not a material entity
􀂄 Not reducible to the neuro-physiological
activity of the brain

The “spirituality” of the human person

􀂄 Critical activities manifesting our human nature
􀂄 Judging what is true
􀂄 Loving or willing what is good
􀂄 The soul - the secret of human personhood
􀂄 non-material (i.e. spiritual) principle
􀂄 embodied in the actual bodily life and activity of a
human being
ō€‚„ “spiritual key” to the person I am
􀂄 the key to my continuing to be after I die.

Person and nature

􀂄 Modern view
ō€‚„ emphasis on subjective experience – consciousness
and rational agency
􀂄 a quality that beings may possess or not, or possess in
varying degrees
􀂄 Catholic view
􀂄 cannot separate personhood and human nature
􀂄 being a fellow human being does not come in degrees
􀂄 human beings are to be respected as persons from the
beginning of their existence
The human destiny
ō€‚„ Persons created “in the image of God”
􀂄 for his or her own sake
􀂄 to know and love God for all eternity
􀂄 A drive within us towards the infinite
􀂄 prayer, fasting and almsgiving open a person to
relationship with God
􀂄 We are made for relationship, above all with God,
who is relational in the trinity of persons.


Chapter 3. Free and Responsible

We are moral beings commanded to love God
and neighbour, and thereby to acknowledge
and pursue the truth about what is good.
The mystery of sin
􀂄 The being of sin in a world in which God is
the source of all being.
􀂄 Sin can only be an absence of being, a
failure to choose the right good
􀂄 Moral evil is the absence of the good that
ought to be present, or ought to be realised
in our actions

Conscience

􀂄 Each person is responsible for his own moral
decisions, guided by his best judgment,
discerning the good to be done and the evil to
avoided in a particular situation
ō€‚„ a person’s own conscience judgments do not
create moral truth
ō€‚„ Obligation to form one’s conscience, to know
what conduct is required in a given situation

Formation of Conscience

􀂄 Involves openness to the truth and a
willingness to embrace the truth
ō€‚„ For Catholics openness means doing one’s
best to think with the Church and to make
its teachings one’s own.
􀂄 The moral tradition of the Church is more
extensive than our own reasoning capacity
The agent perspective
􀂄 Ethical reasoning should be conducted from the
first-person perspective of the moral agent – what
should I do?
􀂄 Persons become themselves through their free
and deliberate actions (Veritatis Splendour)
􀂄 Our understanding of human dignity and true
human fulfilment is crucial because it provides
the basis for what we understand to be right and
wrong human choices



Chapter 4. Individual and Social

We are social beings called to establish and
maintain just and faithful relationships with
all other members of the human family.
Respect for other persons
􀂄 Justice: to render whatever is rightly due to
others as fellow human beings
􀂄 The proper exercise of my freedom requires
me to respect the freedom of others and,
indeed, to respect the rights of others and
their conscientious judgments even if I
believe them to be mistaken

Individual and society

􀂄 A second duality
􀂄 self-responsible individuals
􀂄 social beings
􀂄 Dependence on one another
􀂄 Dependence on God
ō€‚„ Highest personal act – gift of oneself to
another – “unless a grain of wheat
dies…does it yield a rich harvest”

The common good

􀂄 Balanced relationship between individual and
society
􀂄 An ideal for the sake of which an individual
should, when appropriate, be willing to
subordinate his or her own particular goods
ō€‚„ Our society – individualism, consumerism and
“market forces” – tends to exaggerate the
individual and his/her rights



Chapter 5. Male and Female

We are sexual beings whose fulfilment lies in
the gift of oneself to another. Genital sexuality
finds its true expression in the commitment of
marriage and the procreation of new human life.

Concept of gender

􀂄 factual difference of male and female is
embodied in cultural differences
ō€‚„ western culture – greater fluidity in gender
roles
􀂄 corrective to forms of unjust discrimination
Catholic understanding will address
recent cultural changes
􀂄 polarity between male and female is a key feature
of the way God has ordered both human nature
and much of the natural world
􀂄 we are men and women, not simply persons who
happen to have a male or female body, thus in the
normal course of psychosexual development,
one’s sex shapes one’s personal identity and
becomes essential to who one is

From sexual difference to “the
nuptial meaning” of the human body

􀂄 Longing for wholeness and completion
􀂄 The Man and The Woman, in the very structure
of their bodies and personalities, are destined for
a reciprocal relationship of love and fidelity, a
union of faithful loving that is ordered to the
procreation of new life
􀂄 A communion that is impossible to either alone
From sexual difference to “the nuptial
meaning” of the human body - 2
􀂄 Does not imply that men and women can
only become complete and worthwhile
persons in marriage
􀂄 True completion (i.e. fulfilment) for every
human being fundamentally consists in the
gift of oneself in love to others and to God

Monday, November 17, 2008

Theo 2 - Who IsJesus?


The Church encourages us to
know Jesus historically.
• Divino Afflante Spiritu – 1943 encyclical
of Pope Pius XII, which encouraged
biblical research and the use of the
historical-critical method.
- “Inspired by the Holy Spirit”


Jesus Christ: Bio data
• If we are to be like Jesus,
then we should know his
life – what he said, what
he did, and WHY.
• To understand WHY,
then we should know his
historical background.


What do we know about
Jesus today?
•Big Boss Papa
•Master and Commander
•Shep or “Abandon Shep”

The Creed
• I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the
creator of Heaven and earth, and in
Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, Who
was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
• Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was
crucified, died and was buried.

Images/titles of Jesus:
• 3 Filipino favorite images of Christ –
Nazareno, Santo Nino, and Crucified
Christ.
•Appeal of the Nazareno – always grant petitions, consistent with hero
martyr symbol. Also because Easter was only emphasized after Vatican II,
so more time spent on focusing on the suffering Christ.
•Sto Nino – miraculous wood
Miraculous Wood
It is told that one day, long before the coming of the Spaniards, a native went out
into the sea to fish. He did not catch anything for the better part of the day until
finally, he felt a weight at the end of his line. He brought it in only to discover that
it was nothing but a piece of wood. This occurred several times until, tired and
angry, he decided to keep the stubborn piece of wood in his boat. And viola! Like
magic, all the fish swum towards his boat and he went home with a bountiful
catch.
The natives of Cebu soon discovered that this piece of wood had other magical
powers. They could use it as a scarecrow to keep animals away from their dying
crops. In times of drought, they only had to immerse it in the sea and the rains
would come. Apparently, this same piece of wood was fashioned into the image
of the Santo NiƱo.


Other images/titles:
• The “Christ”
• “Son of God”
• “Messiah”
• “Savior” and “Lord”.

Gospels: our source of
information of historical Jesus:
• A record of the disciples’ experience of
Jesus
• Historical account (what Jesus said and
did remembered)
• Interpreted account (what Jesus said and
did interpreted after he died and
resurrected)
•They were fascinated by this person who had a lot of common sense, who
related warmly with people, mingled freely with the poor and the outcast, and
spoke openly against the injustices of his time. Being with him was an inspiriting
experience of the disciples who, most probably, had been victims themselves of
the discrimination and oppression in the Jewish society. They felt this man gave
them back their dignity, their confidence in life. In Jesus of Nazareth, the
disciples experienced a very free man, caring for the concrete needs of the
oppressed poor people because God, his Father, loved them – never mind if they
failed to fully love God (Mt 4:23-25; 11:2-6; Luke 4:16-21; 5:29-32).
•Interpreted account – Jesus was crucified but in faith the disciples were
convinced that he was alive; he has risen. The conviction that Jesus continued
to live and inspire the community added a new meaning to the disciples’ initial
understanding of Jesus. They believed that Jesus’ spirit was challenging them to
give a new answer to people's search for happiness.



Jesus Christ
• Born in Nazareth around 4 BCE.
– Rural area but close to commercial centers
in Galilee and Mediterranean.
• Nazareth is in Palestine (now Israel and
part of Jordan).
•Nazareth is about 150 kilometers north of Jerusalem

BETHANY
1. A village on the southeastern slopes of the MOUNT OF OLIVES (see Map 6, B-4)
about three kilometers (two miles) east of Jerusalem near the road to Jericho .
Bethany was the scene of some of the most important events of Jesus' life. It was the home of
Martha, Mary, and Lazarus and the place where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead .
During Jesus' final week, He spent at least one night in Bethany . At Bethany Jesus
was anointed by Mary in the home of Simon the leper .
(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary)
(Copyright (C) 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)



POLITICAL SITUATION

1. Roman empire divided into:
– Peaceful, loyal or senatorial provinces
– Turbulent provinces – Had pockets of
revolt. Palestine in this category.

2. Jewish kings – from the Herodian
family. Were despised because they
were Roman puppets.
-Senatorial provinces were under the Senate
-Turbulent provinces: governors were called PREFECT if concern is financial, or PROCURATOR
if military. Pontius Pilate is a Procurator.
-After their dispersal, no Jewish nation until World War II. Politically, the Jewish nation died, but
Judaism did not die.
-A group established an academy in Jamnia to keep the faith and instruction of the law. Priests
and sacrifices in the temple ended, but teachers of the Law persisted. Study of the Law took the
place of sacrifice.
-Declared Birkat Hamminim (ban heretics, literally), referring to the Christians. Thinking was that
we suffered and temple was destroyed because Christians were allowed to mingle. Thus, started
the break of Christians from Judaism. This was around the 80’s.

3. Priests and scribes had lots of power.

4. Widespread discontent and constant
uprising due to heavy taxation.
• Villages who could not pay were
destroyed
• Conflict was Jewish lower class vs
Roman rulers & Jewish upper class
(which included the priests and
Sadducees).
Thus, most of our NT manuscripts are in Greek.
Pilate reported to the emperor. Was technically a Prefect, because Judea was considered a
turbulent province, hence a military concern, because there were many problematic factions:
Zealots, Scarii.
Note the difference between Herod the Great during Jesus birth (who died around 4 BC), and
Herod Antipas, who ruled Galilee (technically, a tetrarch because also ruled one-fourth).
Situation very similar to when Philippines was a colony under Spanish rule.
Optional:
Herod the Great executed two brothers in law. Built the temple, though he himself offered gifts to
pagan cults. He was ruthless, hence his plot to find Jesus by saying “I also want to worship him.”
Maccabean kings also known as Hasmonean kings because grandfather of Mattathias was
named Hasmoneus.




SOCIO ECONOMIC – Social classes

1. Wealthy merchants and traders

2. Artisans and service providers
(tentmakers, like Paul, skilled workers,
barbers, innkeepers, carpentry)

3. Unskilled workers – daily wage earners
(parable of the hired hands),
construction workers, message carriers,
ditch digging, begging.

4. Debt bondsmen – paid debt by working.

5. Slaves – lowest, but could be better off
because usually have rich patrons.
-Senators could not legally marry slaves. Had special places in table, depending on rank.
-Debts were widespread. Slavery is a big institution, and Paul did not make any effort to change
the situation.
-Senators could not legally marry slaves. Had special places in table, depending on rank.
-Debts were widespread.
-Slavery is a big institution, and Paul did not make any effort to change the situation, the reason
being that there was a belief in the imminent parousia, he was a community builder, not social
reformer, and for practical reasons, the Christians were a small minority which would have been
crushed by the Romans.
-Paul’s converts came from the middle class, and mostly from the poor. Christianity promised a
glorious future, and Christ’s suffering made them identify with the religion.
-Paul refers to himself as the BONDSERVANT of Christ (Romans 1:1-2).

SOCIO ECONOMIC
• Very much like the Philippines
under Spanish rule:
– Gap between rich and poor.
– Turbulence and unrest against Romans who
were corrupt and abusive and collected
heavy taxes.
– Revolutionary prophets and messianic
pretenders.
Samaritans only believed in the Torah, or the first five books.
So people longed for the time of David where they had a powerful king and prosperity. Waiting
for a Messiah.

MESSIAH
[meh SIGH uh] (anointed one)-- the one anointed by God and empowered by God's
spirit to deliver His people and establish His kingdom. In Jewish thought, the Messiah would be
the king of the Jews, a political leader who would defeat their enemies and bring in a golden era
of peace and prosperity. In Christian thought, the term Messiah refers to Jesus' role as a spiritual
deliverer, setting His people free from sin and death.
The word Messiah comes from a Hebrew term that means "anointed one." Its Greek
counterpart is Christos, from which the word Christ comes. Messiah was one of the titles used by
early Christians to describe who Jesus was.
(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary)
(Copyright (C) 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
Explain that the expectation is that He is the Messiah in military terms. But Jesus did not want
this proclaimed because it was a misconception:
Mark 8:29-30
29 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are
the Christ."
30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
(NIV)
There was an incident of some Samaritans infiltrating some Jews and mixing human bones in
their sacrifice, which is a great act of sacrilege.



As a result of abuses and
oppression, there were
protest and renewal
movements.


Protest and Renewal Movements

1. Social bandits – people who lost their land
because of failure to pay taxes; robbed the
rich to give to the poor.

2. Messianic movements – groups who
clamored for revolt because foreign
oppressors were against the kingship of
Yahweh.

3. Essenes – withdrew from society into the
wilderness to avoid corruption.

4. Zealots – armed attacks against the
Romans.

5. Pharisees – oppression was the result of
disobedience, so one must be strictly
faithful to the law, and Yahweh will deliver
Israel.

•Essenes – they lived a disciplined life, holding all things in common. They called
themselves “men of holiness” and required separation from the “unholy society.”
They claimed to be children of light.


Pharisees:
• The largest and most influential
group.
– Believed that ritual purity applied to
priests should include all people.
– Believed in entire Hebrew Bible,
Resurrection, punishment and
reward after death, tithing,
Sabbath, fasting
– Socially exclusive, shunned non-
Pharisees who were deemed
unclean.
– Members were common people,
unlike Sadducees.
Pharisees had a detailed program of life. Often accused of turning religion into a very legalistic
system. Emphasized external instead of internal. So Jesus says, you whitened tombs, inside are
bones.
Matt 23:27
27 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like
whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's
bones and everything unclean.
(NIV)
Matt 16:6
6 "Be careful," Jesus said to them. "Be on your guard against the yeast of the
Pharisees and Sadducees."
(NIV)
Matt 23:13
13 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the
kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who
are trying to.
(NIV)
Matt 5:20
20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the
teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
(NIV)
26


RELIGIOUS
• Sadducees - a Jewish faction
who believed only in Torah
– Not believe in tradition, or
interpretation of the Mosaic
law.
– No Resurrection of the dead.
– The good prosper now. Usually
from aristocratic class.
– Resented social reformers and
renewal movements.
Sadducees - did not believe in oral tradition, unlike the Pharisees who were fond of the various
interpretations.
Torah - the first 5 books: Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, Leviticus and Numbers.
Canon in stages- Pentateuch in the 5th BC, entire Hebrew Bible 70 AD, NT in 400 AD.
27

• Scribes - not religious or political,
but a professional class.
– Copied the law, and as a result
became experts and teachers.

• Rabbi - means “my great one”,
used to show respect to the
teacher of the law.

• Sanhedrin - like the Supreme
court.
– Tackled big issues.
– Composed of Pharisees,
Sadducees, priests, and
prominent families.



What else do we know
about Jesus?



Jesus Christ
• A carpenter, which makes him lowermiddle
class.
• Probably studied in the synagogue of
Nazareth, where he learned to read and
write, and studied the Hebrew bible.
• Eventually, became a religious seeker
and found John the Baptist.
•Nazareth is about 150 kilometers north of Jerusalem
•Carpenters did not build houses but made wooden products: doors, door frames,
roof beams, furniture, yokes and plows.



1. A man of faith
• Had a deep relationship with God,
referring to God as “abba.”
• God is not “out there,” but
everything is sacred.
• Moses, Ezekiel, Isaiah and all the
prophets had this kind of
relationship with God, and so can
speak with authority.
-But Prophets would say “thus says the Lord,” but Jesus would say “I tell you…”
-Jesus, just like other spirit persons at that time, saw reality more than just the
physical world.

2. Jesus as healer and exorcist
• Mark 1:32-39 indicates these were
frequent occurrences.
• Conditions treated were: fever, paralysis,
withered hand, hemorrhage, deafness and
dumbness, blindness, coma, and skin
diseases.
• Reasons for healing:
• To show compassion
• Jesus associated healing with the
Kingdom of God.
• To show that God is accessible
Mark 1:32-39 (NABWRNT)
32 When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were ill or possessed
by demons. The whole town was gathered at the door.
34 He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many
demons, not permitting them to speak because they knew him.
35 Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he
prayed. Simon and those who were with him pursued him
37 and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.”
38 He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For
this purpose have I come.”
39 So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons throughout the
whole of Galilee.
•On God being accessible: priests and scribes felt threatened by this direct
manifestation of God’s spirit and ascribed the healing to the power of Satan.
Mark 3:22-26 (NABWRNT)
22 The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,”
and “By the prince of demons he drives out demons.”
23 Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables, “How can Satan drive out
Satan?
24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.
26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the
end of him.

3. A teacher of transformative wisdom
• Not just a teacher of doctrine and morals,
but of a “new way of life.”
• Wealth – not as a reward from God, but
as something that can enslave.
• God – not the source of law to be
followed but one who is gracious and
compassionate
• Relationship with God – not based on
rules but being God-centered.
• Purpose of life – not fulfilling the
requirements of religion, but based on
a relationship with God.
•Wealth that can enslave – You cannot serve both God and mammon. – Luke
16:3
•God – failure to obey meant exclusion from the community of the righteous, thus
there are boundaries and divisions in society between the righteous and the
sinner, the wealthy and the poor, the blessed and the cursed.
•Purpose of life – Jesus led us away from a life of anxiety to a life of peace and
trust.
• Used parables – a short story which
usually reverses a prevailing notion.
• Used stories based on everyday things:
“lilies in the field,” “a good tree bears good
fruit,” “a city on a hill cannot be hidden,”
“you are salt and light.”

4. An initiator of a renewal movement
• Aware of the corruption and deterioration
of Jewish society, and wanted to renew it.
• Jesus’ movement:
• Everyone is welcome, including sinners,
the poor, and women
• Everyone is equal
• A joyful community (Mt 11:18-19)
• A compassionate community: Prodigal
Son, Good Samaritan
•Twelve – symbolic of the 12 tribes of Israel, meaning the “new Israel.”
•Women membership was unacceptable in a patriarchal society.
Matthew 11:18-19 (NABWRNT)
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, ‘He is possessed by
a demon.’
19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, ‘Look, he is a glutton
and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is vindicated
by her works.”
- Judaism emphasized the holiness of God, Jesus the compassion of god
37

5. Jesus as prophet
– What a prophet does:
1. How does God look at the social
situation?
2. What did God do in the past in a similar
situation?
3. They warn of the future. “If you do not
change, God will do this.”
– Jesus condemned a social system that was
unjust, favored the wealthy, the powerful,
and those who based their relationship
with God on the law, but which rejected
the poor, the powerless and those unable
to keep the law.
• Convicted of sedition and crucified,
probably precipitated by the temple
incident.
•Crucifixion is the Roman capital punishment for rebellion and other serious
crimes.

Summary:
1. Jesus as man of faith.
2. Jesus as healer and exorcist.
3. Jesus as teacher of transformative
wisdom
4. Jesus as initiator of a renewal
movement.
5. Jesus as prophet.
•We sometimes transform Jesus to a magician who fulfils prayers if we are
obedient. Others turn him into a masochist whose purpose was to die for our
sins, and did not consider well being in this life as important.


Now, we can understand
better the titles used for
Jesus by his early disciples.



Images/titles of Jesus by his
early disciples:

• The “Christ”  Greek “christos” 
Hebrew “mashiah” which means “the
anointed.”
• “Messiah” – as above, but had kingly
and militaristic connotations.
The titles give us an insight on how Jesus was perceived by the people around him. A mere historical
presentation of Jesus would not give us much insight. He was poor, lived in an obscure village, did miracles
which were not totally unknown that time, (there were others who healed the sick), challenged the Romans or
criticized the priest (again there were many who did this), was a trouble maker in the temple, was convicted of
sedition, and then crucified. Many lived and died this way.
But it is how he was perceived and experienced by the people around Him, especially those close to Him, that
gives us a deeper insight. What I would like to present to you is that this experience of Jesus can be known
through the titles that the Gospel writers assigned to Him.
One of these titles is Christ:
Matt 16:15-16
15 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
(NIV)
-Christ is not Jesus surname. Mashiah means “the anointed”: Priests, kings, prophets were anointed. The
disciples were saying this person belonged to God, or was a man of God. They felt that this was no ordinary
person that lived among them, but they could not at that time say “true man and true God.” That was an
expression developed much later (around 400 AD) by the Church. So they had to make use of titles that were
already there at that time.
To authorize, or set apart, a person for a particular work or service . The anointed
person belonged to God in a special sense. The phrases, "the Lord's anointed," "God's anointed," "My anointed,"
"Your anointed," or "His anointed" are used of Saul <1 Sam. 26:9, 11>, David <2 Sam. 22:51>, and Solomon <2
Chr. 6:42>.
Priests, kings, and prophets were anointed. Oil was poured on the head of the person being
anointed . Kings were set apart through the ritual of anointing, which was performed by a prophet
who acted in God's power and authority <1 Sam. 15:1>. The Old Testament also records two instances of the
anointing of a prophet <1 Kin. 19:16; Is. 61:1>.


• “Son of God” – not yet as second person
of Trinity, but as “a man of God.”
• “Savior” and “Lord” – titles used for the
Roman emperor, applied to Jesus.
-Son of God – not in the sense that we use it in the Creed. Son of God meant:
-For the Jews, that divine sonship meant for the Jews themselves. Israel was considered the
first born (Exodus 4:22)
-A king from the line of David, who is considered as Yahweh’s son. The Lord’s promise to
David: “I will be his father, and he will be my son.” (2 Samuel, 7:11-16)
-Powerful persons or rulers
-Angels and heavenly beings.
-A righteous person
-Savior and Lord – both used to refer to the Roman Emperor.
-Two titles of Roman emperor were Savior and Lord. They brought control and order. They brought
Pax Romana, so indeed the Emperor is Savior, but also Lord since his orders have to be followed, he
knows best. The Romans also brought a system of justice that brought peace.
-Son of Man – the representative man, or the ideal man.
The Son of Man appeared to speak and act in these cases as the representative man. If God
had given man dominion over all the works of His hands, then He who was the Son of Man in this special
representative sense was in a position to exercise that dominion.
-So this gives us a composite of what Jesus was to the persons who were close to him. At the same time, the
disciples did not exactly adapt the titles without modifying them in their minds because their experience of Jesus
did not exactly fit the titles that they used. For example: she’s a diva (which refers to an opera singer) does not
necessarily mean she sings in the opera, but has a fantastic voice. The title only approximates our perception of
that person, but is the closest we can use to express how we feel about that person. For example: When we
say, nagpa-alam ka na ba kay commander (we do not really mean that the wife is from the military). Or when
we call a learned man who teaches well as “professor” or I am sometimes referred to as “monsignor.” Or
“Kabigting” or “champion” as someone really good in something. “champion” sometimes even used to describe
food.


-Just like when these titles were used of Jesus. They were modified from the traditional or usual meaning at
that time.
-Jesus is Christ and Son of God, because He stood apart from everyone, a man of God, he
possessed strength and power which came from within. When he spoke people listened.
-Jesus is Messiah, who is just like a Davidic king because the time of David was when there
was peace and prosperity, there was no foreign power who oppressed them, they freedom to
worship, but without the pomp and circumstance associated with the kingly connotations of the
title.
-Jesus is Savior who proclaimed peace, but did so through love and forgiveness, and not
through force and oppression of the Emperor. Jesus’ proclamation is God’s love, not God’s
unbending justice. Jesus is also Savior from the suffocating demands of the Pharisees in
obeying laws.
-Jesus is Lord, but one who gives commands to take care of the people, but not the legalistic
and demanding obedience to laws similar to the Pharisees

Summary:
1. To imitate Jesus, then you must know
the historical Jesus.
2. The message of the historical Jesus is
not only about the next life, but THIS
LIFE:
• A relationship with God based on love and
compassion and not on rules.
• A society based on justice, equality and
well-being, where everyone is welcome and
accepted


What now?
1. Which aspect of the historical Jesus is
most significant to you and you would
like to imitate?
2. What is your personal title or image of
Jesus?




Matthew 25:34-40
Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come,
you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me
food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a
stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you
clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison
and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will
answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you
hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you
drink? When did we see you a stranger and
welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When
did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I
say to you, whatever you did for one of these
least brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Theo 2 - The Historical Jesus


Historical Evidence

- Although Jesus is known to have been a great
teacher, he personally left no writings behind
- New Testament writings, especially the gospels,
prove Jesus’ existence while also noting
historical events and people
- Historical evidence of Jesus’ existence from both
Roman and Jewish independent sources include
writings from:
Historical Evidence
• Tacitus
• Suetonius
• Pliny the Younger
• Josephus


The Scriptures and Jesus

- The Primary source material about Jesus and
earliest followers is the New Testament:
• The New Testament contains 27 books
• Most important are the four gospels
• Composed over a period of about 70 years
• Testament means “covenant”
• Jesus Christ represents the new covenant shown
in the New Testament

-The covenant theme is central in the Old Testament:
• 46 books of inspired writings
• Began with the call to Abraham
• Many examples of God’s loving kindness
• Reveals how unfaithful the Chosen People were to the
covenant
• God’s covenant was to be a new testament sealed in the
blood of his Son - Jesus is the “New Testament”
• NT continues and fulfills the Old Testament

- God is the true author of the sacred scriptures
- Inspiration: Holy Spirit teaching truth through the Bible
without destroying the free and personal activity of
the human writer
• Holy Spirit inspired the human authors of the Bible
• Gospel - “Good News”
-Why are there four written versions of one gospel?
• God wanted four different perspectives of Jesus


- Canon of the Bible: official list of books the Church
considers its inspired writings
- 46 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books
In order to be included in the Canon the following
- Canon, criteria had to be met:
• Apostolic Origin
• Widespread Acceptance
• Conformity to the Rule of Faith



Formation of the Gospels

-Three stages involved in the formation of the gospels:
1.) Public life and teaching of Jesus
Formation of the Gospels
2.) Oral tradition and preaching by the apostles
and early disciples of Jesus
3.) Written gospels themselves

Stage 1: Public Life
- Apostles were eyewitnesses to Jesus’ life and ministry
that helped to form and preserve the gospel in the
first stage

Stage 2: Oral Tradition
- Oral preaching took three forms:
1.) Kerygma - preaching to nonbelievers
2.) Didache - teachings
3.) Liturgy - worship of the Christians

Oral preaching had to be committed to writing for three
major reasons:
1 ) End of the world was not coming as quickly as the early
1.) Christians thought it would
2.) Distortions were setting in
3.) More instruction was needed

Stage 3: New Testament Writings
- Earliest New Testament writings are letters of St. Paul
- Gospels and various other writings such as Acts of the
Apostles and Revelations followed



Interpreting the New Testament

- The New Testament is the most important
collection of books ever written and
assembled
- Historical research looks to the customs and
ways of thinking at the time the events took
place and were written
-Literary criticism analyzes the writings themselves
-Analysts look to the Magisterium for final authority
in interpreting the scriptures

St. Jerome’s translation of the entire Bible into Latin
is the Vulgate - became the Church’s official
translation of the Bible
Interpreting the New Testament
- Two important Catholic translations of the Bible into
English are:
• The New American Bible
• New Jerusalem Bible

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