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| Penfold | Sunday, 5. July 2009, 17:11 |
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Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations. (Jeremiah 1:5) All Human life is sacred because it comes from God and humans are the temple of the Holy Spirit and possess an immortal soul, which is formed at the moment of conception as a gift from God independently of genetic or evolutionary influences. In other words one may share certain physical characteristics with your parents and siblings but your soul is unique. This teaching of the church is found in the writings of such scholars as St Thomas Aquinas but it was not until the advent of Darwinism that it was seriously challenged and so since the 19th century the Church has given greater energy to producing documents and teachings to help defend this long held principle. It has always upheld the principle that Human Life is sacred and has addressed the issue of abortion and euthanasia in very early times.
The phrase “All Human Life is Sacred” is perhaps a modern expression of this long held principle and as a principle it applies to all aspects of Human Life. In 1940 Pius XII spoke out against eugenics and euthanasia as it offended the divine and natural Law. The principles of the Just War theory as enshrined in Catholic Doctrine and forming the basis of the principles of the Geneva Convention and various UN Charters are those which were defined by St Thomas Aquinas. He was not the origin of the principles which predate Christianity by many generations and have their roots in ancient Greek and Chinese philosophies, but his work codified the principles in a form that was easy to grasp and teach. We still adhere to these principles today but with the manufacture of modern weapons it is increasingly difficult to envisage a situation where a proportional response can be made and if some weapons are used there can be no doubt that the destruction cause would be disproportionate to any possible gain (I do not wish to speculate on particular case within this thread). One should also consider that since 1914 Europe and much of the World has been engaged in two World Wars and a Global Cold War and since 2001 a “War on Terror” which mean that probably not since the middle ages and the crusades has the church had to address the issue of warfare on such a large scale, the same principles apply. At my graduation from Cranwell the reviewing officer asked me why he needed Padres on his budget and I replied because the day he went to war without us he was in the wrong war, I have played an active part in conflicts in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. Indirectly I have been involved in Northern Ireland (being a Catholic priest from Northern Ireland it was decided not to send me there on active duty), Chad, Mozambique, Cyprus and Sierra Leone. In all cases I wish a better way could have been found to bring about a resolution of differences but so far I am still putting on my helmet and body armour and going forward to support the troops. (Please if you wish to debate war and its consequences open a different thread and I may answer or attempt to answer your enquiries but I will not debate particular cases, I may reveal information inadvertently which could harm my colleagues or aid the enemy in some way.) Until the rise of Darwinism, Communism and the Nazis few would have questioned the Sanctity of Life but since these movements and other secular societies have emerged it has become increasingly necessary for the church to express openly and unequivocally what had previously been implicit. This as Rose has pointed out is why we are perhaps hearing the phrase “All Human Life is Sacred” proclaimed and reiterated so often today, but as to whether it is a new phrase or one resurrected from past documents I have not got the time to check for most of the relevant texts are still in Latin or Greek or some other foreign language and since this is only a friendly discussion forum please forgive me if I do not go to the lengths of scholarship that would be required of a doctrinal thesis. |
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| All life sacred? · General Catholic Discussion | |
10:50 AM Nov 25