Link to Archive of Weekly Issues Introduction to Liberatioin Theology

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Liberation Theology

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Practice Module on modlibtheol01.htm

California State University, Dominguez Hills
University of Wisconsin, Parkside
Soka University Japan - Transcend Art and Peace
Created August 11, 2002
Latest Update: August 11, 2002
E-Mail Icon jeannecurran@habermas.org
takata@uwp.edu

Site Teaching Modules Introduction to Liberation Theology

Copyright: Jeanne Curran and Susan R. Takata and Individaul Authors, August 2002.
"Fair use" encouraged.

On Saturday, August 10, 2002, Pat Acone wrote to jeanne:
and jeanne responded interstitially on Sunday, August 11, 2002:

Subject: Liberation Theology

I guess it will be better to send a few paragraphs everyday instead of a whopping couple of pages once a year!

Duh!

jeanne's comments:

Yes, yes! A few paragraphs at a time! I can handle that.

According to my research of the literature on Liberation Theology, there is a general agreement among its exponents, i.e. Phillip Berryman, Blase Bonpane, Camilo Torres, the Boff's Clodovis and Leonardo, Oscar Romero, Gustavio Gutierrez, Mercy Amba Oduyoye, Ernesto Cardenal, Che Guevara, James Cone, Fidel Castro (who is currently exploring the elements of Liberation Theology as they pertain to Marx)on the definition of Liberation Theology. The Boffs indicate that Castro is seemingly more impressed with Liberation Theology than he has been with Marxism (see "Introducing Liberation Theology by Leonardo and Clodovis Boff 15th printing November, 2001), Rosemary Radford Ruether, Joseph Comblin,Gary MacEoin, and Penny Lernoux and a plethora of other writers and public intellectuals that liberation theology is much needed for a new refomation in the church and that it is here to stay. I believe that evidence of that is the Boff's book "Introducing Liberation Theology" originally printed in Brazil in 1986 and in Great Britain in 1987 had its 15th printing in November of 2001.

One of the primary links and a common denominator to all of the information and literature on Liberation Theology can be traced to Paulo Friere the Brazilian revolutionary, teacher, writer, most known for his ability to teach the peasants of Recife, Brazil to read utilizing a pedgogy of the oppressed. Each of the aforementioned has traced his or her knowledge and consciousness level to Friere.

I will use Phillip Berryman's definition from his books, "The Religious Roots of Rebellion and "Liberation Theology" with a short review of Blase Bonpane's understanding of Liberation Theology from his book "Guerrillas of Peace". I will give a brief historical review of what created a need within the Catholic Church for a new paradigm and then further elaborate on the Boff brothers interpretation of this new paradigm. The Boff brothers will lend a greater understanding of the mechanics of Liberation theology to the lay person or as Phillip Berryman so eloquently phrases it in a critique of Clodovis and Leonardo's "Introduction to Liberation Theology" Berryman states that "reading the Boff brothers' explanation of liberation theology is like watching Leonard Bernstein explain music." Then I plan to cover briefly, if possible, what impact this has had on the official arm of the Catholic Church (the Vatican and its faithful followers) which most recently has been caught,no pun intended, with its pants down. (Jeanne,I will clean this up and make it more academically suitable; however, I just couldn't resist this little jab). In future episodes, I will briefly discuss the critics of L.T. (Liberation Theology) and then my final draft will suggest my grave concerns that the USA under the dictatorship of George W is following the master plan of his father who was instrumental in sending the CIA to investigate L.T. not only when he was president but also when he was in charge of the CIA. People priests, nuns lay people the peasants were systematically killed and dragged from their homes in the darkness of the night never to be seen again alive by their families. Blase Bonpane was witness to an execution of a follower of L.T. by a group from Central America's right wing army and when Bonpane inquired into the reason for the execution he was told that the man was a communist and when Bonpane asked him how he knew that the response was that he had to be a communists he was helping the poor. Our rights are being severly, systemically and egregiously curtailed and destroyed with the passage of the Patriot Bill and the Home Security Act.

Third world countries ravaged by the Northern European world needed a religion that reflected their conditions, ideologies, and the fact that not only were these countries poor but colonized primarily by Europeans. The people of Latin America and generally poor people anywhere realized that they were poor not because they were backward but because they were and are still being exploited by Europe and North American capitalists. The main lines developed by the followers of this new thinking held the following concepts to be an integral part of their beliefs "1. The notion of a"separation of planes" (spiritual and temporal) was rejected in favor of a concept of a single history of humankind, thereby undercutting the justification for the exclusion of the church from "political" questions. 2. An ideological critique of the church's action (for example preaching or theology)revealed that it was not "above politics." 3. While the definitive kingdom was seen as beyond history, it was said to be built up by partial realizations within history. 4. Conflict, even class struggle, was seen as a part of history and could notbe covered over by appeals to the "unity of the church."

Jeanne, I do not want to unload this on you. How can I, after you have read this, upload it to the computer? I know that we do not need to do anything now. This is just my guilty conscience speaking out. I will critique and check for giant lacunae, errors in general and the flow of paragraph structure. I just wanted you to see that I did do something. This is not the finished product, and I do not expect you to do anything but see the evidence that I am acting in good faith.

How is Tut and his swollen paw? Love and peace, me

References