Posted on 08/13/2013 1:29:27 PM PDT by spacejunkie2001
I need help/ammo. My kids go to a small Seventh Day Adventist school in Orlando. There's a new humanities teacher and the information that's in the pamphlet about him says the 'big subject' for 8th grade is "social justice".
I know what we conservatives consider SJ, and I agree with it but there are varying definitions on line. When I meet with this guy and the head of curriculum I want to be armed with as much accurate information as possible.
I'm trying not to be really pissed off that this is going on. I am arming my daughter with as much as possible but she's only 13.
Good summation, but it probably could use some expansion.
Check out Thomas Sowell who says that it means whatever the speaker wants it to mean at the moment. Alice in Wonderland. A euphemism like “choice” and “gay”. Would anyone be against “social justice” or against those two others?
social justice= license to steal money from some people and give it to others.
They espouse equality of outcome not equality of opportunity. Pure redistribution theory at play.
You could cover two areas here: what the movement called SJ has done, and what it ideally (or more ideally) would be in a Christian worldview. 2DA are pretty good with the gospel on the main though having some debatable peculiarities, and keeping into areas that are common to most Christian communions would probably be helpful.
I see “social justice” as just another nebulous catch-all phrase coined by marxist vermin that sounds all lofty and sophisticated, but means whatever might be politically expedient at the time, like pushing people into ovens for example.
That’s the best and most understandable definition I have read. Thanks for sharing.
I took a class given by some Catholic sisters, and we covered liberation theology, but it was presented in a vague way, which I didn't really understand. Perhaps because the rest of the people were Catholic-school educated and they all understood the same buzzwords that were used, but which weren't understandable to me.
I told the sisters that it sounded a lot like communism, which went over not-so-well.
Great summary! Tom Sowell dun good teachin yoo! He is an American treasure, may he live to be 100!
Once you accept these euphemisms like “social justice”, “gay”, “choice”, you have lost the debate by legitimizing them.
Social Justice is one of those made up terms that mean whatever the speaker or writer wants it to mean.
“Either ‘social justice’ has the same meaning as ‘justice’ – or not. If so – why use the additional word ‘social?’ We lose time, we destroy trees to obtain paper necessary to print this word. If not, if ‘social justice’ means something different from ‘justice’ – then ‘something different from justice’ is by definition ‘injustice’” Janusz Korwin-Mikke
My observation is that social justice really does mean injustice because it always seems to involve wealth transference from the makers to the takers in the name of equality of outcome rather than equality of opportunity or equality before the law.
Instead it seems to be about special privileges for special classes in reparation for some alleged social wrong or disadvantage.
Really it’s just an opportunity for flim flammers and bureaucratic middlemen to make a good living skimming cream from the rich while trickling the whey to the poor.
Sparks some thoughts.
As a Christian I disagree that there could not be justice for a man on a desert island. That man would continue to obey God, ideally, until rescued or until gone to heaven. And if (when) he sinned, he would confess it to God and be forgiven by a God who is “faithful and JUST” to forgive his sins.
But not only the governed but also the governors have to be considered here. “Social justice” might mean ideas that society has voted for. Or it might mean ideas of how people are supposed to be treated by society. Or both.
Social Justice = spreading your hard earned wealth around to just about anybody and everybody else.
We need social truth not justice.
Justice is subjective truth is not.
You might ask the teacher to clarify what they mean by “social justice”, just to make sure it’s what it sounds like.
Here’s how to check him out really quick:
Ask him if the fact that our government discriminates against unborn babies by refusing them the equal protection of the laws is an example of a social injustice.
The Hebrew tradition, the deep taproot of our movement illuminated further by the life of Jesus, helps us define the words peace and justice. The prophets warned the leaders that they were NOT following the laws of Moses. If the leaders did not repent, there were consequences, mainly loss of God's Blessings. The leaders made the choice.
Peace
Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.—Psalm 34:15
The Hebrew word for peace is shalom. Shalom is rich in meaning. It is a comprehensive concept that means: wholeness, peace, joy, freedom, reconciliation, community, harmony of all creation--both physical and spiritual, righteousness, truth, justice, communication, humanity.
Shalom is holistic and embraces all persons and all creation in reconciliation and harmony.
When Jesus taught about peace, he was using the word shalom in all its richness. Jesus, when teaching the Beatitudes, really said, "Blessed are the shalom-makers." The New Testament was written in Greek and eirene was the word used to translate shalom.
Justice
Justice, justice alone shall you pursue, ...—Deuteronomy 16:20
One word for justice in Hebrew is zedakah. The concept of justice in Judaism is different from Greek-Western views of this concept. The emphasis is not on "retribution" (punishment) or "distribution" (fair shares for all). It is more what human living should be like. That is why the word zedakah is not only translated into English as justice but also as righteousness, which means living a just life personally.
Also "justice" (zedakah) is consistently paired with "mercy" or "grace" (hesed) in the Hebrew scriptures. Jesus put them together in the Beatitudes:
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,*for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.--Matthew 5:6-7
Peace and Justice can be achieved by works of mercy and/or works of social action, as described in a paper by Schneider dated 8/7/07.
What is Catholic Social Teaching and Incorporating the Teaching into the Life of the Parish. Works of Mercy (as exemplified by Mother Theresa)
1. Are concerned with the present symptoms of injustice.
2. Focus on individual needs
3. Look for immediate solutions
4.Provide direct service: with temporary results
5.Involves haves sharing with have-nots
6.Requires no change in social structure
7.Calms things down
Works of Social Action (as exemplified by ???)
1. Are concerned with the underlying causes of injustice.
2. Focus on changing social structures
3. Look for long-term solutions
4. Provide indirect help that is aimed at permanent change
5. Involves haves and have-nots working together
6. Requires working toward changes in the social structures
7.Stirs things up
“Social Justice” is the belief espoused by some on the Left that “God wants us to play Robin Hood”.
“Social justice” is a euphemism for revenge.
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