Religion Essay Example

What good does it do a man that he gains the whole world yet loose his soul; these were Jesus words as seen in the books of Mark 8:36 and Matthew 16:26. This statement by our Lord and Savior resonates with Maritains statement. In fact, Maritain can be seen as one who is affirming the statement of Jesus Christ.

When Maritain says that; (A single human soul is worth more than the whole universe of material goods, there is nothing higher than the immortal soul, save God.) what he is simply saying is that there is a need for human beings to "wake up and smell the coffee" that is, to understand that their lives and God's purpose for them are worth more important than the fine apparel and flashy cars that human beings desire on a day to day basis.

The present world within which we live in is characterized and corrupted by the love of material things. With such a disposition, many have committed a lot of sin so that they could get money and material possessions. Like Jezebel killed Naboth to get his vineyard for her husband in Bible days is the same way that people kill and steal to get the property. What's more, some people have even sold their souls to the devil so that they could be owners of estates and big conglomerates. All these Maritain says so that he can sound a wakeup call to peoples of the world; to make them see that there is more to life than money can buy.

I agree with what Maritain says because there is a resonance of his statement to Bible precepts. In addition to that, I have personally seen money create rifts between members of the same family and friends.

Class Two: Question 3

When Gutierrez states that being in solidarity with the poor means to help ensure that those without a voice find one he simply means that we are living in a world where the rich can be able to sway the scales of justice in whatever way they wish. This is to say that the poor have no say in the world we live in because they are looked down upon and downtrodden.

Being in solidarity with the poor revolves around not discriminating or sidelining the poor; in essence, it is refusing to judge the value of a person or what he believes in by looking at what clothes he or she is adorned in and what they can afford. This is the very essence of making sure those who have no voice or say can get a platform to be listened to or heard.

What Gutierrez also means is that there is a need for individuals in leadership positions to be proponents of justice for the poor. Matters of justice alone are not the issue here; there is also a lot of issues and challenges that the poor can be helped within the society; these include matters of health care, education, access to shelter, and even food to eat.

By giving help to the poor, people who belong to the rich or middle class are simply sharing the blessings that God has granted them. Sharing simply channels more blessings to the giver, that is, a hand that gives is better than one that receives. Ultimately, for the rich to accord assistance to the poor is very important because it makes the community in question to be integrated.