...Introduction According to Enns (2008), liberation theology attempts to infer the holy writ through the plight of the poor. This movement originated from South America in the early 1950s when Marxism was the most popular theory among the poor. It was a response to the ill-treatment and poverty facing the ordinary people. It dealt with the issue of distribution of wealth among people in order to upgrade the economic status in life. This movement had strong Romanian Catholic roots bolstered in Colombia in 1968 at a conference where, the bishops proposed a merger between the Karl Marx teachings with those of Jesus Christ. Liberation theology support was immense but various critiques across the religious framework (Novak, 1991). This movement arose in catholic and protestant churches and it has three main expressions as discussed herein. Black Liberation Theology Black liberation theology strongly focuses on the African American community. This theory got formulated in 1969 by the Nation Committee of Black Church men as a civil rights movement. The key goal is to make Christianity real for the black people. The offshoot of this movement was in South America during the liberation of African American people from all kinds of injustices and bondage especially in the social, political and economical focus. Coined by James Cone in 1970, the movement focused on promoting communism and Marxism by incorporating religious interpretation. This theory focused on issues relating to deliverance...
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...I stand in defense of Gustavo Gutierrez who has been judged against the orthodoxy of his theology in light of the documents “Instruction on Certain Aspects of the ‘Theology of Liberation’” and “Libertatis Conscientia.” It is important to understand that although these documents by cardinal Ratzinger raise various eyebrows towards some of the practices of modern liberation theology, these are in no way a condemnation of liberation theology, or of Gutierrez’ theology for that matter. The issues however that each of these documents discuss are the following; the tendency to act towards Marxist actions, the lack of prioritization of the ultimate purpose of liberation, the tendency to call about violence for change, and the failure to address the new forms of oppression that are created. Throughout his various books, Gustavo Gutierrez addresses these issues and leaves no way for misinterpretation against the orthodoxy of his theology; in reality, his teachings are deeply rooted in Christian doctrine, however they are misinterpreted if not analyzed thoroughly. One of the biggest issues that is compared to Gutierrez’s teachings is the idea that he promotes a Marxist and communist approach/analysis to life. What this implies is that we get rid of the class struggles that exist and that everyone work together through a single class (the working class). Specifically, the idea that we must act (praxis) in order to liberate others around us is one that stems from a similar idea of action...
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...Why did the Women’s Liberation Movement Emerge in the late 1960’s? Discuss with reference to Britain and the United States of America. In a decade where the whole world was experiencing revolutions due to social discontent, this increased the desire, of women, in the late 1960’s to ‘confront existing structures of oppression,’ giving the impetus for the emergence of the Women’s Liberation Movement. Caine argues the emergence of the movement bought a ‘new tone,’ when discussing women’s oppression. Rather than focusing directly on women’s suffrage, this was a political movement demanding ‘rapid and radical change,’ in an ever increasing ambience of liberalisation. Upon inception, it is vital to highlight one can account different reasons for the emergence of the movement in Britain and America, as different domestic situations led to different reasons for the emergence of a more radical form of feminism. This essay, together with a multiplicity of historians, will consider the importance of World War II and the Civil Rights Movement, and the impact they had on the emergence of the Women’s Liberation Movement. Linked to this is the ever apparent discrimination women faced and increasing desires to change this, coupled with developments of new opportunities, demonstrated by the aforementioned world events. Additionally, the impact of literature such as Betty Friedan’s, The Feminine Mystique, needs to be considered. Whilst all the factors play an important role in contributing...
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...The above quote came from James H. Cone an American theologian best known for his advocacy of Black Theology and Black Liberation Theology. Cone includes the Black church and its teachings when asked a question about the African American Experience he will return to the scripture for answers. Other times will find the answers within slave spirituals, the blues, and writings by prominent and substantial poets, artists and authors. There are many other leaders who contributed to the cause of the black liberation throughout black history. A few being: Marcus Garvey (1887-1940) is regarded by many as “the apostle of black theology in the United States of America.” Garvey was the first to speak of seeing God through Black “spectacles” using his...
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...region, Latin America. The Latin America Theology, historically known as the “liberation theology,” was a popular notion because it proposed a relationship between religion and the exclusive struggles of citizens in Latin America. Unlike other critical perspectives of the bible, liberation theologists are actively determined to use their faith to support all of God’s children, specifically those...
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...It is widely agreed among historians that the Gay Liberation Movement was only slightly successfully in obtaining social equality, and almost entirely unsuccessful in obtaining political equality for the 1970’s and 1980’s. These advancements came almost entirely from the style of protest that was adopted during the time period by gay activist, and it's resonation with the American people. Following the Stonewall Riots of 1969, the Gay Liberation Movement adopted the style of protesting that had become popular during towards the end of World War II in GermanyThese ideas were popularized by Oscar Wilde, who had discovered them from a pamphlet titled The Early Homosexual Rights Movements. These new forms of revolution were based around peaceful...
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...The Bangladesh Liberation War[a] (Bengali: মুক্তিযুদ্ধ Muktijuddho) was a revolutionary independence war in South Asia during 1971 which established the sovereign, independent state of Bangladesh.[13] The war pitted East Pakistan (later joined by India) against West Pakistan, and lasted over a duration of nine months. It witnessed large-scale atrocities, the exodus of 10 million refugees and the displacement of 30 million people.[14] The war broke out on 26 March 1971, when the Pakistani Army launched a military operation called Operation Searchlight against Bengali civilians, students, intelligentsia and armed personnel, who were demanding that the Pakistani military junta accept the results of the 1970 first democratic elections of Pakistan, which were won by an eastern party, or to allow separation between East and West Pakistan. Bengali politicians and army officers announced the declaration of Bangladesh's independence in response to Operation Searchlight. Bengali military, paramilitary and civilians formed the Mukti Bahini (Bengali: মুক্তি বাহিনী "Liberation Army"), which engaged in guerrilla warfare against Pakistani forces. The Pakistan Army, in collusion with religious extremist[15][16] militias (the Razakars, Al-Badr and Al-Shams), engaged in the systematic genocide and atrocities of Bengali civilians, particularly nationalists, intellectuals, youth and religious minorities.[17][18][19][20][21] Neighbouring India provided economic, military and diplomatic support...
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...Liberation theology grew out of the socio-economic context of Latin America in the 1960s and 1970s. As it was during the Cold War era, there was great sceptism towards capitalism and Marx’s teaching played an important role in the development of liberation theology, although liberation theologians were anxious to emphasise that Marx was only a useful ‘companion’ along the way, but there was only one teacher, Jesus (Boff). Alienation is important in liberation theology because it gives liberation theology a useful tool to critique capitalism, which many liberation theologians consider to be unjust. Marx teaches that the root cause of alienation is capitalism. Ownership of land gives individuals power over others; those without property and land are dispossessed and dehumanized. Those do not have control over the factors of production, i.e. the proletariat, have to work for those who have and sell their labour as a commodity and gives up his creative power. In this sense the worker is alienated from himself because the process of creation is a projection of his humanity and humans are designed to work and be productive, as Marx says, ‘In my production I would have objectified my individuality and so when I look at the object I would have the satisfaction of knowing my personality to be objective.’ Liberation theologians agree with this critique of capitalism because according to Genesis 1:28, men are created to work and be productive. When workers are alienated from themselves...
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...Abstract This paper will explain many things about the Animal Liberation Front, including its operational goals; why it is a threat to the United States of America; what actions led to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation declaring it a terrorist organization; what other countries consider it a terrorist organization and why; how it acts like a terrorist organization instead of a peaceful eco-movement; and what can be done to halt or reduce this threat in the future. The Animal Liberation Front is a terrorist group for many reasons, ranging from their operational structure to their belief system. For example, they adopted the classic clandestine cell structure in order to reduce the risk of all of the cells being compromised if one person is picked up (Shorn, 2009). This allows the members of the Animal Liberation Front to continue their operations and reduce their operational risks slightly while still maintaining security. The Animal Liberation Front originally became a threat to the United States in 1976, when it claimed its’ first firebombing, and it has only grown since then. The firebombing and the hundreds of other actions that followed it plainly show that they are a terrorist organization by their targets and how they attack those targets. The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) has also claimed credit for causing millions of dollars in damage in the United States alone (Bourne, 2003). The targets of the ALF have also begun to mutate and become more...
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...Silence is a brings forth a controversial topic discussing whether it is a mechanism for control or a vehicle for liberation. Throughout the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, supports both arguments with a myriad of examples. An unknown voice narrates Janie's story, which has many dominating influences that are able to use the power of speech to take control. Consequently, Janie remains reserved for most of the novel, and she pays the price for her silent consent. When Janie was vocal with her opinions, she was able to determine her own future. Speech is the most influential tool to determine power, and Janie was able to liberate herself of her misery when she was vocal, yet her silence was taken advantage of, so she was a pawn in her own life. Upon being given orders to move a manure pile, Janie had come to the end of her patience with her marriage to Logan Killicks....
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...Sexual Liberation Cassandra M. Gonzalez HIS/145 the American Experience Since 1945 Dr. William Frost OCT/10/2012 Sexual liberation The 1960’s in our history of the United States are often described today as the period of profound societal change. Attitudes to a variety of issues changed including changes towards sexual attitudes. This altered view towards sexual attitudes and behavior is often today referred to as the sexual revolution, also known as the time of sexual liberation. Many different political movements were all important components to this period in the sexual revolution, such as Feminists, gay rights campaigners, and hippies just to name a few. American’s during this era faced many controversial issues – from the civil rights, to the Vietnam War, and nuclear arms, and the time was ripe for change. This climate of change led many, particularly the young in significantly shifting social attitudes, behaviors and institutional regulations surrounding sexuality. The Birth of Contraceptives Sexual liberation was a social movement that challenged what society viewed as the sexual norm and typical gender roles. Sex became more socially accepted outside of monogamous, heterosexual marriages, and increased. The increase in acceptance of intercourse prior to marriage gave individuals more freedom. The year of 1962 many advances occurred that supported the freedom of being sexual active and not having to procreate: the first Birth Control pill went on the market...
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...Emmanuel Manolidis Existentialism Professor Bearn An Essay on An Essay on Liberation Marcuse begins his work, An Essay on Liberation, with a critique on the current system, capitalism. He describes the competition that goes on in today’s capitalist society as “aggressiveness, brutality, and ugliness,” and even calls it “debilitating competition.” (Marcuse, pg 5) He believes that this system does not work. Marcuse believes that capitalism’s competition is too much for humans to handle and that it creates a society driven by consumption. While I agree that consumerism is not good for people, I believe that Marcuse’s views on competition are wrong. Genuine friendly competition was one of the core values of ancient Greek society. The Greeks would evaluate themselves, and then try to become better than those who were better than themselves. Whether it was by physical training or by reading, each Greek was constantly striving to educate himself and to strengthen his body. Competition is what pushes people to improve and is one of the two best things to come out of the capitalist system (the other being lower prices). People are born with different abilities, and capitalism allows them to use their talents to succeed. Competition creates a world of motivated people who produce the best goods and services that they can. In a free capitalist society, anyone can achieve what he wants if he works hard enough. Here, ability and effort come together and allows people...
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...GEC: THE LITERATURE OF LIBERATION Assignment: AMISTAD Amistad is the name of a slave ship travelling from Cuba to the U.S. in 1839. It was carrying Africans who were sold into slavery in Cuba, which was physical captivity as they were caught against their freewill and also subjected to harsh conditions on the ship. They were then taken on board and chained in the cargo hold of the ship. As the ship was crossing from Cuba to the U.S., Cinque, who was a tribal leader in Africa, led a conspiracy amongst the slaves to overthrow the ship’s captain and he took over the ship. They used physical liberation as they had to fight with their captors to take over the ship. When they took over the ship, Cinque saved two of the ship’s officers, Ruiz and Montez, whom he believed would sail them back to Africa, little did he know that they would sail them straight to the U.S. The two sailors were able to do this as they knew more than the slave that is the geographical ways around the area. After some weeks, the ship was running out of food and fresh water, a group of African men took one of the small ships to go look for food. While there, La Amistad was found by a military vessel bearing an American flag- the Spanish men had tricked them by sailing them straight to the U.S. They were then captured and thrown into jail and charged with insurrection on the high seas. Two other men, by the names of Theodore Joadson and Mr. Tappan volunteered to help them as they heard of their plight and...
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...Summary: In the essay, "Auto Liberation," Brent Knutson argues that we should repeal speed limits on U.S. highways. Knutson uses one scenario, the Japanese sports car's driver showed his excellent driving ability, to support his viewpoint. Knutson concludes by referring to personal freedoms of American citizens and the most compelling "driving fast is enjoyable" reason. Knutson also reports the opposite view, those people do not believe American drivers have the enough capacity of operating vehicles and driving without speed limits. And it's not responsive to others. Knutson claims that nowadays automobiles are able to travel safely at highways. The speed is not the cause of accidents but incompetence, alcohol or hazardous conditions. What’s more, Knutson states that some activities will make Americans drive responsibly, such as intensive driver-education, stringent licensing criteria and public-service announcement campaigns. Knutson also give some data which shows the accident rates declined since the interstate speed limits increased. Knutson concludes that we should take control of the automobiles and free from speed slavery. Test-Based Analysis: I disagree with Knutson's point of repealing speed limits on U.S. highways. First, the scenario Knutson presents in this essay is quite inconclusive. Then he claims that “In fact, there is solid reasoning to support...should be repealed,” The reader can only admit that this driver who drives the Japanese sports car has a pretty...
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...Korea had been a colony of Japan since 1910. Along with the surrender of Japan in the World War II in 1945, the colonial period that had lasted for 35 years ended. As one can imagine, Korean people were extraordinarily happy when the Japanese announced surrender, since they could eventually get rid of the harsh days – of the language deprivation that they were forced to abandon Korean and adopt Japanese, and of family members having been sent overseas to serve the Japanese in all manners including being comfort women, and so forth. However, they did not know the Liberation was the start of another catastrophic period of time. The political vacuum engaged the United States and the Soviets who then occupied the peninsula, and caused a series of aftermath including the division of the nation which so-far seems to be permanent, and the tragic Korean War which lasted for four years. This essay briefly discusses the issues that took place in the period of 1945-50, after the Japanese surrender and before the Korean War that broke out on 25th June, 1950. A multilateral trusteeship of postwar Korea was suggested by the United States to the Soviets at the end of 1943, during the World War II. And when Japan signaled the intention of unconditional surrender to the World War II on 10th August 1945, the United States proposed temporary division of Korea along the 38th parallel of latitude for political and military purposes. The Soviets were in Korea fighting Japan at the Japanese...
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