Bogoslovska smotra, Vol. 71 No. 2-3, 2001.
Preliminary communication
Human Life - Endangered Value
Tonči Matulić
; Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The article consists of a lecture held at the XLI Theological - Pastoral Week under the title »Human Life - Endangered Value«, slightly adapted for publishing. The article is divided into two parts. After the introductory presentation of a few problems and theoretical issues connected to the given subject, the first part of the article uses the inductive approach to linearly analyze some aspects of the contemporary condition in the Croatian society where human life is being imperiled. The sources for such an analysis of the conditions can mostly, but not exclusively, be found in two incomplete reports on the recent socio-religious research under the titles Faith and Morality in Croatia and European Values Survey - EVS - 1999. Following the realistic statement from the first part that human life is endangered in Croatian society today, the second part uses the analythical-synthetical approach to expound the basic theses of meaning and the content of values and the dignity of human life in the encyclical Evangelium vitae by the Pope John Paul II. The basic steps of comprehending those theses become individualized by following the conceptual structure of the encyclical: in the first place it points to the diagnosis (voir) of the current condition, syntagmatically named »the culture of death«, as the main contemporary threat to human life; then it illuminates (illuminer) the basic features of the Christian message of life; third it expounds the sacred law of God and the ethical dimensions of human life with the corresponding criteria for the evaluation of concrete forms of human action towards human life (juger); in the last chapter it cites various factors to the actualization (agir) of basic contents and messages of the Gospel of Life. In the end, instead of a classic conclusion, the article brings a few concrete incentives for pastoral activities.
Keywords
human life; murder; suicide; abortion; addiction; the Gospel of Life
Hrčak ID:
29121
URI
Publication date:
20.5.2002.
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