The encyclical 「The Gospel of Life」(1995) defines modern culture as a culture of death and emphasizes the duty of Christians to restore the culture of life. Pointing out that "the culture of death and various unprecedented threats to human life are increasing." The writer emphasizes the need for a gospel about the greatness and nobility of life. Although this encyclical points out the cultural phenomenon of death faced from various angles so also the crisis that life faces is many-sided.
As the Encyclical points out, "new forms of threats to human dignity are spreading along with the new prospects made possible by the development of science and technology" (The Gospel of Life). In addition, capitalism and the liberal political economic system, which brought us unprecedented economic prosperity and enabled us to enjoy political freedom, are also destroying human life.
Almost 30 years after the encyclical was published, the phenomenon referred to as the culture of death is growing out of control, rather than decreasing. Are we, as Christians, properly fulfilling our God-given task of life? Rather, aren't we living while abandoning the task of being a Christian, being seduced by the material success and abundance that modern society has brought us?
In Greek philosophy, which verbalized life, this word life distinguished between organic life (zoe) and life (bios) that we are living. Of course, this word is used differently depending on the era. (can we say that life seen obectively is zoe, and bios is the life of the physical body, or the psychological life of the human soul).
Therefore, the professor was able to understand the soul that makes life by connecting it with breath. The Spirit of God is the breath of God, meaning the wind of life. The soul is the breath of life (pneuma), and it refers to the principle and substance that makes life life. Life without a soul does not exist. The soul is the power that gives life life, its essential principle, its purpose, and its meaning.
Humans, who embody life itself, are beings with organic life and the reality of life, and furthermore, have the duty to make their souls give life. Life can only be life when all these dimensions are integrated. Also, only at that time, human beings can carry out the task of life given by God, the duty to protect the reason for the existence of all life on earth by naming it.
However, human beings are now destroying the foundations of life and driving life itself to destruction. This warning of destruction is not just a warning of ecological crisis or extinction of life. Looking back at Korean society, various indicators related to life are at the bottom of OECD countries. The low birth rate, which does not change even after spending more than 100 trillion won, and the youth suicide rate, which is the highest index, have not changed for several years. Social inequality is an important cause that threatens the dignity of life. Nevertheless, the understanding of spirituality is difficult to find.
We have to make a U-turn. Pope John XXIII said: "If you want peace, change your life!" If warnings about life are overflowing and life is moving towards a culture of death, this path needs to be changed. If the soul of life is dying and we are not responding to the voice of the soul, the spirituality of life must be restored. To save our existence and the lives of all beings, we must listen to the sound of life.
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