Benefits of Belief

”What’s the benefit of believing in God?” This question was asked of a broadcast writer and in her Catholic Peace column gives the readers her answer.

She was confused by the question and was contemplating what to answer and her friend added: “They say religion is something you have to have as you get older.”

The proper thing to do was invite her friend who had an interest in God to church, but she didn't do that. She felt a sense of disappointment that her faith life was seen as one asking for blessings, which she thought was hidden. She overdid it and answered: “I’m not here to get help.” My friend was even more surprised. "Wow! Going to places that don’t help?" She  answered ‘pretending to be strong’ —"I go because I want to be of help to God."

Even though she was satisfied with the answer, she felt uncomfortable. After that, her friend never brought up religion with her again. She felt that her answer had ‘cut off’ any trace of curiosity her friend may have had about God. 

Would it not have been better to respond to her friend's understanding of religious belief? Such as: "if you go to church, you will meet a lot of good people and have many volunteer opportunities related to the environment that you are interested in?” She should have met her friend as a beginner in spiritual things. 

It bothered her that God seemed to be reduced to a Being to fit our needs. There are not only good people in churches, and we have many ways outside of churches in which people can be of service to society. She is still looking for an answer as to how best to respond.

 "If I don’t believe in God, will I go to hell?” This was a question asked in a word-sharing session in a catechism class by one of the students. This question was asked after hearing the teaching in class.  “The God I know is not like that,” she told the concerned catechumen but somehow she did not like the answer. If I had to believe, God would be too strict and without mercy, and if I didn't have to believe, the meaning of baptism would be meaningless. 

“Where do you think hell is?” Asked the Religious Sister of the class. Before she became a believer, she thought that hell was a ‘place’, but after becoming a believer, she could say that hell is ‘a state without God'. The columnist felt she had solved one of her religious problems thanks to the nun. As she shared this good news with the sister, she told her that the heart that fears God is also the grace of the Holy Spirit. This is because ‘fear’, one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, is, in other words, a heart that does not fear anything but God’.

We can sometimes reduce God to be our ‘servant’ to serve our needs or fear Him as a ruthless 'judge'. What is clear is that living with awareness of the existence of God, no matter how big or small, means that there is hope of finding or returning to the Lord at any time. "How God will respond to each of us is His choice; I am merely here to wholeheartedly welcome those who wish to approach God and to seek the best answers together."

Education for Life — Paideia—

The early church fathers who theologically established the teachings of Jesus had extensive knowledge of Greek philosophy, especially Platonic philosophy. Based on this philosophy, the early church fathers were able to firmly establish the foundation of the church. A Catholic University professor gives the readers of The Catholic Peace Weekly some understanding of the church's philosophical tradition.

Today's elaborately systematized theology: Christology sacramentology and ecclesiology, were only possible with these theoretical works. This is why philosophical understanding is essential for understanding church teachings. The Didache, which expanded church teachings into practice, was possible within this tradition.

Plato explains that the human soul has memories of the world of Ideas, the essential world and that philosophy is the work of recalling these memories. So he used philosophy with his passion for this world. He also defines the training to walk this path as paideia. The Church Fathers accepted this concept and understood the relationship between God and humans as education. Education was not only a way to acquire knowledge or achieve some practical goal but was an essential element of cultivating the path to becoming a human being. Therefore, scholars such as Karen Armstrong, who is well-versed in ancient religions, say that philosophy is a spiritual practice.

To understand the teaching and grow as true Christians, we must deeply reflect on the path of paideia. As Christians, we must follow the process of enlightenment, constantly training and growing on the path to the source of life and existence.

Life, from its early primitive forms, has increased in complexity through its long history in various forms. It is not correct to definitively say that this history is one of progress, but within it, the emergence of consciousness and intelligence through self-awareness can be understood as part of the history of life. Humans endowed with such intelligence have the task of deeply reflecting on the history of life, thereby revealing not only the mystery and dignity of life but also its ontological meaning more clearly. This can be understood as the process by which humans, within this history, work with God, who is working for the ontological completion of all life. 

Depending on how humans with this task act here and now, the history of life can reach completion, but it can also lead to destruction. Since God entrusts this task to humans, he does not physically intervene in the laws and history of life. The task is repeatedly left in the hands of humans. We must choose. The choice lies between the leap to life or destruction.

To this end, a philosophy of life is needed that educates about life's meaning and reveals life's mystery and dignity. When the church establishes a philosophy of life that newly reveals the meaning of life in a changing era, as the early church fathers did, the church will be able to advance the history of life and accomplish the task of completing the mystery of life based on this. Life education is a way to reveal its meaning.

To achieve this, it is necessary to educate about the meaning of life and to establish a philosophy of life that reveals the mystery and dignity of life. Just as the early Church Fathers did, when a philosophy of life that reveals the meaning of life anew within the changed times is established, the Church will be able to leap forward in the history of life and accomplish the task of completing the mystery of life. Life education is the process for this, and it is also the way to reveal its meaning.

If today's higher education in the Church merely maintains the institution and phenomenon of the university, it will be abandoning education as paideia. The Church's education must contribute to achieving the Christian task of accomplishing the salvation history of life. The path will begin by breaking away from the demands of a capitalist society that the educational authorities, who cannot think of the existential meaning of life, require. The Church's power to protect the dignity of life in an era of excessive science and technology and capitalism will never be possible without a philosophy of life and life education.

The Fetus and Artificial Intelligence

In the recent Catholic Peace Weekly Peace column, a Korean researcher living in the States gives us his thoughts on the fetus and artificial intelligence. 

The Pro-Choice camp, which advocates allowing abortion, emphasizes a woman’s right to choose an abortion and argues that a woman’s individual “right to decide on her own body” takes precedence over the “right of the fetus to survive.” Although they view social, economic, or other reasons as grounds that can justify abortion, they do not believe that the same reasons are justifiable reasons for depriving a born, breathing child of life. Everyone agrees that humans have special values and rights and that these basic rights must be protected. Ultimately, the key difference between the pro-choice camp and those with opposing views is whether or not the fetus is considered a full human being.

The basis of the pro-choice camp's argument is the idea that a fetus cannot be considered a human being because it does not possess the abilities that a full human being should have. In fact, from the ‘perspective of ability’, a fetus before a certain period has no brain activity, no ability to express itself, and no ability to survive on its own outside the womb.

In contrast, looking at the rapid development of artificial intelligence, there are more and more examples of artificial intelligence that achieves performance similar to or better than that of humans. Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly advanced, with the ability to understand and create language, test knowledge in specialized fields, and even mimic emotions. Artificial intelligence is now able to accomplish areas of art that were thought to be something only humans could do. The pace of development is so fast that you can almost feel the difference between artificial intelligence from just a few months ago. 

Looking at a fetus that can't do anything and an artificial intelligence that can do things better than humans; we must ask what are human values based on? So, does artificial intelligence have greater ‘human value’?

Suppose we claim that brain activity, cognitive abilities, and the ability to survive on our own are essential elements of human value, which the fetus lacks. In that case, we will denigrate the human value of people with severe disabilities and the many people who cannot survive without help. Suppose you argue that a being that can create and speak language is valuable. In that case, an artificial intelligence that can freely speak dozens of languages and draw anything in the drawing style of every artist in the world now has greater human value than a child who cannot speak. 

Human value comes from the existence God gives us, not from ability. No matter what other standards you set, you will fall into the error of denigrating human value or giving human value to non-human things.

The fetus is God's creation created in God's image, and artificial intelligence is a creation created by humans to assist human life. Therefore, the human fetus, God's creation, has infinitely greater value than artificial intelligence created by humans. The fetus is not only a valuable being in itself because it is a human being, but it is also the weakest being without the ability to survive, so it needs greater protection. The Bible teaches that we must protect the weak.  

In the future, we will increasingly encounter artificial intelligence with abilities similar to humans or superior to most humans. There will be positive changes that artificial intelligence will bring to the world, and there is no need to unconditionally be hostile to or fear artificial intelligence. However, more than ever, it is a time when we need to reflect on where the source of human dignity and value come, and time to see changes in the world through the eyes of faith.

Importance of Trust in Life

What do people live by? Some people will hear this question and ask: But isn’t this a question we must seriously ask ourselves at some point in our lives? People will give various answers to this question, but ‘trust’ is as important as anything else in a person’s life. This is the beginning of My Faith Like Gold column of the Catholic Peace Weekly by a priest professor.

Trust, in its dictionary meaning, is ‘belief and reliance.’ This may contain the meaning that humans are inherently trustworthy beings. For believers, trust is the basic attitude they have toward God, but trust is also a basic principle of all human life. Human beings are born and grow up, form a family, live in society, and live until the end, although it is invisible, trust acts as a greater force than anything else in human life.

First of all, trust is the fundamental foundation of family life. During the wedding ceremony, the newlyweds put on rings and the words they exchange with each other show that marriage is achieved not only through love but also through faith and loyalty. “Please accept this ring I offer you as a token of my love and faithfulness.” Trust relationships between spouses and parents, children, and siblings are the foundation that supports a family. Of course, human trust is indeed very fragile and easily broken. As family members have deep trust in each other, the wounds suffered when trust is broken are deep and great. Repairing a broken relationship requires a lot of time, patience, and sacrifice.

Trust is also important in interpersonal relationships at school or in society. Where trust abounds, every day is a joy and celebration, but there is no place more hellish than a place where distrust prevails. When people trust and wait for others, they grow and achieve a lot by making full use of their capabilities, but in the opposite case, they lose confidence and become intimidated and unable to do what they can. It is said that ‘praise makes even whales dance,’ but wouldn’t it be possible to say that trust makes people dance and even revives dying people?

On the other hand, it is an irony of human life that we realize the important value of trust only later. In particular, when you go through a big crisis or trial in life, you realize how much trust you have received in your life. A person who has lived his whole life as he pleases, but reaches the end of his life, realizes that his life has been meaningless and that he has been searching for something in vain all his life and regrets it. And as he recognizes how much trust his family and acquaintances placed in him, and how much he has lived betraying that trust, he beats his chest and regrets it.

Many years ago, the columnist's brother, who was suffering from a serious illness and was about to undergo major surgery, asked him for prayer. He said that he had lived confidently all his life without bowing his head in front of anyone, but when he fell ill and was nearing death, he experienced his life completely falling apart and realized how futile he had been living his life. And he said that he realized how much love he had received from his family and how badly he had treated that love. He added that surgery is just around the corner, and if he survives, he will live the rest of his life with gratitude and repayment for the love he has received.

Trust and love are connected like two sides of a coin. Trust and love are passed on to each other and make each other live. Before it's too late, let's consider how much trust and love we receive from our family and acquaintances. Let's think of the people who pray for us, cheer us on, and support us. If we could realize that we couldn't live even a moment without their trust and love, wouldn't our lives be completely different?

The World Our Common Home

 

A few years ago, a university conducted a survey among students on ‘climate crisis and fast fashion’. More than 70% of respondents said that shopping for fast fashion has an impact on the planet, but fast fashion is sensitive to trends and is cheap. Ultimately, the temptation to consume often goes beyond concern about the climate crisis. So begins the Diagnosis of the Times column in the Catholic Peace Weekly by an author in Environmental Spirituality.

Regarding the change in weather on February 15, a weather broadcaster used the expression: "I was ‘bewildered’ by the weather that went from spring to winter in one day,” but did not explain that the cause was climate warming. As a result of the first greenhouse gas observation at the Daesan Industrial Complex in South Chungcheong Province on January 14, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide was 480 ppm. The Korea Meteorological Science Research Institute only explained this as the level of emission concentration caused by artificial pollutants. If the global average is 480 ppm, this is a threshold that exceeds the global average temperature of 2 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. The increase in greenhouse gases is entering an irreversible state. 

There was no response from the media. Whether it has value as main news, or will it make advertisers uncomfortable seems to be a more important criterion for judgment. The media's indifference based on commercial and selective criteria also shows that the climate crisis is just 'changeable weather' for the public.

Preparing for a climate crisis is preparing for natural disasters caused by extreme weather changes that future generations will experience. We should be preparing for the ‘common home’ crisis mentioned by Pope Francis. However, when these countermeasures come up against the problem of reducing the pleasure and happiness of current consumption, most people choose a ‘private home’ where they find happiness through consumption, and the climate here becomes an area that has nothing to do with them. 

The economically wealthy perceive it as a secure personal home for living in an environment unaffected by climate issues. Ultimately, the victims of ‘extreme weather changes’ are the economically poor. However, among climatologists, some do not hesitate to make skeptical remarks that there will be no future damage from extreme weather changes. This is because it is a story about something we have not experienced. Moreover, they also dismiss the climate crisis theory by saying that the increase in greenhouse gases related to climate change is meaningless.

Humans living in a common house only perceive their current home as their personal home. Do current generations still need to take responsibility for future generations? Rather than being concerned with these questions, parents are only interested in the current problems such as the academic competition among children.  

There is controversy among scholars regarding the climate issue but in reality, the current situation is evolving from indifference to climate issues to a nonissue. This is because, in many public discussions related to responsibility for future generations, there is more interest in current happiness rather than the problems future generations may receive.

The current situation is one in which we do not agree with Jeremy Bentham's ‘utilitarian’ understanding that the happiness of the majority is true happiness.  In such a situation, those who believe in God, who created the world, do not recognize the words of St. Paul: For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him (cf. Col 1:16). Are not our parishes also a 'private home' rather than a 'common home'?

Walking For Peace

In early March, people wearing green vests with the inscription ‘Life Peace Pilgrimage’ walked in rows along the riverbanks, fields, mountain paths, and roadsides of the border areas of Paju and Yeoncheon. Paju is located just south of Panmunjeom on the 38th parallel. 

In the  Building Bridges column of the Catholic Times, a Taizé Brother introduces the readers to the ‘2024 DMZ Life and Peace Pilgrimage’ with Catholic and Anglican priests and nuns, Protestant pastors, Buddhist monks, and Won-Buddhist clergy who departed from the Odusan Unification Observatory in Paju on February 29. About 20 people from the four major religions will participate and walk 400km, finishing at the Unification Observatory in Goseong on the east coast on March 21st. Several will walk the entire distance.

On the second day of the pilgrimage, March 1st, about 500 people participated in Imjingak, and events such as bell ringing and reading of the pilgrimage declaration. Many people, including migrant workers, were participants in the pilgrimage.

The pilgrimage group went to Jangpa-ri and spent the night, and on the third day set out for Yeoncheon. After receiving an invitation to lead a prayer meeting that evening, the columnist went with three pastors and joined the pilgrimage group. The temperature in the morning was -10℃, but it warmed up slightly in the afternoon. Among the people walking, he saw many familiar faces. It is all the more meaningful because it is the first time that the four major religious denominations pray and walk together in the border area.

An Anglican priest who served as general secretary and gave directions, said, “We walk together all day and eat together, so even the sound of snoring next to us feels familiar.”  A Japanese monk who has been praying for peace on the Korean Peninsula at the Cheorwon border area for the past 10 years, is also walking the entire route with a young monk practicing in Nepal.

Because it was cold and he walked quickly, he arrived at his destination two hours earlier than scheduled.  The group learned the song of Taizé and immediately began praying. The sound of people from different denominations and religions singing with one voice was loud and beautiful. He read in Korean and one passage in Japanese.

“Each nation will beat its swords into plowshares and its spears into pruning hooks. No nation will raise swords against one another, nor will there be military training anymore. Everyone will sit comfortably under the fig tree and in the shade of the vines that I have planted” ( Micah 4:3-4).

The long period of silence in the middle of prayer brought religious people together even more. We prayed and remembered those who suffered from war and violence not only on the Korean Peninsula but also around the world, including in Palestine, Ukraine, Myanmar, and South Sudan. Since inter-Korean relations have become strained and the spirit of reconciliation has disappeared, this pilgrimage is a prayer exercise by religious people trying to revive the spark of peace.

One participant who introduced himself as "I have no religion" said: "It’s great to see the four major religious denominations coming together and making a pilgrimage in an age of conflict and division. When I go back, I want to spread the word to people around me."The sight of them crossing boundaries and walking together touched him more than any sermon. 

Granfpa Chefs

 

The sight "Would you please taste this? I don't know if the seasoning is right." This is a conversation between grandfather chefs preparing food. 'Grandpa Chef' is a program to support and improve the life skills of male seniors living alone. A religious sister gives the reader of the Catholic Weekly a look into the workings of the program.

Grandpa Chef! A name that is not unfamiliar. Once a month, it is time to transform into a grandpa chef and learn what food to serve to yourself. Most people who spend their days waiting for someone in a dark, humid, single room in the basement are the ones we affectionately call 'grandfathers'. A scene not easily seen in the past. What kind of men learn how to cook? "If you have it, just eat it. If you don’t have it, don’t eat it, right?" This was a program that they rejected with a wave of their hand. 

A man cooking wearing a white chef's hat and an apron is not an uncommon sight. The menu is not of fancy dishes, they are satisfied making the dishes themself. Laughter bloomed along with their happy appearance. "I can live for another month with what I learned today and the menu from last time, so I don’t have to worry anymore."

The chefs recorded a year of memories and published the cookbook 'Grandpa Chef’s Secret Recipes'. Although simple, they held a publication commemorative party and served homemade sandwiches to all who attended. They all had big smiles on their faces.

Currently, the aging of our society is progressing at a rate unprecedented in the world. Unlike in the past, in this era where the number of elderly is increasing, the desire to lead a humane life is increasing. Still, it is also true that families and society feel the burden of the elderly as dependent beings.

When they grow old and live alone, “men are more lonely and depressed” (Seoul National University Nursing Department research team) — This is the title of a report based on in-depth interviews with 1,023 seniors aged 65 or older living alone in Gyeonggi-do between August and October 2018 about their overall quality of life by gender. According to the report, male seniors living alone were more depressed than female seniors living alone. It probably has something to due with men living in a man's culture for a long time and ending up alone. Accordingly, building a social environment to promote independent life and social integration in old age is necessary.

Even healthy people worry about the sudden rush of leisure time as they lose their social and occupational roles. Men due to sociodemographic characteristics, they are much more vulnerable than women who form relationships more easily. 

In many cases, relationships with family and neighbors are severed, and there is a fear of mental illness such as dementia or depression or dying alone, so efforts are needed to establish a social and religious safety net for elderly people living alone, especially male elderly people living alone, who are prone to isolation.

Grandpa Chef seniors go beyond preparing their own food and engage in sharing activities by participating in various local events. They are invited to university festivals every year to operate a food booth and use the profits to expand their activity through sharing, exchange, and meeting within the region. We hope that the elderly will increase their sense of presence, will not stop building emotional relationships in their daily lives, and will be able to contribute to society, even if only in small ways, with the skills they have acquired late in life.

Our society is rushing like a rocket into an aging society, and even those who are not yet in that stage need to imagine themselves in the future and plan how to live. It's already late. At this point, shouldn’t we take a closer look at what welfare is available for the elderly in our society?