The Gospel of Life Evangelium Vitae

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The Gospel of LifeEvangelium Vitae

• An Encyclical Letter written by
• Pope John Paul II
• 1995

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A papal letter addressed to bishops of the Church
and widely distributed, generally concerned with
matters, which affect the welfare of the Church
at large.
Encyclical Letter
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The Gospel of LifeChapter 1

• The Voice of Your Brothers Blood Cries to Me
  From the Ground
• Present Day Threats to Human Life

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God did not make death and he does not delight
in the death of the livingfor he has created all
things that they might exist God created man for
incorruption, and made him in the image of his
own eternity, but through the devils envy death
entered the world.
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Conspiracy Against LifeToday we foster a
Culture excessively concerned with

• Efficiency
• Life Style
• Eliminating Suffering (Real and Imagined)
• Consumerism

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Conspiracy Against Life

• Contraception
• Sterilization
• Abortion
• Euthanasia

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• At the Global Level
• there is a growing mood sensitivity
• acknowledging the value and dignity of every
  individual as a human being without any
  distinction of race, nationality, religion,
  political opinion or social class.

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Exceptions

• Weak
• Needy
• Elderly
• Unborn
• What are the roots of this remarkable
  contradiction?

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One root of this contradiction is Societys
Notion of Freedom

• Exalts the Lone Individual in an Absolute Way
• Complete Individualistic Concept of Freedom
• Fosters a Desire to Emancipate Oneself from all
  forms of Tradition and Authority

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This leads to a Serious Distortion of Life in
Society

• Absolute individual autonomy leads to rejection
  of one another
• Common values and the truth become casualties
• Finally, everything is negotiable or open to
  bargaining, including
• The First of the Fundamental Rights,
• THE RIGHT TO LIFE

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• This RIGHT ceases to be such
• because it is no longer firmly founded in
  inviolable dignity of the person but
• it is made subject to the will of the stronger
  part.

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Democracy, contradicting its own principles,
moves to a form of Totalitarianism
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And From Your Face I shall be Hidden, the
Eclipse of the Sense of God and of Man.
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God must remain as our focus in a secular society.

• When the sense of God is lost, there is also a
  tendency to lose the sense of man.

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The Eclipse of the Sense of God leads to

• Materialism
• Hedonism
• Values of being are replaced by values of
  having
• Primacy of Quality of Life
• Inordinate Consumerism

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The Eclipse of the Sense of God leads to a
neglect of

• Interpersonal,
• Spiritual,
• Religious

VALUES
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Sexuality then becomes

• depersonalized and exploitiveIts two purposes
  under God, to be unitive and procreative, are
  lost.

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Results of the Sense of the Eclipse of God

• When conscience, this bright lamp of the soul,
  calls evil good and good evil, it is already on
  the path to the most alarming corruption and the
  darkest moral blindness.

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Where is Abel your brother?I do not know am
I my brothers keeper?YES, every man is his
brothers keeper.
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The voice of your brothers blood is crying to
me from the ground.
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• Realize that Freedom demands a responsibility to
  your fellow man.
• Sex is unitive and procreative
• Keep God as the focus in your life

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Defend the Weak and Elderly

• And, finally, accept
• Moses invitation
• See, I have set before you this day life and
  good, death and evil I have set before you life
  and death, blessing and curse THEREFORE CHOOSE
  LIFE,
• that you and your descendents may live.