Page Two

It has been calculated that from 1970 to 1980 the number of hungry people in the world increased by about 1.5 million a year. But the first half of the 1980’s saw the pool of hungry jump by nearly 8 million a year, reaching 512 million in 1985​—this despite a commitment of the United Nations World Food Council back in 1974 to eradicate world hunger within ten years.

Now, liberation theology is touted as a solution​—getting the churches involved in the struggle to change national political and social structures so as to remove the causes of poverty.

Our issue of August 8, 1987, briefly discussed the effect of liberation theology on Third World poverty. In this issue, Awake! correspondent in Mexico further examines the question of whether liberation theology can really help the poor.

Third World Catholicism​—How Stable?

By Awake! correspondent in Mexico

“ALL CHRISTIANS are disciples of a political prisoner who had been assassinated on the cross.” ‘Pope John Paul II is the most political pope we’ve ever seen!’ “It is impossible to live our faith in isolation from politics.” These are but a few of the many controversial statements that were made by Catholic theologians at a forum held in Mexico City in December 1986.

At the same meeting, there were those in the audience who did not agree with the speakers. Some began shouting in defense of the Catholic Church, while others supported the visiting theologians. Still others were speechless​—confused by the lack of unity. Interrupting this disturbance, South African priest Bonganjalo Goba cried out: “Brothers, it looks as if we have a struggle of Catholics against Catholics!”

Why had such a scene taken place? What was the quarrel about?

The Issue

The subject under discussion was the practice of liberation theology​—a struggle, backed by priests and theologians worldwide, to free the poor and oppressed people of Third World nations from “the socio-economical mechanisms that produce wealth at the expense of the poor.”

Although some call it radical or revolutionary, others refer to it as a ‘new expression of the Roman Catholic Church.’ At the second Latin American Bishops’ Conference, in Medellín, Colombia (1968), it was declared that the suffering of the people in Third World nations is caused by “structural sin” and that, to follow Christ, the church must exercise “a preferential option for the poor.” But what may this entail?

Brazilian Catholic priest Leonardo Boff warns, as reported by a Mexico City newspaper, that “if an undivided society is not reached, the alternative is violence” and that it is “justifiable when fundamental rights are violated.” Yes, Boff, along with other advocates of liberation theology throughout Third World nations, believes that terrorism, revolutions, and war may be necessary to relieve the poor of their “misery.”

However, as Newsweek magazine reports, “liberation theology has a powerful ability to pit Roman Catholics against one another.” This was evident at the meeting held in Mexico City.

Liberation Theology​—Will It Help the Poor?

Millions ‘living in dirt-floored stick houses work incredibly hard for just the necessities of life: they carry water; they travel by foot, by horse, by oxcart; they eat rice, beans and bananas. Although the land around them is rich, they know that they will probably always be poor. And so out of poverty, out of struggle, out of the worst kind of oppression, a new form of “the ancient church” is being born.’​—The Christian Century.

“THE future of the church seems to lie with the poor.” So reports Newsweek magazine. Some believe that this “new church” working for liberation may be “the single best hope” for the poor and for bringing a peaceful change to their countries. Is it?

First, let’s examine liberation theology from the supporter’s viewpoint. Why is armed struggle at times deemed necessary to liberate the poor? What conditions are said to justify liberation theology?

Poverty and Oppression

Two thirds of the world’s population​—mostly in Latin America, Africa, and Asia—​live in degrading poverty, and reports of political violence from these continents are common. For “this downtrodden people,” poverty, suffering, and captivity have always been a way of life. Here are some reports:

◻ Brazilian liberation theologian Leonardo Boff says that in his country “a peasant is murdered every 22 hours.”

◻ “Nicaragua is attempting to organize a nation in the interest of those who have been held down for generations​—80 per cent of the people.” Yet, more than 40 percent of the country’s economy is reportedly used for military defense.

◻ According to Mexico City’s daily El Universal, 40 million people are said to live in poverty due to “social injustice.” Forty percent of the population is said to be capable of reaching “minimum levels of subsistence,” while only 18 percent has a “balanced diet.”

◻ One report states that in Guatemala 80 percent of the cultivable land belongs to just 2 percent of the population. Of children under five years of age, 81 percent suffer from malnutrition. During the past 30 years, there have been 100,000 acts of political violence and 38,000 kidnappings.

◻ In the Philippines, 2 percent of the population possesses 75 percent of the riches. “If we are not going to solve that,” says Filipino nun Mary John Mananzan, “we are not going to solve anything!”

People in many lands are said to live in constant fear of the authorities, unofficial armies, and vigilante groups. Thousands have taken refuge in nearby countries.

This is why some Catholic prelates are “taking the part of the poor.” “We have heard a lot about confessors, virgins and prophets,” says Boff, but “what about the peasants and laborers?” Yet, what do liberation theologians prescribe to remedy this situation? What does ‘taking sides with the poor’ mean?

The Third-World Struggle

“Poverty is an injustice” plead liberation theologians. So the “preferential option for the poor” is to “help them search for a dignified life that they have a right to.” In his book The Power of the Poor in History, Peruvian Gustavo Gutiérrez, considered to be the father of liberation theology, says that “today more than ever before, it is important to belong to those who resist, who fight, who believe and hope.” But according to liberation theologians, this is possible only through “the realization of social justice through deep structural transformations of society.” How is this being done in some areas of the world?

◻ In Haiti, the Catholic Church is said to have helped topple the Duvalier “tyranny.”

◻ Manila’s Jaime Cardinal Sin is reported to have done “more than anyone else in the Philippines to bring down the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.”

◻ Explains Bonganjalo Goba of South Africa: ‘Our experience is that of a people arriving with the Bible in one hand and a gun in the other, promising to build God a church if he gives us the land.’

But poverty is just one of the problems. Illiteracy, unemployment, hunger, and sickness are also the results of a poor socioeconomic system in many lands. Consequently, the poor and oppressed are fighting back.

Yet, how do liberation theologians, such as Gutiérrez and Boff, reason on the matter using the Bible?

Liberation Theologians and the Bible

“Liberation is an essential part of the Bible,” explains South Korean Catholic priest Augustine Ham Sei Ung. But in order to explain it, Gutiérrez says that “history . . . must be reread from the side of the poor.”

Thus, liberation theologians claim that certain Bible accounts, such as that of “the liberation of Israel,” are political actions. “God . . . reveals himself through . . . ‘the poor’ and ‘the least,’” says Gutiérrez. “If the church wishes to be faithful to . . . God . . . , it must become aware of itself from beneath, from among the poor of this world.” So “God’s love for his people,” they reason, “could be manifested politically” today as well.

How do liberation theologians feel about the relationship between the Bible and politics? Leonardo Boff explained to Awake! that “it is not the Bible’s function to be a book of inspirations of political methods and political alternatives; rather, the Bible is a source of inspiration in the search for more righteous human relationships.” Yet, what are the results of the clergy’s participation in social reform?

Violence often leads to death. Not to be overlooked is the fact that the clergy have had a free hand in world politics for centuries. They have aligned themselves with the kings of the earth and dictators or elite ruling classes who have crushed the poor people. As a result, many lives have been lost.

A “Preferential Option”?

Modern “liberation movements” are no exception. They too have led to many deaths. As Gustavo Gutiérrez admits: “Today, worsening hunger and exploitation, as well as exile and imprisonment . . . , torture and death . . . , make up the price to be paid for having rebelled against a secular oppression.”

So, really, no human theology can remove mankind’s anguish. As long as greed and hatred exist, there will be a need for something better. But is there a better option for the poor?

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“It is important to belong to those who resist, who fight, who believe and hope.”​—Gustavo Gutiérrez

A Dilemma for Sincere Catholics

In 1984 the Vatican sent out an instruction condemning liberation theology, and Leonardo Boff, one of the “most controversial” Catholic theologians, was sentenced to one year of “penitential silence”​—a punishment imposed by the church that forbade him to publish or give interviews or promulgate in any way his suspect theology.

But in 1986, one month before the ‘year of silence’ was up, Boff was granted amnesty. Instrucción Sobre Libertad Cristiana y Liberación (Instruction on Christian Freedom and Liberation) was sent out, stating that it is “fully legitimate that those who suffer oppression from the holders of wealth or of political power should act with morally acceptable means . . . ” “Armed struggle” was approved of as a “last resort.” Was the church correcting itself?

Not according to the author of the new instruction, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, prefect of the Vatican’s Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. “The first instruction loses none of its value,” he stated. “The second document is a continuation.” But others, such as the press, define the second instruction as a “new stand on ‘liberation theology.’” Why the inconsistency?

The careful wording of the new instruction can be interpreted in various ways. For example, it states that “it is not for the pastors of the church to intervene directly in the political construction and organization of social life.” As Newsweek magazine keenly observes: “That kind of language leaves a lot of room in which canny prelates . . . can maneuver.”

One report says that ‘virtually everyone in the church can find something he can agree with.’ A liberationist like Gutiérrez could now say that “liberation theology is a sign of the times in Latin America, and the church recognizes it as such,” while a conservative Catholic could rejoice that his church still “strongly opposes Marxist collectionism for negating the liberty of man.” Nevertheless, the various concepts of liberation theology conflict with church tradition and continue to pit Roman Catholics against one another.

However, the apostle Paul admonishes true Christians: “Make up the differences between you, and instead of disagreeing among yourselves, . . . be united . . . in your belief and practice.” “Be united in your convictions . . . with a common purpose and a common mind.” (1 Corinthians 1:10; Philippians 2:2)a What do you believe? Are Roman Catholics ‘united in their convictions’?

[Footnotes]

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Is the church ‘united in its convictions’?

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UN photo

Liberation Theology, the Bible, and You

“All scripture is inspired by God and can profitably be used for teaching, for refuting error, for guiding people’s lives and teaching them to be holy.”​—2 Timothy 3:16.a

DO YOU believe that? Which is more important to you: Serving God the way he wants you to serve him or serving him the way you think best? ‘Of course,’ you say, ‘the only way is God’s way!’ Do you really feel that God’s way is best? If so, then you will agree with the above statement made by the apostle Paul.

Yes, God has spoken, and you can read his Word. We invite you to consider liberation theology from the Bible’s viewpoint. Is liberation theology Bible-based?

“You Do Not Belong to the World”

Jesus once told his disciples: “You do not belong to the world.” That same evening, the night before his death, he said in prayer to his Father: “I passed your word on to them, and the world hated them, because they belong to the world no more than I belong to the world.” Then, almost immediately, he repeated: “They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world.”​—John 15:19; 17:14, 16.

Most religions of Christendom make no effort to be separate from the world. Perhaps you have read about it in the news. Wherever you look​—in the Americas, Asia, Europe, or Africa—​the story is the same. The clergy of virtually every religious stripe are in the political arena. But their involvement in world politics is just one of the conflicts with God’s Word.

Is Violence Justified?

Liberation theologians say that violence is justified when it is employed to help the poor. Even the Vatican now officially says that violence is justified as “a last resort.” Pope John Paul II, in a letter to all the bishops in Brazil, has declared that “Liberation Theology is not only opportune but also useful and necessary for Latin America.” Is this what the Bible says?

While on earth, Jesus Christ did not get involved in the world’s social movements. On the contrary, when the apostle Peter resorted to “the sword” to defend God’s Son, Jesus rebuked him by saying: “Put your sword back, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.”​—Matthew 26:52.

But what about the wars that Israel fought? According to the Bible, Israel had not known warfare prior to their deliverance from Egypt. (Exodus 13:17, 18) When the time came, they were directed by God. However, Jehovah strictly commanded Israel that they were to conquer only the land he had promised to their forefathers.​—Genesis 17:7, 8; Deuteronomy 2:5, 9, 19.

While Christians do not engage in a physical war against blood and flesh, they are engaged in warfare nonetheless, a spiritual fight. As the apostle Paul clearly stated: “It is not against human enemies that we have to struggle, but against . . . the spiritual army of evil in the heavens.”​—Ephesians 6:12.

So how does Christendom’s clergy justify today’s violence?

God’s Word in Third Place!

Liberation theologian Gustavo Gutiérrez told Awake! that a teaching, such as liberation theology, comes from ‘the Christian community’s discernment and acceptance of it.’ Yes, popular opinion and human wisdom are put ahead of God’s Word. Do you agree with this?

Carlos D​——​ was a staunch Catholic who had spent 11 years in a Catholic seminary. “I was dedicated to serving God with the . . . goal of becoming a good priest,” says Carlos. Yet, over the years, something began to bother him.

‘Among other things,’ he says, ‘I realized that the Bible was left in the background. The tradition of the fathers of the church came first. Then came the authority of the pope when he spoke ex cathedra, and finally​—in third place—​the Bible.’b

After leaving the Catholic Church, Carlos spent years looking for the truth in several other religions. Dissatisfied, he became an atheist until he was contacted by Jehovah’s Witnesses and accepted a home Bible study. Carlos is now a dedicated witness of Jehovah.

Maria V​——​ was also a practicing Catholic. “I would go to Mass almost every day,” she says. “I also belonged to a group called La Acción Católica de Señoritas [Catholic Action for Young Women].” Maria taught catechism for several years. What did her training consist of? ‘Each Saturday the priest would talk to us about philosophies of Plato and others. Most of us understood nothing. I knew there was something wrong. What I was learning didn’t fill my spiritual needs.’ What changed her life?

“My boyfriend regularly received the Awake!, and he would pass the magazines on to me.” Then Maria obtained the book From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained and began reading it on her own. “It was then that I truly began understanding the Bible​—as if a blindfold had been removed.”

Maria and her boyfriend both became dedicated Witnesses of Jehovah and then were married. Instead of teaching catechism, Maria now conducts 12 home Bible studies with others who are interested in learning Bible truth.

Knowledge of God’s Word has also benefited many sincere people who come from a materially poor background.

The Bible’s Alternative​—God’s Kingdom

In one of the best-known prayers of all times, Jesus Christ highlighted mankind’s only hope for better world conditions. “Our Father in heaven,” he petitioned, “may your name be held holy, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.” (Italics ours.)​—Matthew 6:9, 10.

Do you favor government by God, or do you prefer human rulership? This is an issue that all of us must face. In view of present world conditions, you too may feel that we need something other than what man has accomplished. But what can the Kingdom of God do for the poor today?

Rafael R​——​ comes from a poverty-stricken family of nine children. “I quit school after first grade in order to help my family make a living,” he recalls. “After the harvest in our village, I would go out into the fields and gather whatever was left over from the crop so that we could eat.”

However, at the age of 15, Rafael developed a costly and degrading habit. He began spending his money​—what little he had earned—​on alcoholic beverages. “On two occasions,” says Rafael, “I remember even committing assault in order to get enough money to buy more drinks.”

Eventually, Rafael was married and had ten children of his own to support. Still his drinking habit only grew worse. Says his wife, Carmen: “Materially, we had absolutely nothing. I tried to earn some money washing clothes in order to put food on the table. Our breakfast and dinner usually consisted of a cup of tea and a piece of bread. Lunch was nothing more than a little soup and perhaps some potatoes or squash. We were fortunate enough to eat meat once a week sometimes.” So Rafael’s drinking habit affected others as well. But was there hope for this family?

“Definitely,” says Carmen, “though it wasn’t until we began studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses that my husband began to change. We learned of the Kingdom promise​—that Jehovah will soon rid the world of poverty and oppression. My prayers to God were finally answered!” Rafael quit his drinking and began putting God’s Kingdom in first place. Bible knowledge helped him put on “the new personality.” (Ephesians 4:22-24) As a result, he and his family no longer struggle with extreme poverty. Says Rafael: “We may not be rich, and we do not own our own home, but we have the necessities of life, and we are happy.”

A Christian education also helps develop latent abilities. Because of discontinuing his schooling at an early age, Rafael could hardly read or write. However, by attending and participating in Christian meetings, he not only became fluent in these areas but also gives talks in his congregation and regularly conducts a home Bible study with his family. That is not all.

Rafael and his family have discovered another benefit in putting Kingdom interests first. “When my husband was sick from his drinking problem,” recalls Carmen, “we received the loving support of the congregation.” What kind of support was this? As Carmen explains: “The brothers and sisters came to our aid spiritually as well as financially.” Yes, there is loving congregational support within this worldwide brotherhood of Jehovah’s people.

So the Bible does provide a practical hope for the poor. Jesus once stated: “Set your hearts on [God’s] kingdom first, and on his righteousness, and all these other things [the necessities of life] will be given you as well.” (Matthew 6:33) And as seen in Rafael’s case, there are more advantages than just material benefits.

Can accurate Bible knowledge help you as well?

How You Are Involved

The apostle Paul once admonished true Christians of his day: “Examine yourselves to make sure you are in the faith; test yourselves.” (2 Corinthians 13:5) And Jesus, in speaking to his Father, said that “eternal life is this: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”​—John 17:3.

Is your faith based on knowing “the only true God”? Are you like the people of Beroea, who the Bible says were “more open-minded”? They “welcomed the word very readily; every day they studied the scriptures to check whether it was true.”​—Acts 17:11.

Are you “open-minded” as to God’s Word? Do you study the Bible regularly? This is the only way to “discover the will of God and know what is good, what it is that God wants, what is the perfect thing to do.” (Romans 12:2) In the Bible, you will find God’s promise to rid the earth not just of poverty, oppression, and international struggle but of ‘tears, death, mourning, and sadness.’ (Revelation 21:4) This will certainly be true liberation!

[Footnotes]

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“I was dedicated to serving God with the . . . goal of becoming a good priest”​—Carlos

“It was then that I truly began understanding the Bible​—as if a blindfold had been removed”—​Maria

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‘We may not be rich, but we have the necessities of life, and we are happy’​—Rafael