Serendipitous...

Granny Herald has a columnist, Garth George, who is an interesting if not sometimes extremely irritating person to read. On occasions he can get out as far to the right as George Bush, and on others he can produce some real gems. His column this morning is one of the latter.

He draws attention to the following, a statement issued by the Convenors and Leaders of the main stream Churches of New Zealand. I understand that it is a form of Pastoral to the faithful, a guidance in their deliberations of the forthcoming elections.

Towards a Robust Society:
A statement from New Zealand's Church Leaders

Every three years the electoral cycle reminds us of the inestimable value of democracy, and the opportunity for voter and candidate alike to actively participate in determining the future shape of our society. The period before an election represents a unique opportunity to intensify discussion about the type of society we want to live in. Church leaders welcome the opportunity to contribute towards this discussion. In this paper we seek to highlight the type of society we believe is worth striving for.

In our own discussions we frequently turn to the word “robust” in describing the type of society we would like to see in New Zealand. The word robust means vigorous or strong, words that need some explanation or qualification when used to describe society. The Latin origin adds another dimension to the understanding of robust – it is derived from robur meaning oak, a reference to a tree known for its sturdiness and vigorous growth. In our Christian tradition there is a parallel in the story of the mustard seed, the smallest of seeds that grew larger than any other plant and provided places for many birds nesting in its branches. To be robust our society must offer to everyone support and opportunity, shelter and freedom, resources and vision.


Understanding ourselves as persons in community
Underpinning each person’s vision for society will be a number of assumptions about what it means to be human. We think there are range of views of the human person at work in our society that can be characterized by two broad emphases. The first tends to regard each person primarily as an autonomous individual, each with his or her own needs, aspirations and interests. This view places a strong emphasis on such things as realizing individual potential, pursuing individual goals, and preserving individual freedom. It often refers to such things as self-esteem and self-interest. Noticeably lacking from this perspective are references to other people and the common good. As a result, the view of society that tends to emerge is that of a conglomeration of individuals, each exercising their individual rights, and whose obligation towards others is largely derived from overlapping areas of self-interest. The consumer mindset tends to reinforce this utilitarian perspective.


Giving priority to the wellbeing of world and neighbour
In addition to its commitment to a relational view of the human person the Christian tradition maintains that human activity is characterised by an interplay between freedom and restraint. The freedom we aspire to is not the unrestrained freedom of the autonomous individual; it is freedom that learns to identify and respect certain parameters and responsibilities, including a commitment to the integrity and health of the natural world, and is utterly bound up with the wellbeing and freedom of one’s neighbour.

The second is derived from the conviction that our humanity is constituted most profoundly by our relationships. Neglect those relationships, and both personal wellbeing and society suffer as a result. These relationships include both family and neighbour. We are persons in community.

It is this relational view of the human person that is most often promoted by cultural and religious groups in our society. It carries with it a holistic view of personal wellbeing including, for many people, a spiritual dimension through which we acknowledge a transcendent reference point to our understanding of human dignity and purpose.

A relational view of the human person further suggests that the good of the individual and the common good are not opposing poles – properly understood, they are part of one another. The common good must aim at what is best for the individual, and what is best for the individual must include a commitment to the common good e.g. women and men, families, cultural groups, low and high income groups, business leaders and working people.


…


A robust society is one that encourages and values the contribution of all people towards the common good. In the Christian scriptures the story of the widow’s mite tells of a woman being commended for giving, not out of her wealth but out of her poverty, not with a mean-spiritedness but with spirit of generosity, not out of coercion or self-interest but out of a sense of gratitude. It is a story about life in community in which the contribution of the most vulnerable is valued. It is a story that speaks to every generation about one of the building blocks of a robust society. The challenge facing all of us, and particularly our leaders, is to shape our society in a way that reflects what is best in our human nature.

Archbishop John Dew The Catholic Church in New Zealand
Bishop Muru Walters Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia
Right Reverend Garry Marquand Moderator Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand
Rev Ron Malpass President The Methodist Church of New Zealand
Rev Brian Winslade National Leader Baptist Churches of New Zealand
Commissioner Garth McKenzie Territorial Commander The Salvation Army New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga Territory

Having read that edited version (there is not a lot that I have left out) you will have noted my emphasis on some sections.

Commentary on the whole Pastoral is welcomed, but I would like to hear from the likes of Fraser Stern and Robert on the relationship between individual and freedom that these men of the cloth promote.

Quite apart from the serendipity of this appearing in the press the day after my last post, I was quite surprised at the correlation between some of the thoughts of these august gentlemen and some of the ideas that I was trying to express in my last post.