Education for political commitment : a Christian perspective

Abstract

In a world full of injustices, lay people cannot excuse themselves from a serious commitment to promote justice. One only has to look at the official documents of the Church to realise the obligation and duty that every Christian has in the struggle for the common good. One way of living out this Christian commitment is through politics. Politics should be seen as a vocation to serve; as a service towards others. Education is necessary for participation in politics and so schools should be one of the agencies that help to produce individuals who will eventually take it upon themselves to work for justice and to effect the permanent change that society needs. It is, therefore, necessary to promote values and attitudes that will form people with strong ideals who are willing to participate actively in the removal of all injustices. The form of education that should help to achieve this should be inspired by the Gospel and teachings of the Church. In fact, the values that I have identified, that is, solidarity, love towards the poor, tolerance, peace, justice, freedom and democracy are all based on documents by European bishops. These have been written during the last twenty five years and I am sure that they will be acknowledged by everyone as values which can allow all human beings reach a sense of dignity.