Teologicznomoralne przesłanki uczestnictwa chrześcijan w życiu politycznym

Abstract

It is Christians’ sheer duty to participate in an active manner in social and political life. This participation bears a double meaning in their case: it is of a fellowship character and it is typically Christian in nature. The latter means that at the basis of this participation lies an experience of faith as it is inspired by the Gospel. It is in the Gospel that one should seek the basic premisses which define this participation. The relation between the Word of God and political praxis has been approached in a different manner throghout the ages. This relation has taken on a particular form in the contemporary political theologies, especially in liberation theology. In the latter the Gospel has been reduced to the function of a political instrument and has become the source the ideologization of faith. Having a total view on the Gospel, permits one to unfold from It the image of the Kingdom of God founded on the logic of love, mercy, justice and law proclaimed in the Sermon on the Mountain. In this logic a priority is given to spirit and person, to the affirmation for its dignity, and to accept the person’s greatness in the spirit of respect and service. This logic plays a decisive role in the life of human society. It has been put into practice with all its consequences by Jesus Christ, and it merges the current history into the history of salvation in the Work of Redemption. In practice this means that there are not two histories for the Christian, the lay and religious one, but there is only one existential reality of the regenerated and transformed man in Christ. The Gospel taken in this view comes out as apolitical in the meaning that it lacks a systematized approach to the political problems. There is no preference in it for some political historical model. At the same time one can state that the Gospel is political in the sense that it proclaims and promotes those values which make the foundation of social life, uniting people in a solidary fellowship. The Church’s participation in politics is the resultant of the relation which joins the Gospel and man’s life on earth, especially his political engagements; the relation which joins the Church with the Gospel. From this multi-dimensional relation results the first principles which define the Church’s mission towards the world. They also define the contents inspired by Her prophetic function as well as the range of the differentiated duties which are imposed on the participant in that mission: while the participation of the clergy boils down basically to the function of teaching and upbringing, yet the full right of the Church to an active participation in political life is exercised by the faithful lay people. The frameworks of this participation are determined by the system of values which they recognize. This system should also make the foundation of their political orientation and the main criterium in valuing models which they prefer. Due to the same reason democracy should be the object of their political tendencies, democracy meant as a model which respects the subjectivity of society and recognizes the priority of universal values.