THY U2 L1: Dialogue with culture

culture according to Fr. Samuel Agcaracar SVD

• latin: colere

• inhabit, cultivate, protect, honor with worship

• highlights that culture is not static but a living, evolving, and cultivated entity

culture according to Fr. Louis Luzbetak SVD

• culture is conceived as the way of life of a social group

• way a society copes with its physical, social, and ideational environment

• it is a society’s regularized / standardized design for living

enculturation

• process by which culture is passed on / learned which characterize a human community

• “it is a long process of growing into the culture where one belongs”

• beliefs, experiences, principles, values and memories are shared

• ideas according to Nicolas Standaert

culture according to Marvin Harris

• culture is partially conscious & unconscious learning experience whereby older generation invited, induces, and compels younger generation to adopt to traditional ways of thinking / behaving

• basically, older gens influence younger gens to follow cultural norms

• older generation exercises this through rewards and punishments

4 levels of culture according to Standaert

1. action

2. symbol

3. always changing

4. subculture

action

• physical behaviors that can be observed in ones daily life

• key concept: what people do

• example: clothing, means of transport (jeep, tric)

symbol

• represents the beliefs and traditions

• key concept: what does these things / actions mean in a certain culture

• examples:

  • myth

  • rites of passage at birth (baptism), puberty (debut celeb), marriage

  • greeting practices

  • language: when a language is present, a culture is present

culture is always changing

• evolves due to demographic development, economic laws, climate changes or human technological progress

• key concept: culture evolves because it adapts to the changing society

• examples:

  • sending physical letters → using social media to communicate

  • traditional courtship → dating apps

subcultures

• smaller groups within a larger culture that have their own practices or identities

• examples:

  • different ethnic groups in the PH

  • GenZ VS Boomer

internet

• one of the most important technological innovations today.

• plays a major role in growth of globalization due to increased connection / interaction between countries and people around the world.

• helps create a “global village”.

• provides access to a huge amount of information, allowing people worldwide to learn, share knowledge, and stay informed.

• supports e-commerce, where people can buy and sell products online across different countries.

globalization

• refers to the increasing connection and interaction among people, countries, and cultures around the world.

• According to Logan Ikubolajeh B, it causes an “accelerated development through space and time.” → making the world feel smaller and connected.

• it encourages the exchange of cultural values, traditions, practices.

  • example: watching Kdramas / listening to Kpop

dialogue

• refers to respectful communication and understanding between people according to catholic’s church document “Dialogue and Proclamation”

• involves reciprocity and mutuality between dialogue partners who are different from each other

• openness and respect are the desired disposition

• may lead us toward achieving harmony

dialogue at human level

• it is reciprocal communication leading to a common goal

• at a deeper level, it can lead to interpersonal communion

• example:

  • people from different religions discussing their beliefs respectfully to understand each other better.

dialogue as an attitude

• an attitude of respect and friendship toward others.

• this attitude should guide the evangelizing mission of the Church when sharing the Gospel with others

• this approach is also called the “spirit of dialogue.”

what happens when there is no dialogue?

• misunderstanding

• conflict

• violence

triple dialogue according to FAPA 222

• dialogue with culture

• dialogue with religion

• dialogue with the poor

Fr. Antonio Pernia SVD

• according to him, international migration causes people from different cultures to move and live in many parts of the world.

• because of migration, people from different cultures, religions, and backgrounds interact more closely today. they are forced to live alongside each other

mega-migration

• large movement of people across countries and regions

• this results to multiculturality (presence of several cultural groups)

2 kinds of migration factor

1. pull factor (voluntary reason): opportunities that attract people to leave

• example: work opportunities, education, living condition

2. push factor (forced reason): force people to leave their home country

• example: war, violence, disaster

culture

• according to Gaudium et Spes, this refers to the things humans create and develop to improve themselves and society.

• main goal is human flourishing and the flourishing of the world

• religion is the animating principle of culture— ritual behaviors, religious institutions and sacred texts all exist within the context of culture

• the message of Christ should be expressed / adapted within the culture of the people.

  • example: using local languages, music or cultural symbols during christian worship

incarnation

• foundation of inculturation is the Incarnation, the belief that Jesus Christ, the Word of God, became human.

• Jesus did not live outside culture; He lived within a specific culture, particularly the Jewish culture of His time.

• because of this the Gospel should also take root within the cultures of different peoples.

• the message of Christ can be expressed through the language, traditions, and customs of each local culture.

enculturation

• process by which a person learns the culture of the society they belong to.

• happens as people grow up and absorb the values, beliefs, traditions, language, and behaviors of their culture.

• occurs through family, community, school, and everyday experiences.

• individuals learn how to behave and live according to the norms of their society.

inculturation

• the process where the message of the Gospel becomes expressed and lived within the culture of a particular people or community.

• christian faith takes root in a local culture

• inculturation integrates culture with christian teachings

• example:

  • simbang gabi

  • fiestas honoring saints

• christianity can accept / embrace what is good in different cultures, as long as it does not contradict the essential message of the Gospel.

• Holy Spirit plants “seeds of the Word” in different cultures and traditions → good values, truths, or practices