Study Document
Spiritual Heroes
Mohandas Gandhi
"Knowing what you stand for limits what you fall for."
Gandhi stood for liberation through non-violence. Consequently, he could not be goaded into returning violence with violence and could not be dissuaded from his goal of India's freedom from British control (BBC, 2011).
What contributed to the development of his focus?
The development of Gandhi's focus on liberation through non-violence was developed by being an East Indian lawyer who was still treated like a third-class citizen; also, his stress on non-violence was largely developed by his Hindu religious roots (BBC, 2011).
What was his one thing?
Gandhi was the first to apply non-violence to large-scale politics, which led to the liberation of India from British rule (BBC, 2011) and inspired later leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin:
a. "Knowing what you stand for limits what you fall for."
De Chardin was a paleontologist and geologist who stood for scientific truth and eventually abandoned traditional interpretations of creation in the Book of Genesis in favor of a less strict interpretation. Standing for unflinching scientific analysis meant that de Chardin would not merely accept doctrines as truth when they conflicted with his own research (Grim & Tucker, 2005).
b. What contributed to the development of his focus?
His education in paleontology and geology contributed to his dedication on scientific truth (Grim & Tucker, 2005).
c. What was his one thing?
His one thing was The Phenomenon of Man, a scientific tome that set forth a sweeping account of the unfolding of the cosmos (Grim & Tucker, 2005).
3. Oscar Romero
a. "Knowing what you stand for limits what you fall for."
Oscar Romero was a South American bishop who stood for the basic human rights of the voiceless poor who were being repressed, tortured and killed by Salvadoran soldiers. Because he stood for basic human rights of the poor, he was not seduced by governmental power or silenced by the possibility of violent retribution (U.S. Catholic, 2009).
b. What contributed to the development of his focus?
His focus was developed by the fact that he was born and raised in El Salvador when the church was being persecuted, 40% of the land was owned by only 13 families, and schooling was limited to grades 1 -- 3 but he was privately tutored. Liberation Theology, a theology of freedom and basic human rights for the poor of South America, contributed to the development of his focus (U.S. Catholic, 2009).
c. What was his one thing?
His one thing was speaking fearlessly for the voiceless poor and oppressed, which led to his assassination (U.S. Catholic, 2009).
4. Dorothy Day
a. "Knowing what you stand for limits what you fall for."
Day was an American journalist, social activist…
Sample Source(s) Used
Works Cited
BBC. (2011). BBC - History - Historic Figures - Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948). Retrieved from BBC.co.uk: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/gandhi_mohandas.shtml
Forest, J. (n.d.). The Catholic Worker Movement: A Biography of Dorothy Day. Retrieved from catholicworker.org: http://www.catholicworker.org/dorothyday/ddbiographytext.cfm?Number=72
Grim, J., & Tucker, M.E. (2005). Teilhard de Chardin: A Short Biography. Retrieved from Teilharddechardin.com: http://www.teilharddechardin.org/biography.html
U.S. Catholic. (2009). U.S. Catholic: In Conversation with American Catholics: Archbishop Oscar Romero. Retrieved from uscatholic.org: http://www.uscatholic.org/oscar_romero