Theology of Disability Flashcards
(49 cards)
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (5)
German theologian and anti-Nazi dissident
Bonhoeffer was involved in a plot to assassinate Hitler
Bonhoeffer is remembered as a martyr for his faith and resistance
He was part of the church who sought to reject state interference in church life
Wanted to revoke the church’s ability to designate who can be part of the church, especially on the basis of race/religion, but this was edited as it was deemed too controversial
Bonhoeffer - ethics
‘Since by God’s will human life on earth exists only as bodily life, the body has a right to be preserved for the sake of the whole person… Bodily life, like life as a whole, is both a means to an end and an end in itself. … In Christian teaching the body has a higher dignity. The human being is a bodily being and remains so in eternity as well.’
To euthanise people on utilitarian grounds is morally wrong
Victoria Barnett
For the Soul of the People: Protestant Protest against Hitler
VB - poster
Nazi poster from the 1930s stating that ‘everyday, a cripple or blind person costs 5-6 RM, a mentally ill person 4 RM, a criminal 3.5 RM’, and that ‘a worker has 3-4 RM a day to spend on his family’
By stating the issue in purely economic terms, it leveraged those with disabilities to present them as burdens
VB - 1936
In 1936 and onwards, birth defects had to be noted in registrations of birth
VB - 1939 (3)
1 September 1939, at the outbreak of war, Hitler personally signs the order to ‘extend to specified doctors that those who, according to human judgment, are incurably ill may be granted, after a critical examination of their state of health, a ‘mercy killing’’
Known as the Euthanasia Program
By the end of 1940s, 35,224 patients had been killed
VB - interviews (3)
Inspector Hermann, Ravensberg
‘I know the purpose of this planned economic census. I know of many reports of death. I can’t keep conscientiously silent and cooperate … I am prepared to accept the consequences of my disobedience’
Returned all the forms from the state requiring him to report the disabilities of his area, and when the SS doctors came and filled them in, he convinced them to only take 18 out of his 110 patients/residents
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) 2006
Not a legal document but a basis for subsequent decision making
Recognises recognises that ‘disability is an evolving concept’
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) 2006 - rights (2)
‘All persons with all types of disabilities must enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms.’
‘hinder their full and effective participation’
Article 3 - Principles of CRPD (8)
Respect for inherent dignity
Non-discrimination
Full and effective participation
Respect for difference
Equality of opportunity
Accessibility
Equality between men and women
Respect for the evolving capacities of children with disabilities
CBM UK and Disability (6)
Christian
Core values:
‘Nothing about us without us’ - No decisions to be made by able-bodied people on the behalf of those with disabilities
Respect for inherent dignity and choice - non-discrimination
Full and effective participation
Respect for difference
Equality of opportunity for all - accessibility and reasonable accommodation
The UN defining disability
Development cooperation contributes to capacity development of ‘duty bearers’, i.e. States and their institutions acting with delegated authority, to meet their obligations, and on the other hand of ‘rights-holders’, e.g. persons with disabilities, to claim their rights.
UN principles (3)
Equality and non-discrimination
Participation and empowerment
Transparency and accountability
UN - how is this implemented? (4)
Rights respected and fulfilled
Participation of people with disabilities in processes and leadership
Equal access (e.g., to education, to humanitarian relief)
Evidence based understanding
Deborah Beth Creamer,
Disability and Christian Theology: Embodied Limits and Constructive Possibilities
DBC - limits model
Creamer introduces the ‘limits model,’ which posits that all humans possess inherent limitations – be they physical, intellectual, emotional, or spiritual
This model challenges traditional notions of normalcy by asserting that limitations are intrinsic and valuable aspects of human existence
DBC - other minorities
Argues that if being black, or a woman, or Gay can be embraced as a strength, so too can our limits, and all of us are limited (e.g., I will never play cricket for England)
DBC - models
Argues that while the medical model pathologises disability and the social model emphasises societal barriers, both frameworks fall short in capturing the full complexity of embodied experiences, particularly concerning chronic pain and other nuanced aspects of disability
DBC - challenge
She challenges faith communities to move beyond mere physical accessibility and to engage in deeper theological reflections that honor and incorporate the experiences of individuals with disabilities
Jenny Weiss Block
‘The mandate for access and inclusion is biblically based and central to our baptismal promise and commitment’
Kathy Black
Raises a theodicy question - ‘What can we as communities of faith believe that reconciles the reality of disability with our faith in a loving, compassionate God?’
We need to expunge any idea of God willing disability, which means that we must abandon God’s complete control over things
Nancy Eiesland
The Disabled God
DG - Jesus
The imago dei includes the pierced hands and feet of Jesus
DG - the Church
Critiques the Church’s historical use of disability to illustrate moral failure or virtue
