From 7-10 November the 18th Asia Federation of Catholic Medical Associations Congress took place in Seul, Korea, at the Catholic University of Korea.
Prof. Fr. Joseph Tham, LC, UNESCO Chair Research Scholar and Full professor of the Faculty of Bioethics (Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum), was one of the speakers during the Session “The threat of birth.”
Abstract
The Catholic Church’s teachings on the beginning of life and reproductive issues, as articulated in various pronouncements, encyclicals, and the Catechism, are grounded in natural law theories and a metaphysical worldview. These teachings emphasize the commencement of human personhood and the purposes of human sexuality and procreation. However, since the 1960s, the erosion of faith in the West has made these teachings increasingly challenging for Catholics to accept and practice, underscoring the urgency of addressing this issue.
While Catholicism shares traditional values on life and family, the reasoning in the East, where Christianity is a minority, often differs. Confucian, Buddhist, and Hindu values shape Asian conceptions of life and family, frequently contrasting with the natural law and metaphysical truths proposed by the Church, leading to tensions.
In recent years, secularism has gained ground globally, including in Asia. Modern and postmodern values present significant contrasts to the Catholic view of family and life. These challenges include the marginalization of religious voices, the exaltation of science and technology as the sole sources of human progress, a consumerist and utilitarian approach to health and medicine, and a hedonistic worldview fueled by the media since the sexual revolution. These ideas, originating with Darwinism, have evolved into contemporary expressions of transhumanism and pan-sexualism, posing grave challenges.
Natural law reasoning in the West has sometimes been translated into a more accessible language, emphasizing human dignity and human rights. However, the concept of a common human nature and objective truth is weakening. As philosopher Charles Taylor notes, the notion of the essential self is giving way to an existential self, which is unmoored and fluid.
While not rejecting the path of reason, it is arduous because the truths in Eastern traditions are incommensurable with those in the metaphysics-based West. Beyond the challenge of explaining the Church’s natural reasoning (already tricky in the West), inculturation is needed in Asia.
Other approaches to finding a convergence of family and life values are being explored. In Asia, the way of service shows promise, exemplified by Caritas serving the community and St. (Mother) Teresa of Calcutta’s work. Another untried method is via pulchritudinis, the Way of Beauty. Historically, the Church has been a patron of the arts, using sacred art, music, and architecture for evangelization. There is still significant potential in Asia for inculturating the religious message through art and beauty.
Applying the concept of Beauty to life issues would highlight the Asian appreciation that Life is phenomenal, Family is beautiful, and Love is all-embracing. A real-life example of this application is the “Art for God” project by the present author, which combines Oriental culture and Christian spirituality through Chinese paintings, calligraphy, and seal-carving.