Critical Concerns of the Sisters of Mercy
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Critical Concerns of the Sisters of Mercy
Case Study
In the year 1995, we come along Duane Buck, who breaks into his ex-girlfriend Debra killing her with a gun and her friend Kenneth. Later in the year 1997, he was tried and sentenced to death. Buck never contested his murder charges though he was sent to death sentence rather than life imprisonment, which has led to criticisms after an expert witness testified on racial grounds. Walter Quijano, a psychologist, testified against Buck on what he claimed that the clacks and Hispanic races were likely to engage more in crimes. Therefore, Buck deserves the murder sentence. The claims raised criticisms on what was believed to be racial charges than enforcing justice for all.
Respect and dignity have been violated in Buck’s case, referring to the various claims that the Sisters of Mercy led by Catherine had for a better world. According to the Sisters of Mercy, respect and dignity are important aspects of ensuring peace and equality in society. Dignity ensures everybody in society is valued for their beliefs, way of life, and society’s achievements. Catherine, who was born to rich parents when divisions between the poor and the rich persisted, made her learn of various patterns of dealing with the poor. He perceived the differences between the poor and the rich as a lack of dignity in society and splitting society. She demonstrated the need for respect and dignity through various efforts to show love for the poor and society at large. She came up with the Sisters of Mercy, a foundation concerned with the welfare of the poor in society. Using the amount that she had inherited, she built a large house to house homeless women, the sick and educated the poor girls. This was a sign of treating all equally.
The sisters of mercy, led by Catherine, had various issues that needed to be addressed in a society where there were many mistreatments against the poor when most are violated in Buck’s sentencing. The sister had a critical concern for the Earth, where they employed better earth for all. She emphasized the need for sustainability of life, the need for laws that would ensure the security of the poor’s rights, and climate change (Regan, 1978). Immigration was a concern as well, where she was after advocating the various laws that will allow easy relocation of people as deportation cases led to the separation of families. Through education, prayer, personal and communal practices, the sisters of mercy advocated for a non-violent relationship where they enforced the reduction of arms use and increased the use of dialogue to solve the various conflicts in their daily lives. Wars against racism and discrimination of women were the other critical concerns that the sisters of mercy enforced. Quijano’s various claims during the sentencing of Buck reveals the much he is a racist and opposed to both the Hispanic and the back races.
The sisters of mercy portrayed the importance of respect and dignity in society in making the lives of people a better place. Respect is the background of ensuring peace prevails in a community since everyone will be treated as required and therefore fostering peace. In today’s society, disagreements are everywhere, leading to certain adverse outcomes such as death due to wars that arise due to disagreements (Regan, 1978). In most cases, society’s conflicts result from a lack of respect and dignity in society. Catherine and the sisters of mercy emphasized the need for respect and emphasized the need for dialogue in case of misunderstandings rather than force in case of conflicts. Violence has mostly been absorbed as the solution for conflicts where people lose life after violence as there is a tendency to use arms during the conflicts. Catherine emphasized that dialogues can save the situation and help evade the various negative impacts of conflicts such as death. Buck disrespected her girlfriend resulting in him shooting him to death. In the case Buck had dignity, he could have respected the decision that her girlfriend made to leave her.
Additionally, gender equality is a theme evident in the critical concerns of the Sisters of Mercy. They believed there is a need for equal treatment of all individuals in society. In the current society, just as when the Sisters of Mercy was established, sexism has been an issue where women are considered inferior in society, hence making them be discriminated against. In many cases, women have been disregarded for education, making them less educated than their male counterparts. Along with the other sisters, Catherine emphasized the need for equality in the society where they aimed at ensuring women received similar treatment to men (Hughes & Brueggemann, 2005). Sexism results from a lack of dignity where women are not appreciated for who they are and, therefore, compromises equality. Catherine required that women need to be respected as the respect would ensure equality in society and that sexism is curved down.
One can conclude that respect and dignity are important virtues in the life of all humans. Dignity determines the manner one will treat other people in society. Everybody is accepted by society and treated well for who they are regardless of their achievements. Dignity ensures peace, gender equality and playing a crucial role in promoting the community’s health. Lack of respect for others is the origin of the various evils that exist in society. In case one has to respect the others, they will not engage in any activity that will oppress the others, ensuring there is a good understanding among the people. The various positive impacts of respect and dignity lead to the conclusion that respect and dignity are of great importance to all human beings’ lives. From the case study, it is possible to point out the various impacts associated with wit lack of respect and dignity. Buck lacks respect for her girlfriend and, therefore, can not take in her decision to quit their relationship but rather murder her as revenge.
References
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Grant, M. K. (1979). A history of the establishment of the Sisters of Mercy Health Corporation. Detroit: Sisters of Mercy, Province of Detroit, and the Sisters of Mercy Health Corp.
Hughes, K. L., & Brueggemann, W. (2005). Constructing Antichrist: Paul, biblical commentary, and the development of doctrine in the early Middle Ages. Washington, D.C: Catholic University of America Press.
Regan, M. J. (1978). Tender Courage: A Brief Sketch of the First Sister of Mercy. Gwynedd-Mercy College.
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