Catholic Perspective on Business and Economic Order

Bishop Robert Baron’s Two Main Tenets of Catholic Social Teaching

Bishop Robert Baron lists the regard for human life and the idea of the common good as the two main tenets of Catholic social teaching. Everyone must respect and protect human life whenever possible according to the fundamental principle. Human life is valuable and can only be given or taken by the author, who is also God (Baron). A person’s life begins with conception and ends with natural death. According to this theory, a fetus has the right to life because it is a person. Any form of induced premature death is a violation of the principle of respect for human life. Abortion can be considered as a violation of this principle since the action terminates an already existing human life. In my workplace, the company secretary wants to do an abortion so that she can remain at work and get the promotion she has been promised. If she delivers, she will be away for a maternity leave, and someone else will be promoted to the promised position. However, she was advised by a Company Chaplain that she should not abort as human life is more precious than money and promotion.

The Principle of the Common Good

The second principle is the common good. Every Christian is required to do what is right at all times. Common good refers to the various social conditions that assist people to utilize their full potential and comprehend their human dignity (Baron). It is a virtue to do what is right and shun evil thoughts and actions. In our company, some employees are contemplating sneaking out company products so that they could sell them and supplement their salaries which they claim is insufficient. However, they have been advised by a colleague that they should embrace the principle of the common good and shun vices such as stealing from the company.

Work Cited

Catholic Social Teaching and Capitalism. Perf. Robert Baron. 2017. Video. http://orangecatholicfoundation.org/what-to-support/catholic-education/2016-conference-on-business-ethics/.