Claiming the Right to Say No-30 Nov 09-EQUATIONS - Equitable ...

Claiming the Right to Say No
2.3 Theological Reflection on Values
A. Family Values
Man receives his first formative ideas in the family and learns what it
means to love and to be loved. The very blood relationship itself demands
that the family members should love and respect one another. Family is
the place in which life-the gift of life-can be properly welcomed and
protected against the many attacks to which it is exposed; and can develop
in accordance with what constitutes authentic human growth (cf.
Centesimus Annus, no. 39). Hence any thing that poses a threat to the life
and unity in the family stands contrary to the family values. The family has
the mission to guard, reveal and to communicate love (Familiaris Consortio,
no. 17).
B. Religious Values
Religion binds people into a community, and the individuals receive God’s
gifts and graces in a community (Acts 2:1-4; 6:6). God also willed to carry
out His salvific plan through a community (cf. LG. no. 9). The
communitarian aspect is the heart of religion and to neglect ones role or
duty to the community/Church is to deny the essential religious value. As
God’s chosen ones, Christians are called to put on the virtues of
compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience (Col. 3:12). They
are also called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of love
in any state of their life. But, when people deviate their minds from spiritual
quest on account of tourism, they refuse God’s gifts and His call to holiness.
C. Moral Values
Mass tourism with all its impact has resulted in the degradation of the
moral values, like sincerity, purity, simplicity, holiness of sexual relationship
etc and this have ultimately dogged human conscious rendering him
insensitive to the fact of sin. In other words, the ever increasing influence
of tourists has led to even greater outflow of moral values from our society.
The bitter fact is that as long as earth remains, travel and tourism will
never cease to exist. On account of Globalisation and free movement
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