SOTER: Journal of Religious Science / SOTER: religijos mokslo žurnalas

Changes in Public Opinion on the Concept of Family

Živilė Advilonienė — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0200

Based on the teachings of the Catholic Church, legal and scientific sources, and surveys of Lithuanian residents, this article explores changes in the concept of family in todayʼs society. A review of Catholic Church documents and Lithuanian laws revealed close links between the concept of the natural family enshrined in them: the latter is based on the bonds of marriage, blood ties, fatherhood, motherhood, childhood, or adoption; it derives from the difference and complementarity between men and women; it is perceived as the foundation of the state and society; it is protected and cared for by the state. However, there are threats to the transformation of the concept of family, such as the deconstruction of society’s mindset on gender and family concepts, the expansion of the concept of family by obliging society to follow it, and the mandatory sexuality education of minors based on social constructivism and gender education. However, a comparative analysis of representative opinion polls conducted among Lithuanian residents in 2021–2025 based on criteria for identifying the concept of family (attitudes toward the concept of family based on nature or diversity; attitude towards the legal regulation of same-sex couples; attitude towards the normalisation of these couplesʼ relationships) revealed that, despite efforts to deconstruct the concept of the natural family based on the difference and complementarity of men and women, the support of the Lithuanian population for it remains stable: there is opposition to the expansion of the concept of the family, with negative views expressed both on the ruling of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania on gender-neutral partnerships, which expands the concept of the family, and on the obligation of the Parliament to regulate the relationships of opposite-sex and same-sex couples in the manner specified in this ruling; there is also opposition to the normalisation of same-sex relationships.

The Concept of Conscience in the Christian Paradigm: From the Old Testament to the Documents of the Second Vatican Council

Skaistė Barkutė — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0200

This article analyzes the concept of conscience within the Christian paradigm from the Old Testament to the Second Vatican Council. Since the phenomenon of conscience has been a subject of debate for centuries, it has numerous definitions and interpretations in moral philosophy. The complicated understanding of conscience is further contributed to by the relativistic concept of morality, which denies the objectivity of morality in ethical discourse and rejects viewing conscience as a natural moral ability. The article asserts that the clearest definition of conscience is provided by the teachings of the Catholic Church, based on Revelation, Tradition, and the Church’s teachers and theologians. Although the term ‘conscience’ is not present, its concept can already be found in the books of the Old Testament. Much has been written about conscience, its importance, and role in the letters of the apostles, especially St. Paul, in the New Testament. Jesus spoke about it through parables in the Gospel. Aurelius Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas conceptualized the Christian understanding of conscience, offering anthropological insights and a clear structure of conscience that revealed its dual nature – synderesis and conscientia. The documents of the Second Vatican Council present an updated perspective on the individual’s conscience and its dignity, emphasizing the necessity of properly forming it. The aim of the article is to analyze and present the development of the concept of conscience within the Christian paradigm, highlighting the essential structure of its nature. A thorough revelation of the origin of conscience clarifies its concept, enabling a better understanding of its role and guiding one to properly follow it in daily life.

The Role of Concrete Human Experience in the Discourse of Moral Theology: Lisa Sowle Cahill’s Approach

Vilma Šliužaitė — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0200

This article analyses the theological approach of Catholic theologian Lisa Sowle Cahill, who seeks to integrate concrete human experience into contemporary moral theological discourse. L. S. Cahill calls for a renewal of moral theology, particularly regarding sexual ethics, emphasizing the importance of addressing contemporary challenges by considering people’s real-life situations and social contexts. She asserts that moral decisions are not made in theoretical vacuums, but in real-life situations, and therefore theological reflection must be sensitive to people’s experiences and needs. However, the study also reveals that L. S. Cahill’s approach raises legitimate doubts about the objectivity of morality and the normative justification of moral theology. Her proposed change to the hierarchy of moral theological sources would subordinate the teachings of natural law, scripture, and the magisterium to the concrete experience of human beings. In doing so, she risks relativizing morality and weakening the essential function of moral theology: to provide objective criteria for distinguishing right from wrong. Although L. S. Cahill recognizes the authority and importance of natural law, Scripture, and the teachings of the Church’s magisterium, her model of moral discourse interprets these sources as open to constant refinement and adjustment in response to life’s realities, as revealed through people’s historically evolving concrete experiences. Furthermore, L. S. Cahill’s theological approach is weakened by her reductive conception of experience, which is limited to empirical and sociological facts. This concept fails to address the fundamental question of what constitutes a human experience that opens individuals to an encounter with objective truth.

Letter from Ambrosy Kosarzhevsky from Siberia Dated May 29, 1875

Viktor Bilotas, Dmitriy Panto — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0200

Published for the first time, the letter of the exiled priest Amvrosy Kosarzhevsky to his colleague Simon Zhukovsky is a valuable source for church history, for the history of Lithuania and Poland, for the history of theology, as it contains unique information about the exiled and parish Catholic clergy of Siberia, about parishes and parishioners, as well as theological reflections on the creation of angels and of the light.

Speaking about the Siberian Catholic clergy, the author of the letter touches upon such topics as: the return of exiled priests to the European part of the empire, their financial situation and benefits, correspondence and contacts with representatives of secular and spiritual authorities, police supervision, enterprise, conflicts, friendship, mutual respect, illnesses and treatment, compassion and assistance; the living conditions of parish priests, their pastoral trips, types of activities, appointments, awards from the authorities. Speaking about parishioners, Kosarzhevsky describes their activities, moves, illnesses, return to their homeland, assistance to priests, conflicts with children and the priest, professions, careers, and death.