The U.S. Olympics will ban men from competing in women’s competitions. This decision follows an order from the Trump administration. The order likely aims to address concerns about fairness and competition in women's sports.
5 months ago
The U.S. Olympics is set to implement a ban preventing men from competing in women’s competitions 1. This policy change follows a directive referred to as a "Trump order" 1.
How does the Church define the human person's nature?
The Catholic Church defines the human person's nature as a unique creation, made in the image and likeness of God, possessing both a spiritual soul and a physical body, and inherently oriented towards communion with God .
Human beings find their deepest truth in being created in God's image and likeness . This means that humanity possesses a dignity stemming from its spiritual nature, which bears the mark of the Creator . This "image" refers to the aspects of human nature that consist of mind and free will . While the image of God in humanity can never be destroyed, the "likeness" can be lost by sin . However, through God's grace and mercy, this likeness can be healed and recovered .
The human person is a unity of body and soul, created by the love of God . The Church affirms that God described His creature as "very good" after creating man in His image and likeness . The mystery of the Incarnation, where the Son of God assumed human nature, confirms the dignity of both the body and soul . This means that the human person is to be considered "in the full truth of his existence, of his personal being and also of his community and social being" .
Human nature, though created faultless, was corrupted by original sin, which darkened and weakened its natural goods . Despite this, humanity retains a natural desire to see God, a capax Dei, which is a dynamic orientation to the divine . This orientation is not destroyed by sin, but it cannot be fully realized apart from God's saving grace . God's grace does not destroy what is human but "perfects nature" and lifts humanity into communion with God . The human person is ordered by nature to the enjoyment of divine love, and only divine grace makes the free embrace of this love possible and effective . This grace is seen not merely as a remedy for sin, but as a qualitative transformation of human liberty, enabling freedom for the Good .
The process of redemption renews and changes humanity into the image and likeness of God, who is Father, Son, and Spirit. This implies that human beings are fundamentally relational and are made for communion with God and with one another . The evil that most damages the human person comes from the heart, leading to a separation from God, who is the fount of communion and life . This separation results in a loss of harmony among human persons and between humanity and the world . Therefore, the salvation announced by faith pertains to the entire being of the person, body and soul, calling them to live in communion with God .