Our values and ideology
KrF builds its policies on the Christian Democratic ideology. This means that KrF is a value-based party, not an interest-based party for the interests of a narrow group of people. The Christian view of man as a person created with social, spiritual and cultural needs forms the basis of all our policies. It commits us, to not only fight for fair distribution of resources, but also actively give power to and support the smaller communities in society.
A Christian view of man implies that each human being has an infinite value, which is not possible to measure, and which does not depend on sex, ethnical origin or age. Human beings have some inviolable rights from conception to natural death. Each human being has a unique intrinsic value, and this excludes any exploitation that makes human beings only a means to achieve other people’s goals.
Love of your Fellow Neighbor is based on the view that all human beings have the same value. This implies a radical and unlimited solidarity with our fellow human beings. A society that recognizes the equal value of all human beings cannot be passive when there is suffering. This solidarity applies to all fellow humans and knows no boundaries.
Stewardship implies that the resources of the Earth and society around us must be cared for the best of, not only present, but also future generations. Human beings should create sustainable development and the Earth’s resources must be handled in accordance with the view that all human beings have the same intrinsic value.
A value oriented ideology
What most clearly defines Christian Democracy is its value orientation. While Socialism and Liberalism focus on structures and systems, Christian democrats believe that the good society is guided by values. The Christian Democratic ideology is not a clearly defined structure, but a number of ideas and principles that form the basis of political views and choices.
Personalism
While Liberalism focuses on the freedom of the individual, and Socialism sees man as a part of a collective, Christian Democracy sees man as both an individual human being, and as part of a community. The value of man is independent of the community and nobody can be sacrificed for the good of society. But we are also social creatures who are dependent on fellowship with others.
Socialism and Liberalism both have materialistic views of man. The Christian Democratic ideology however, says that human beings are not merely biological individuals, but creatures of spirit, with religious and cultural needs. Materialistic views of man are often based on the idea that man is basically good, as long as certain materialistic needs are fulfilled. Christian Democracy rejects this notion and believes that man will always have the potential of being both good and evil.
Because there are no perfect human beings, there cannot be any perfect ideologies, political parties or societies. Christian Democracy rejects all totalitarian ideologies that claim to know the whole truth. Political ideologies that do not take into account that man is imperfect may easily end up using violent means to reach their «perfect society».
It is necessary to have a humble attitude to the possibilities of politics. There must be clear limits stating what is the role of politics and what is not. The principle of man’s imperfection makes Christian Democracy a force of reform. When no society is perfect, there will always be a need to question old truths, try new solutions to problems and expose injustice.
Subsidiarity and solidarity
The principle of subsidiarity is a principle of dividing power. It states that all political decisions should be made at the most suitable level of decision making, but preferably at the lowest level possible. Furthermore, everyone affected by a decision should have the opportunity to influence the process of decision making. The principle of subsidiarity is balanced by the principle of solidarity. This principle sees the community as a unit of solidarity, where all parts of the unit are responsible for each other. This implies an obligation and a right for political structures to intervene into the civil society, undertaking the responsibility for issues exceeding its core areas of responsibility when necessary. We need a balance between the two principles to ensure a society where both the demand for the state to secure the welfare of its citizens, and the demand for a limitation of the state’s right to intervene are met.
Sustainability
A well functioning interaction between culture and nature is a necessary condition for a sustainable society. All political decisions must build on the basic idea in the saying «better safe than sorry». This will prevent actions not consistent with the ideas of sustainable development, and make it possible for generations to come to derive benefits from a clean environment and natural resources.
The difference between religion and politics
The Christian Democrats are inspired by the Bible and by Christian tradition, yet it is important to maintain that religion and politics exist on two different levels. Salvation is the goal of religion, whereas the goal of politics is to create a good society for all, regardless of religious conviction. The aim of the Christian Democratic ideology is democracy in which diversity and the respect for individuals and their different choices are among the most important values. Conversion and giving moral guidance is the task of churches and other religious communities.