Saturday, March 31, 2012

New on the Blogroll: The Scholastic Tradition in the Modern World

I've added Matthew Menking's The Scholastic Tradition in the Modern World (Sharing the Fruits of my Contemplation) blog to the blogroll: under, naturally enough, "blogs."

From the looks of it, his posts are longer than mine: and that's saying something.

Related post:

Brought Back to Life By God

Noted:And yes, miracles happen.

A tip of the hat to Matthew Menking, on Google+, for the heads-up on that post. His blog:

Friday, March 30, 2012

Conscience and Religious Freedom: What the Catholic Church in America Actually Says

The Catholic Church in America is doing something about religious freedom, practical charity, and life. This post is mostly link lists of resources provided by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB):1America's current administration is trying to tell us what our faith is, and how we should practice it. I think that's a bad idea. More to the point, Catholic bishops in America are saying that the state trying to control the faith of citizens is wrong.

The bishops are providing good leadership. I think we can take a little time and trouble, and learn what we we can do. Speaking of which, there's an election coming up in November.

Catholic Bishops in America, Conscience, and Religious Freedom

Back to top

This is About Religious Liberty

Back to top

Letters

Back to top

HHS Mandate, and Why Catholic Hospitals Won't Kill

Back to top
More posts about forcing Catholics to violate our conscience:
The Department of Health and Human Services vs. Conscience

Other related posts:
1 This is my third link list of USCCB resources:

My Take on the News: Religious Freedom, and Saints

I spent most of the time I'd allotted for this post to my take on JetBlue Flight 191 to Las Vegas:Bottom line, for that post: there isn't a one-to-one correlation between virtue and being blessed with health and wealth. Being sick isn't necessarily a good idea, either, and that's another topic.

God, Neighbors, and Life

I've gone over this before. A lot:I decided to become a Catholic: which means I take the outfit that my Lord set up very seriously, including what the Catholic Church has been teaching for about two millennia now.

Here's some of what I noticed in this week's news:
  1. In Praise of Religious Freedom
  2. In Defense of Religious Freedom
  3. Tourists, Questions, and Saints

1. In Praise of Religious Freedom

"In Revolution Square, Pope praises religious freedom"
CNA/EWTN News (March 28, 2012)

"Cuba has made progress towards full religious freedom and the government should continue these advances to strengthen society and to allow the Catholic Church to pursue her mission, Pope Benedict XVI said at a huge public Mass in Havana, Cuba.

" 'It must be said with joy that in Cuba steps have been taken to enable the Church to carry out her essential mission of expressing her faith openly and publicly,' the Pope said in his homily on March 28.

" 'Nonetheless, this must continue forwards, and I wish to encourage the country's government authorities to strengthen what has already been achieved and advance along this path of genuine service to the true good of Cuban society as a whole.'

"Religious freedom shows 'the unity of the human person, who is at once a citizen and a believer,' he explained. This freedom legitimizes believers' contributions to building up society...."
"Religious freedom" does not mean 'free to agree with me.' It means freedom: to practice one's religion. Or not practice any faith. Again, I've been over this before:
  • Catholics must support religious freedom
    (Catechism, 2104-2109)
    • For everybody
      (Catechism, 2106)
I'm sure that Cuba's national government has room for improvement, when it comes to religious freedom.

So does America's.

Moving on.

2. In Defense of Religious Freedom

"Tens of thousands rally for religious freedom in 143 US cities"
Benjamin Mann, CNA/EWTN News (March 27, 2012)


(Sarah Webb, The Catholic Standard and Times, via CNA/EWTN News, used w/o permission)
"Catherine Moran from St. Joseph Parish in Warrington, Pa. holds a sign during the March 23 Philadelphia rally. Credit: Sarah Webb-The Catholic Standard and Times."

"After drawing 54,000 people to 143 nationwide protests, leaders of the Stand Up For Religious Freedom campaign are more determined than ever to end the federal contraception mandate.

" 'From coast to coast, the response of the crowds at these rallies was a tremendous optimism that we can change the HHS mandate,' said Pro-Life Action League Executive Director Eric Scheidler, who planned the March 23 'Rally for Religious Freedom' with Citizens for a Pro-Life Society.

" 'People came out for the very first time in their lives, to any sort of grassroots protest activity,' Scheidler said of Stand Up For Religious Freedom's first effort.

" 'That happened in Chicago. It happened in San Francisco, in Washington, D.C., in New York, Philadelphia, and other large cities.'

"Each of those cities drew between 900 and 2,500 people, united in their desire to restore religious freedom by ending the president's contraception coverage rule. ..."
The "president's contraception coverage rule" includes the sort of "contraception" that involves killing someone who can't run away or fight back. The Catholic Church says we shouldn't kill innocent people. Even if our rulers say it's okay. Which isn't the same as supporting strict pacifism. (Catechism, 2263-2283, 2296, 2302-2317)

Which reminds me of the story about a [name of your favorite pacifist sect] who found a prowler in his home. "Friend," the [name] said, "I would not harm thee for the world: but thou standest where I am about to shoot."

The Church also says that rape and genocide are wrong, but those rules don't seem to be quite as controversial in America. (Catechism, 2356; 2313) And yes, I know about the pedophile priests.

I'm glad to see that so many folks in America noticed the latest attack on religious freedom: and cared enough to go to a rally in their area. We may end up dealing with this issue with less fuss and bother than what America went though with slavery. It took a couple centuries and a major war to sort that mess out. (February 2, 2009)

Coming This November - - -

If you're an American citizen, and eligible to vote: We've got a national election coming up in November. Just a thought.

3. Tourists, Questions, and Saints

"Church: Vietnam revokes visas of church officials"
Victor L. Simpson, Associated Press, via The Jakarta Post (March 27, 2012)

"Vietnam has revoked the visas of three representatives of the Roman Catholic church seeking to hold talks about the possible beatification of a late cardinal who was forced into exile, church officials said Tuesday.

"The delegation was set to arrive Friday and planned to discuss the late Cardinal Francois Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, who was appointed deputy archbishop of Saigon days before the South Vietnamese capital fell to the communist North in 1975.

"The delegation was sent by the diocese of Rome, which is considering pushing ahead with a cause for the beatification of the cardinal, a controversial issue in the communist-run country. Beatification is the last official step before possible sainthood.

"A Vatican official, who has followed the case but spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity, said the three were traveling on tourist visas. He said he had no additional information.

"Thuan was a nephew of Ngo Dinh Diem, president of US-backed South Vietnam who was assassinated in 1963 during the Vietnam War...."
The Vatican has a very short bio of the former President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace on their website:He died September 16, 2002.

It's possible that being in Vietnam on a tourist visa, and asking questions, was a violation of Vietnamese law. In any case, I can see why the folks running that country might be diffident about attention being drawn to the late Cardinal.

He spent 13 years in a reeducation camp: nine in solitary confinement. (Wikipedia) Again, I can see why the Hanoi government acted the way he did. Not only was the Cardinal Catholic, but he's related to the former president of South Vietnam. 'Obviously,' from some points of view, a troublemaker.

And, maybe, a saint.

Offending secular authorities by acknowledging the existence of God isn't necessary to being recognized as a Saint. But it's one way to exhibit heroic virtue. (Catechism, 828)

The way America is going, folks here may be getting more opportunities to practice heroic virtue on a Saintly level. Martyrdom, by the way, is a sort of fast track: but by no means the only way folks become Saints. Which reminds me of Saint Stephen. (Acts 6:5-7:60) I've been over that before, too. (February 12, 2012)
More posts about forcing Catholics to violate our conscience:
The Department of Health and Human Services vs. Conscience
Related posts:

Thursday, March 29, 2012

My Take on the News: 'The Captain Went Nuts; Enjoy Your Flight'

I've got another 'my take on the news' in the works, but JetBlue Flight 191 to Las Vegas this Tuesday caught my attention. I plan to be back tomorrow morning, with my take on something Benedict XVI said in Cuba, someone holding a sign, and visa troubles.

Now, about that in-flight freak out:
  1. When the Captain Snaps
  2. "Ramblings About Religion," and Getting a Grip
  3. "Medical Situation" and "the CEO Admitted"
  4. That's Crazy
In-flight craziness may not be all that unusual, sadly. This one stands out because it was the airliner's captain who snapped. And there's a religious angle to the story.

"...Make Disciples of All Nations..."

I'm a practicing Catholic, so I take my Lord's standing order to "make disciples of all nations" quite seriously. (Matthew 28:19) Interestingly, after Jesus stopped being dead, he's quoted as saying "Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature...." (Mark 16:15) Translated into my native language, of course. And that's another topic. Topics.

The billion or so living Catholics aren't identical: which is the way it's supposed to be. (1 Corinthians 12, 1 Corinthians 14) Yet more topics. (June 1, 2011) Some folks are good at 'proclaiming the gospel' in the 'revival meeting' sense. I'm not. I've tried. This blog is my way of letting folks know about my Lord. Which doesn't mean that I'm trying to 'make' you do anything. Yet again more topics. (November 6, 2011, February 12, 2011)

One approach to making "disciples of all nations" that I suspect isn't particularly effective is what I ran into in San Francisco, back in the '70s. Now and again I'd hear some unkempt fellow at a street corner. He'd be holding a book, and screaming Bible verses.

Then there's what Captain Osborn did:

1. When the Captain Snaps

"JetBlue pilot charged with interfering with crew"
Associated Press, via FoxNews.com (March 28, 2012)

"A JetBlue Airways captain who sprinted through the cabin of a Las Vegas-bound flight screaming about terrorists, Jesus and Sept. 11 was charged Wednesday with interfering with a flight crew, federal authorities said.

"Captain Clayton Osbon told his co-pilot that 'things just don't matter' shortly after JetBlue Flight 191 from New York departed Tuesday, according to an affidavit. Osbon, who was ultimately tackled by passengers while the plane made an emergency landing in Texas, told his co-pilot that 'we're not going to Vegas' and began what was described as a sermon, the court documents said.

" 'The (first officer) became really worried when Osbon said "we need to take a leap of faith," ' according to the sworn affidavit given by an FBI agent. 'Osbon started trying to correlate completely unrelated numbers like different radio frequencies, and he talked about sins in Las Vegas.'

"Osbon left the cockpit soon after and tensions on the plane began to escalate...."
"Trying to correlate completely unrelated numbers" reminded me of some of radio preachers of my youth. One of them threw Revelation, numerology, and some of the Soviet Union's military inventory into a blender and came up with yet another 'Bible prophecy' of the coming 'End Times.' So far, he's off by almost a half-century. Considering what happened in 1991-1992, I think it's safe to say that wannabe prophet was flat-out wrong. Still more topics.

I've told how that weird combination of chauvinism, numerology, and Bible trivia, led me to become a Catholic. But I don't think presenting personal biases and taste in music as the unchanging Word of God is a good idea.

I also doubt that Captain Osborn boarded JetBlue Flight 191 to Las Vegas filled with missionary zeal. I'll get back to that.

'Hello, This is Your Co-Pilot: The Captain Went Nuts; Enjoy Your Flight'

"...From inside the locked cockpit, which Osbon tried to re-enter by banging on the door, the first officer gave an order through the intercom to restrain Osbon....

"...The charges against Osbon, 49, were filed in Texas. He was being held Wednesday at Northwest Texas Healthcare System in Amarillo and remains under a medical evaluation....

"...JetBlue spokeswoman Allison Steinberg said earlier Wednesday that Osbon had been suspended pending a review of the flight.

"Osbon has been a pilot for JetBlue since 2000. The company's CEO and president Dave Barger told NBC's 'Today' show that Osbon is a 'consummate professional' whom he has 'personally known' for years...."
(Associated Press, via FoxNews.com)
Seeing the captain act like a lunatic, and hearing the first officer give orders that confirm that impression, isn't the worst air travel experience possible:But it's far from normal.

2. "Ramblings About Religion," and Getting a Grip

"JetBlue pilot's unraveling baffles friends"
Paul J. Weber and Russ Bynum, Associated Press, Press-Telegram (Long Beach, Florida) (March 29, 2012)

"No one recalls JetBlue Airways captain Clayton Osbon coming unhinged before. Not the airline that let him fly for 12 years, the neighbors in his secluded waterfront community or the friends he tried selling weight-loss shakes to on the side.

"Now federal prosecutors have charged Osbon following his bizarre unraveling aboard Flight 191 to Las Vegas, describing in court records a midair breakdown they say began with cockpit ramblings about religion and ended with passengers wrestling him to the cabin floor.

"Witness accounts of Osbon telling his co-pilot 'things just don't matter' and sprinting down the center aisle - yelling jumbled remarks about Sept. 11 and Iran - baffled longtime friends and fellow pilots who said they couldn't remember previous health or mental problems.....

"...A pilot with JetBlue since 2000, Osbon acted oddly and became increasingly erratic on the flight, worrying his fellow crew members so much that they locked him out of cockpit after he abruptly left for the cabin, according to a federal affidavit. He then started yelling about Jesus, al-Qaida and a possible bomb on board, forcing passengers to tackle him and tie him up with seat belt extenders for about 20 minutes...."
If I looked in enough places, I'd probably find a letter to the editor, op-ed, or maybe even a lead story, about the folly of letting religious people be pilots. The notion that folks who have religious beliefs, and take them seriously, are a bit nuts isn't as rare as I'd like.

Some folks who 'act religious' do seem to be a bit crazy. Like the:
  • Fellow screaming Bible verses at commuters
  • Woman who went wild with a crowbar
  • Man who killed 'sinful' couples
That doesn't mean that all 'religious people' are dangerous lunatics: any more than Captain Osborn's address means that we should be wary of folks living in secluded waterfront communities.

3. "Medical Situation" and "the CEO Admitted"

"JetBlue CEO on pilot's mid-air meltdown: 'It started medical-but clearly more than that' "
Dylan Stableford, The Lookout, via Yahoo! News (March 28, 2012)

"JetBlue CEO Dave Barger spoke out on Wednesday, a day after one of the airline's captains had a mid-air meltdown, causing a flight from New York to Las Vegas to be diverted to Amarillo, Texas....

"...The captain, Clayton Osbon, became incoherent and the co-pilot locked him out of the cockpit. Osbon began shouting about threats from al-Qaida, Iran, Iraq and bombs aboard flight, and was subdued by several passengers, including an off-duty police officer. He was strapped down and later transported to a local medical facility....

"...On Tuesday, JetBlue's stated that Osbon had a 'medical situation,' but the CEO admitted it was more than that.

" 'What happened at altitude and the call into the FAA is that we had a medical situation and that's how we responded,' Barger said. 'Clearly, especially in today's [real-time] media, we know that it also became a security situation. I think as we know less than 24 hours later, it started medical but—clearly more than that.' "
I realize that reporters have to make a living, like most folks: but I'd appreciate seeing less of phrases like "but the CEO admitted...." It's better than the classic "have you stopped beating your wife," but writing that someone "admitted" a fact has different connotations from writing that someone "stated" the same fact. I loved language long before I became a recovering English teacher, which may explain the definitions I drop into these posts:

Connotation
  1. What you must know in order to determine the reference of an expression
  2. An idea that is implied or suggested
    (Princeton's WordNet)
There's noting wrong with connotations, by themselves: That's what makes poetry work, and that's yet again another topic. When connotations are, arguably, used to imply guilt? That's something else.

Moving on.

Situations: Medical and Security

It's early days, but it looks like Captain Osborn may not have gotten up Tuesday morning and decided to make national headlines. Exactly how responsible he was is something I can't know at this point. There aren't enough facts in the news, and it's likely enough that investigators haven't finished sorting out this mess.

Particularly since what happened on Flight 191 seems to be a complete surprise, my guess is that the CEO is spot-on in stating that this is, in part, a medical situation. Maybe similar to one I've got personal experience with.

4. That's Crazy

"Why Does a Person Suddenly Lose It? Possible Causes Abound"
Andrea Petersen, Health Blog, The Wall Street Journal (March 28, 2012)

"What causes a seemingly healthy person to suddenly lose it?

It's a question likely on many minds in light of a series of recent episodes, such as when a JetBlue pilot had to be subdued yesterday by passengers after behaving erratically during a flight.

We don't know exactly what caused the pilot's disruptive actions, or why the co-founder of a group behind the 'Kony 2012' viral video had a public meltdown, or why an American Airlines flight attendant began speaking erratically on a taxiing flight's intercom.


"There's a long list of medical and psychiatric conditions that can trigger a psychotic episode, when a person seems to lose touch with reality. Among the possibilities: a brain tumor, head injury, thyroid condition, fever, infection, recreational drug use or a prescription-drug reaction. Several causes can lie behind incidences of what used to be called a nervous breakdown, too, as WSJ reported last month...."
My guess is that JetBlue's CEO - and folks running other airlines - are having someone take a long, hard, look at how they handle medical exams for their pilots. There's an awful lot that can go wrong with a human being: and some problems aren't as easy to check as booze on the breath.

Major Depression, Hallucinations, and Me

"...Agitated and delusional behavior can also accompany several mental disorders. People with bipolar disorder and major depression can have psychotic symptoms, especially when under major stress, David Hellerstein, a professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University, tells the Health Blog...."

"...Symptoms include hallucinations and disorganized speech. 'I've seen people who have a brief psychotic reaction in response to some major stress and then it would resolve,' Dr. Hellerstein says. 'Probably given enough stress, anybody could have that.'..."
(Andrea Petersen)
After our youngest child died, I had a persistent auditory hallucination, so I'm in the "anybody could have that" category. Besides, I've got major depression, and have been on medication for a few years now. This sort of depression isn't the same as being pessimistic, by the way:

Virtue, Health, and Getting a Grip

It's easy to assume that God blesses virtuous folks by giving them health and wealth. Particularly, I suspect, for folks who are healthy and wealthy.

The flip side of that assumption is seeing folks who aren't healthy and wealthy as, well, not-virtuous. As someone born with bad hip sockets - and who lived most of his life with dodgy brain chemistry - I'm inclined to think otherwise. John 9:1-3, and all that.

Then there's the 'only people with weak character need medicine' attitude. I really, seriously, do not like taking painkillers: so there may be some of that attitude in me.

On the other hand, I'm savvy enough to know that taking prescribed medications as specified on the label is - prudent. Happily, I'm a Catholic. With about two millennia, and more, of accumulated wisdom to draw from, the Church has pretty good advice for folks:
  • Health
    • "Life and physical health are precious gifts entrusted to us by God. We must take reasonable care of them, taking into account the needs of others and the common good...."
      (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2288)
    • Making an idol of my body is a bad idea
      (Catechism, 2289)
    • Taking stupid risks with drinking and/or driving is - stupid
      (Catechism, 2290-2291)
  • Curing illness
  • Using drugs
      No!
      • "The use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life...
        (Catechism, 2291)
    • Yes
      • If drugs are needed for health
      • "...Their use, except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offense...."
        (Catechism, 2291)
        • This isn't an order to never take aspirin
          (See "painkillers )
    • But let's get real - - -
      • "...Clandestine production of and trafficking in drugs are scandalous practices...."
        (Catechism, 2291)
    (Originally posted September 14, 2011)
There's more: but I still have those other three news items to go over.

Related posts:More, in the news:

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Fulton Sheen, Bias, and the Catholic Church

Earlier today, Lisa Hendey wrote a post about media (both traditional and social) coverage of the Pope's trip, and asked for feedback. I compared old-school media to "non-clueless resources," which I now realize was a bit ambiguous.

Asked if "non-clueless" meant "non-biased," I wrote:
" 'Non-biased' is part of the picture. I think some of the apparent 'bias' is more of a complete lack of understanding.

"There are times when I suspect that if football games were covered with the same expertise as 'religious' stories, we'd hear announcers discussing the hole-in-one made by the goalie."
(Comment on a post by Lisa Hendey (March 28, 2012))
Fulton Sheen said it better:
"There are not a hundred people in America who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions of people who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church - which is, of course, quite a different thing."
(Bishop Fulton Sheen, Foreword to Radio Replies Vol. 1, (1938) page ix, via Wikiquote)
Related posts:

Humans: How do We Fit In?

I've run into some odd notions about animals and people, including:
  • Animals are
    • People
      • With fur or feathers
    • Things we can use
      • Any way we like
  • Humans are
    • Nothing but animals
      • Without fur or feathers
    • Not like animals
      • In any way

Animals, Feelings, and Me

I like animals, and would have more sympathy with 'save the whatever' proclamations: if more of the nature enthusiasts showed more sense. Like the folks who put poison in a rhino's horn to dissuade poachers. That publicity event ended with a dead rhinoceros. Still, they meant well.

Then there are researchers. I've wondered how many of them actually see animals during their experiments. The impression I get is that lab assistants do most of the hands-on work.

Which doesn't mean that I want to exterminate pandas, or feel that science is evil. I've opined about animals, emotions, and getting a grip, in other blogs:

Animals, Priorities, and Getting a Grip

Let's say that it's around midnight, and you're on a dock in a small harbor. There's nobody around except you, and the crew of a cattle barge about a quarter of a mile offshore. The barge crew are, presumably, taking the cattle somewhere; you're looking after a small boat.

It's a quiet, serene, scene: until the barge catches fire.

You call the fire department, and they'll be here ASAP. Which in this case means about twenty minutes. Meanwhile, the fire has spread from one end of the barge to the other.

Any living thing on the barge is likely to be dead and roasted by the time the fire department folks arrive. You can get to the barge much faster, using that boat.

So you take the boat out to the barge, and start ferrying creatures back to shore. Starting with the:
  1. Humans
  2. Cattle
  3. None of the above
I'd start with the people. I like animals, and wouldn't like the idea of leaving cattle behind in this hypothetical situation. But it's important to keep priorities straight: and human beings come first.

Sparrows, Sheep, and Me

Since I'm a practicing Catholic, I think you're more important than a sparrow. (Luke 12:6-7), or even sheep (Matthew 12:12). Sparrows and sheep are important, and I'll get back to that.

"God Loves All His Creatures"

Human beings are more valuable than sparrows. That doesn't mean that sparrows have no value. But my Lord says that we're more valuable, and I'm okay with that:
"The hierarchy of creatures is expressed by the order of the 'six days,' from the less perfect to the more perfect. God loves all his creatures209 and takes care of each one, even the sparrow. Nevertheless, Jesus said: 'You are of more value than many sparrows,' or again: 'Of how much more value is a man than a sheep!'210"
(342)
That "hierarchy of creatures" has at least two other names in my language. "Hierarchy of being" (Dictionary, CatholicCulture.org) is a fairly common, if ambiguous, name for the idea that creatures can be sorted into a ordered list. "Being" can be either a noun or a verb, depending on context, and that's another topic.

My father called it the "ladder of creation" when he introduced me to the idea, so that's what I'm inclined to call it.

Whatever it's called, the idea is fairly simple. Nobody created God: He exists, always has and always will. Everything else got created, or is being created, by God: and created beings can be sorted out into categories.

The "ladder" metaphor may have come from the way the list looks when arranged in a table:
God
Angels
Humanity
Animals
Plants
Inanimate matter

The 'rungs' of the ladder are, in the original idea, quite distinct from each other:
"...Each level in this hierarchy is complete in its own perfection, and there is no transition from one to the other...."
("Hierarchy of being," Dictionary, CatholicCulture.org)
Here's what the hierarchy of being looks like, when I separate the created beings into those that are pure spirit, and everything else:



I've run into folks who really, sincerely, passionately, don't like the idea that we're in the same general category as rocks, geraniums, and guppies.

I'm okay with being a creature that's designed as a rational being with a physical, material, existence. (Catechism, 1951) But not everybody's comfortable with the material world, and I've been over that before. (March 5, 2012)

Deuteronomy Plus a Couple Dozen Centuries

I've also been over why I'm not shocked and dismayed when I run into something that's been learned in the couple dozen centuries or so since, say, Deuteronomy was written.

Take slime molds, for example. Depending on where the critters are in their life cycle, they'll be acting like animals or plants. They were classified as fungi for a while, before scientists learned more about them. Fungi, by the way, have chitin in their cell walls: and chitin is what the shells of insects is made of.

None of which, I think, proves that God doesn't exist. Or that people with religious beliefs are stupid. But not everybody sees reality that way. And that's yet another topic.

"The Summit"

I don't know how many folks still buy the notion that Christians are taught to pollute rivers and drive cute animals to extinction. That belief may be tied in with the "religion is against science" attitude that popped up in the 19th century, and I've been over that before. (March 14, 2012)

I've read the Bible, and there isn't an eleventh commandment that says 'thou shalt ruin the earth.' But some folks over the last century or so who lived in a nominally Christian culture didn't follow current EPA regulations. The passenger pigeon and dodo got killed off (fairly) recently; and clueless industrialists made a mess of the air, water, and ground in some places.

The Catholic Church has a few things to say about taking care of what God made, and I'll get back to that. About what human beings are? Like it or not, we're on top and in charge:
"God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them.

"God blessed them, saying: 'Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that move on the earth.' "
(Genesis 1:27-28)

"Man is the summit of the Creator's work, as the inspired account expresses by clearly distinguishing the creation of man from that of the other creatures.211"
(Catechism, 343)
But "dominion over" doesn't mean "ownership of." That, I think, is where 19th century Western culture got it wrong.

What the Catholic Church says, in part:
"In creation God laid a foundation and established laws that remain firm, on which the believer can rely with confidence, for they are the sign and pledge of the unshakeable faithfulness of God's covenant.214 For his part man must remain faithful to this foundation and respect the laws which the Creator has written into it."
(346)
Like it says in the comic book: "with great power comes great responsibility." Human beings are the "summit of creation," but we're not God. Not even close.

Rules at the Summit

Here's an early example of 'animal rights:'
"2 'You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out grain. "
(Deuteronomy 25:4)
About a half-dozen centuries later, someone said that this principle applies to workers' wages: and about two millennia after that, labor-management issues are still a work in progress. (1 Timothy 5:18; "Rerum Navarum;" "Caritas in Veritate;" (March 19, 2012' February 27, 2012))

And that's yet again another topic. Topics.

Dominion and Responsibility

I've been over this before. Human beings have dominion over this creation. And, like any manager or CEO, responsibilities come with the authority:
  • We can't 'do anything we want' with animals
    (2415-2418)
  • Animals
    • Are under our dominion
      • Moral law applies to our actions
        • We must remember
          • Our neighbor
          • Generations to come
        (2415)
    • Are not people
      • Deal with human misery first
        (2418)
    • May be used for
      • Clothing
      • Food
      • Pets
      • Research
        (2417)
    • Belong to God
      • We owe them kindness
      • Remember how St. Francis of Assisi treated animals
        • And St. Philip Neri
        (2416)
  • Human beings are
    • Animals
      • A special sort of animal
        • Endowed with reason
        • Capable of
          • Understanding
          • Discernment
        (1951)
    • People
      • Rational and therefore like God
        • Made in the image and likeness of God
          (1700)
      • Created with free will
      • Master over our actions
        (1730)
    (adapted from Catechism of the Catholic Church)
    (August 13, 2011)
Then there's how we're supposed to manage the environment.

Related posts:

Monday, March 26, 2012

Intercultural Dialogue: Great Potential; Big Risks


More posts about "Caritas in Veritate" (Charity in Truth)
"Caritas in Veritate"

What I'm Doing

"Caritas in Veritate" is available online, translated into English. If you want to know what it says, I recommend setting aside some good-sized blocks of time, and reading it.

So, why am I posting about "Caritas in Veritate" each Monday? It's a pretty good way for me to make sure I keep studying the encyclical.

You're welcome to come along for the ride: although reading these posts is arguably about as exciting as going over someone else's lecture notes. I've got the teaching authority of "some guy with a blog," by the way. I don't speak for the Church.

Today, I'm going to pry apart a 271-word paragraph, see what the main points are: and then give my take on what Benedict XVI said.

Cultures, Differences, and Dialog

Pope Benedict XVI says that a lot has changed since Pope Paul VI's day. And he's right. Paul VI was Pope from 1963 to 1978. Back then, Woodstock and Disco were 'current events.' Not at the same time, of course.

Comparing today's world to what we had a third of a century ago, Benedict XVI says:
"...At that time cultures were relatively well defined and had greater opportunity to defend themselves against attempts to merge them into one. Today the possibilities of interaction between cultures have increased significantly, giving rise to new openings for intercultural dialogue: a dialogue that, if it is to be effective, has to set out from a deep-seated knowledge of the specific identity of the various dialogue partners...."
("Caritas in Veritate," 26)
I think it's important to note that Benedict XVI isn't saying that interaction between cultures is wrong. What he says is "...that, if it is to be effective, has to set out from a deep-seated knowledge of the specific identity of the various dialogue partners...." ("Caritas in Veritate," 26) [emphasis mine]

Cultures, Differences, and Danger

Next, Benedict XVI says that "the increased commercialization of cultural exchange today leads to a twofold danger." I don't think Benedict XVI, or the Catholic Church, is for - or against - capitalism. Not in a narrow, chauvinistic, sense. (March 13, 2010)

I wondered where this "twofold danger" thing was going. It sounded a little like one of American culture's unpalatable quirks.

I think this is a fairly accurate outline of what Benedict XVI said. But but like I said, I recommend reading the original. Anyway, here are the two dangers:
  • A cultural eclecticism that is often assumed uncritically
    • Cultures are simply
      • Placed alongside one another
      • Viewed as substantially
        • Equivalent
        • Interchangeable
    • This easily yields to a relativism
      • Not serving true intercultural dialogue
    • On the social plane
      • Cultural relativism has the effect that
        • Cultural groups coexist side by side
        • But remain separate
          • With no authentic dialogue
            • Therefore with no true integration
  • Cultural levelling
    and indiscriminate acceptance of types of conduct and life-styles
    • The opposite of cultural eclecticism
    • One loses sight of the profound significance of the
      • Culture of different nations
      • Traditions of the various peoples
        • By which the individual defines himself in relation to life's fundamental questions
    (adapted from "Caritas in Veritate," 26)
Here's the problem with both of those possibilities:
"...What eclecticism and cultural levelling have in common is the separation of culture from human nature. Thus, cultures can no longer define themselves within a nature that transcends them[63], and man ends up being reduced to a mere cultural statistic. When this happens, humanity runs new risks of enslavement and manipulation."
("Caritas in Veritate," 26)
I do not see this as the sort of isolationist stuff that crops up around election time here in America. The problem isn't, as far as I can see, that we've got different cultures around the world: or that we're communicating with each other. The problem seems to be that we run the risk of losing sight of people in the process.

Change, Differences, and Me

I don't have a problem with change. (March 20, 2012) I think assuming that change is always bad is as silly as feeling that change is always good.

I also don't have a problem with living in a world where most folks don't look and act pretty much just like I do. We're supposed to be different. (August 26, 2010)

I had to think about paragraph 26 for a bit, though. At first glance, it reminded me of the all-too-familiar American nativism that some folks don't seem to have left behind. (February 29, 2012)

After breaking out Benedict XVI's ideas, though: this paragraph looks more like a call for acknowledging cultural differences. And remembering that people who look and act differently are - people.

Is that an over-simplification? Yes. Benedict XVI also pointed out that intercultural dialog is happening, fast: and that we need to be careful in how we approach it. But not, I think, that intercultural dialog is 'bad.'

Huge Potential, Big Risks

As for "new risks of enslavement and manipulation," those are rather dramatic words. But I'm inclined to agree. Today's world is changing, fast. Folks are able to communicate with each other with a speed and ease that used to be limited to our immediate family and neighbors.

There's a huge potential, I think, for good in this "intercultural dialog." But I agree with Benedict XVI that there are big risks. Whatever else is true about our era: Boring, it's not.

Somewhat-related posts:
More:

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Faith and Obedience

Earlier today, I posted about an odd comment: and odder assumptions about the Catholic Church.Some of what folks 'know' about the Catholic Church simply isn't so. On the other hand, it's true that the Catholic Church is huge, and ancient. I'm okay with that, but some folks aren't.

It's Not American!

The Catholic Church isn't an American institution. Like the fellow said, we're "all over the world:"


(from H.E. Fowler, via Wikipedia, used w/o permission)
"Crowley, Jeremiah J. (1913) 'The Pope: Chief of White Slavers High Priest of Intrigue,' p. 430"

Jeremiah J. Crowley was right on one point. The Catholic Church is "all over the world."

I was attracted by that aspect of Catholicism. (March 23, 2012) But I grew up in a different era, and decided to become a Catholic. Not everybody's like me.

I didn't, by the way, covert to Catholicism to be with folks who were pretty much like me. The Church encourages diversity, and that's another topic.

Superstition?

A dictionary says that superstition is "an irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear." (Princeton's WordNet) For folks determined to believe that religion is an irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear, Catholics are "superstitious."

Here's what the Catholic Church has to say, in part:
"Superstition is the deviation of religious feeling and of the practices this feeling imposes. It can even affect the worship we offer the true God, e.g., when one attributes an importance in some way magical to certain practices otherwise lawful or necessary. To attribute the efficacy of prayers or of sacramental signs to their mere external performance, apart from the interior dispositions that they demand, is to fall into superstition.41"
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2111)
Bottom line, as a practicing Catholic, I'm not allowed to be superstitious. It's against the rules.

I've been over this before:

Faith, and the Alternative

I think I understand why some folks think religious faith is unpleasant:
"By faith, man completely submits his intellect and his will to God.2 With his whole being man gives his assent to God the revealer. Sacred Scripture calls this human response to God, the author of revelation, 'the obedience of faith.'3"
(Catechism, 143)
'Submit my intellect and my will to God?' Why should I give up my whims and preferences? That sounds so - restrictive.

Simon Peter explained why sticking with my Lord makes sense, in the long run:
"Jesus then said to the Twelve, 'Do you also want to leave?'

"Simon Peter answered him, 'Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

"We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.' "(John 6:67-69)
At the end of all things, I've got two options: to be with my Lord, or not. On the whole, I'll take "the words of eternal life" over the alternative.

I put a definition of faith, Catholic style, and more links under "Background," at the end of this post.

As for why I think it makes sense to submit to my Lord:

Obedience

I spent my teens in the '60s, when obedience wasn't a fashionable idea. The establishment of that era had made a mess of America, and I've been over that before. (January 12, 2010) The establishment's changed in some ways; and not so much in others. (September 15, 2011)

I'm quite willing to obey my Lord. That's because I know who He is, and what He did. (March 18, 2012, March 11, 2012)

Faith, Yes: Blind, No

I've said this before. I'm not required to check my brain at the door when I go to a Catholic church.

I think the Church's position is seen as "vague," or worse, in part because we're expected to think about what we're told.

We're not told that beer is evil, or workers are right. Instead, we're told about moderation and fundamental rights.

That's part of the reason that Catholic groups in America often host Bingo games. And that's yet another topic.

The sort of freedom we have comes with responsibility. (Catechism, 1731-1738). Part of those responsibilities involve being good citizens. (Catechism, 2238-2243) More topics.

Then there's erroneous judgment. (Catechism, 1790-1794) And that's - what else? Another topic.

Related posts:Background:
"FAITH: Both a gift of God and a human act by which the believer gives personal adherence to God who invites his response, and freely assents to the whole truth that God has revealed. It is this revelation of God which the Church proposes for our belief, and which we profess in the Creed, celebrate in the sacraments, live by right conduct that fulfills the twofold commandment of charity (as specified in the ten commandments), and respond to in our prayer of faith. Faith is both a theological virtue given by God as grace, and an obligation which flows from the first commandment of God (26, 142, 150, 1814, 2087)."

"OBEDIENCE: (1) The submission to the authority of God which requires everyone to obey the divine law. Obedience to the Church is required in those things which pertain to our salvation; and obedience is due to legitimate civil authority, which has its origin in God for the sake of the common good and the order of society (1897). The fourth commandment obliges children to obey their parents (2216). (2) Obedience of faith: The first obedience is that of faith: to listen and freely submit to the word of God (144). (3) Obedience of Christ: Jesus Christ substituted his obedience to the will of his Father, even unto death, for the disobedience of sin, in order to bring us the grace of justification and to satisfy for our sins (615). (4) Vow of obedience: In imitation of this obedience of Jesus, as an evangelical counsel, the faithful may profess a vow of obedience; a public vow of obedience, accepted by Church authority, is one element that characterizes the consecrated life (915)."
(Glossary, Catechism)

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Marian Apparition: Champion, Wisconsin

Background:Posts in this blog: In the news:

What's That Doing in a Nice Catholic Blog?

From time to time, a service that I use will display links to - odd - services and retailers.

I block a few of the more obvious dubious advertisers.

For example: psychic anything, numerology, mediums, and related practices are on the no-no list for Catholics. It has to do with the Church's stand on divination. I try to block those ads.

Sometime regrettable advertisements get through, anyway.

Bottom line? What that service displays reflects the local culture's norms, - not Catholic teaching.