Showing posts with label guilt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label guilt. Show all posts

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Hosannas: Still Upsetting the Status Quo

Our granddaughter's baptism was yesterday, which was a very happy occasion. We had a few folks over to celebrate, so my quiet Saturday afternoon was anything but.

As a result, this post may be less organized than most: which is saying something.

Palm Sunday


(Palm fronds at Our Lady of Angels church. April 1, 2012.)

It's Palm Sunday, when Christians remember Jesus' enthusiastic welcome in Jerusalem: followed by equally-enthusiastic cries of 'crucify him!'

We'll be holding palm fronds and reading parts of Matthew 21:1-11; Matthew 26:14-27:66 this morning. I enjoy echoing the crowd's hosanna. What comes after that isn't much fun: even though I know what happened on the first Easter.

"Hosanna" is what "הושע נא" sounds like after folks speaking a Germanic language read Greek and Latin versions of an Aramaic/Hebrew word, and that's another topic. In today's context, hosanna means something like save, rescue, and maybe savior. Some of the folks in Jerusalem understood at least part of who and what Jesus is. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 559)

Sin, Guilt, and the Kingdom of God


(Palm Sunday, Our Lady of Angels church. April 1, 2012.)

Jesus' entry into Jerusalem was, for folks paying attention, the start of the kingdom of God that my Lord had announced. Then as now, some folks liked the status quo: and got in the way. (Matthew 4:17, Matthew 27:1)

For anyone else, a public execution followed by internment in a borrowed tomb would have been the end. It took Jesus several meetings to convince the surviving apostles that they weren't seeing a ghost, and I've been over that before. (March 11, 2012)

Sin and guilt are tricky concepts. They're real, and can be undervalued: or seriously misrepresented. We're not supposed to writhe in anguish and despair over our sins. Recognizing our faults, asking forgiveness, and correcting our shortcomings: that makes sense. (Catechism, 1846-1869)

Recognizing the other guy's faults is often easier: and not necessarily a bad thing. We're supposed to use good judgment. Being 'judgmental,' acting as if it's our job to condemn 'those sinners over there' to everlasting fire? That's a really bad idea: and against the rules. (Catechism, 1861)

I don't enjoy some parts of our Palm Sunday reenactment: I'm too aware of my personal contributions to humanity's guilt.

But I think it's prudent to get reminded of the big picture now and then. Besides, like I've said before, Jesus didn't stay dead. (Catechism, 410-412, 638)

"Of the House and Family of David"

Laying our guilt for my Lord's crucifixion on "the Jews" is also against the rules: and, in my considered opinion, a really bad idea.

Yes, the descendants of Abraham and Israel sinned, and their guilt affects Jesus. Buy everyone's sin affects Jesus. (Catechism, 396-409, 595-598)

I've run into folks with more-or-less anti-Semitic attitudes. I can almost understand these feelings among those on the other side of the Sara-Hagar domestic dispute. We're still dealing with fallout from that incident, and that's yet another topic.

Gentiles, like me, whose ancestors were on the far side of nowhere when Abram moved out of Ur? Particularly those of us who are Christians? Anti-Semitism makes no sense: not to me. But then, I know what "of the house and family of David" means.

Sauk Centre, Minnesota; Assisi, Italy - - -


(Palm Sunday in Our Lady of the Angels church. With - what else? - palms. April 17, 2011.)


(From Pietro Lorenzetti, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)
(Fresco in the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi.)

Palm Sunday is above freezing here in central Minnesota this year, last year we had a lovely blanket of snow: but the parish church has a supply of palm fronds each time Palm Sunday rolls around.

My household weaves our palm fronds into lanyards with a sort of St. Andrew's Cross at the end. I'll probably set mine near my desk again this year. Later, they'll be burned outside the parish church: making ashes for Ash Wednesday.

That fresco is nearly seven centuries old, in the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi. I'm more amused than upset that some of the buildings in Saint Francis of Assisi's old headquarters are a bit opulent. And that's yet again another topic.

"... Until the End of the Age"

My Lord gave us orders we're still following, with varying degrees of success:
"11 Then Jesus approached and said to them, 'All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

"Go, therefore, 12 and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit,

"teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. 13 And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.' "
(Matthew 28:18-20)
Two millennia later, 'love God, love your neighbor, everyone's your neighbor' are still a good ideas: and they still threaten folks who enjoy unjust benefits from the status quo.

We've made a little progress in the last 20 centuries. Ancient evils like prostitution and slavery are illegal in several parts of the world: and, perhaps more importantly, unfashionable.

I could see the glacial pace with which "love our neighbor" has been taught as a dreadful disappointment; or job security. And that's — you guessed it — still more topics.

More about Palm Sunday:
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Sunday, April 14, 2013

Guilt and Group Discounts

"Sinner" can mean quite a few things. Depending on who's saying it, "sinners" can mean people who:
I am a sinner. I also enjoy living. That's not what makes me a sinner. I put definitions of sin, and a few links, at the end of this post.

Pleasure, Reason, and Balance

I spent my youth in the '60s, when American culture changed: a lot. Some of the changes were long-overdue corrections. Others didn't turn out the way I'd hoped. I gave part of my take on that era last night:
Realizing that there's more to life than unbridled pursuit of possessions is a good idea. Deciding that "sin" is just being made to feel guilty about pleasure: not so much.

As a Catholic, I have to believe that sin exists, but I do not go around trying to be miserable.

We live in a world that's basically good, but not perfect. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 299, 309-310)

Pleasure is a good thing. What can get us in trouble isn't pleasure: it's letting our desire for pleasure get out of hand. We are rational creatures, and are meant to make reasoned decisions: not emotional ones. The goal is using created things in a balanced way. (Catechism, 1730, 1804, 1809, 2362, 2351)

Sin, Real and Imagined

"Sin" in the Catholic sense is acting against reason and truth: which offends God. It's not good for us in the long run, either. (Catechism, 1849-1869)

"Original sin," again in the Catholic sense, is what happened when humanity's original harmony was damaged by our first parents' decision to defy God. (Catechism, 396-409)

I've posted about original sin before. (July 11, 2012, June 13, 2012)

Although sin is real, I've run into opinions about sin that are imaginative: to be kind about it.

I check in at a few 'prayer request' clearinghouses on the Web. It's one way I take care of the human need for prayer. Most of the requests are quite sensible: asking others to join them in asking for help, or giving thanks.

After particularly nasty crimes, like mass murder, hit the news. I usually run into at least one anguished prayer request that I'm sure is sincere: but is anything but sensible.

They generally say something like, 'GOD FORGIVE US FOR MURDERING ALL THOSE DEAR SWEET CHILDREN!'

Collective Guilt?

I'm upset about crimes like the recent mass murder at a Connecticut school. I think it makes sense to ask God for help as we restore a more clearly-defined sense of ethics to American culture.

But asking God to forgive me for killing those kids? The crime was committed by someone else: without my knowledge, permission, or assistance.

I am a sinner: that's a consequence of original sin. I've also done some really stupid things that are also sinful. But I'm not guilty of that particular crime.

Then there are folks who apparently think we're all guilty of sins committed by someone else, generations before any of us were born.

I find that particularly unpleasant when the guilt is assigned to 'those people:' folks whose sin and shame is apparently having not having the same ancestors as the speaker:
At least one conspiracy theory may be an inclusive version of the 'all [insert despised group] are guilty' attitude.

Beware the Lizard Men?

I found this comment in a Catholic website's discussion thread. The screen name of the writer strongly suggests that he or she is Catholic.
"All this evil is inflicted by ourselves, no one else. The starvation of people like in Africa was deliberately planned by conspirators dreaming of a new world order. This starvation need never have happened, but God permitted it because of man's sins."
(from a discussion thread about sin)
As I've said before, some of the billion or so living Catholics believe things that just aren't so. An individual Catholic may believe that there's a global conspiracy plotting "a new world order." That doesn't make it true.

I enjoy conspiracy theories: in some stories. But that doesn't mean I believe them, although the one about space-alien shape-shifting lizard men running the world could make a rip-snorting thriller. (Another War on Terror Blog (January 14, 2009))

Come to think of it, it's been done: sort of. ("V" (1983))

Group Discount for Guilt??

I'm familiar with the idea of collective guilt. It's not always 'spiritual' attire for bias, or an effort to hide in a crowd.

I suspect that some folks may like the idea that 'we're all guilty' because it spreads responsibility out. In the short run, it's sort of like getting forgiveness at group rates.

The problem is that, although most humans are members of at least one group: we're also individuals. A corporation's board of directors may unanimously decide to swindle stockholders: but each individual makes a personal decision to go along or not.

The closest thing to 'group discount' forgiveness is general absolution. It's a sort of emergency procedure for situations where many folks will probably be dead before they can go through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

The way it was explained to me was that if a ship was sinking fast with no rescue in sight, and impatient sharks circling the wreck, a priest could run the entire crew through a general absolution. If someone survived, that individual would be expected to go through the sacrament as promptly as possible.

Finally, the Bible talks about group guilt and even "evil races." It's important to read the Bible in context. ("Understanding the Bible," Mary Elizabeth Sperry)

These verses are not the sort of thing I'd care to stretch into claims that 'all [insert despised group] are evil.' That sort of thing is against the rules. (Catechism, 597, 1934-1938)

The footnotes are worth reading:
"1 'Tell the Israelites: When a person inadvertently commits a sin against some command of the LORD by doing one of the forbidden things,

"2 if it is the anointed priest who thus sins and thereby makes the people also become guilty, he shall present to the LORD a young, unblemished bull as a sin offering for the sin he committed.'
(Leviticus 4:3)
"Virtue exalts a nation, but sin is a people's disgrace."
(Proverbs 14:34)
"3Ah! sinful nation, people laden with wickedness, evil race, corrupt children! They have forsaken the LORD, spurned the Holy One of Israel, apostatized."
(Isaiah 1:4)
"We recognize, O LORD, our wickedness, the guilt of our fathers; that we have sinned against you."
(Jeremiah 14:20)
I've met folks who seem to feel that the 'right sort' are indignant or outraged pretty much all the time: and that's another topic.

Related posts:
Definitions:
"ORIGINAL SIN: The sin by which the first human beings disobeyed the commandment of God, choosing to follow their own will rather than God's will. As a consequence they lost the grace of original holiness, and became subject to the law of death; sin became universally present in the world. Besides the personal sin of Adam and Eve, original sin describes the fallen state of human nature which affects every person born into the world, and from which Christ, the 'new Adam,' came to redeem us (396-412)."

"SIN: An offense against God as well as a fault against reason, truth, and right conscience. Sin is a deliberate thought, word, deed, or omission contrary to the eternal law of God. In judging the gravity of sin, it is customary to distinguish between mortal and venial sins (1849, 1853, 1854)."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, Glossary)
Background:
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Friday, December 14, 2012

Connecticut School: Mass Murder and Prayer

You've probably heard or read about another mass murder at a school. This time it was at an elementary school in Connecticut.1

Over two dozen folks are dead: roughly two thirds of them children; some teachers; and the murderer.

I'm angry about what happened, but don't expect a rant. That wouldn't, I think, do any good.

Prayer

No pressure, but prayer couldn't hurt.2 Many folks in Connecticut need help: and prayer works. I don't know how, and don't need to. My wife and I prayed for the eternal repose of the victims.

Including the murderer. I'm disgusted about what he did, but he's dead. I take advice like Romans 2:1-11; Matthew 7:1-5; and Luke 6:37-38, seriously.

Good Judgment isn't Crazy

There's a huge difference between pretending that rules shouldn't exist, and hating 'that sinner over there,' and that's another topic or two:

Why?!

The killer is a man in his mid-20s,3 whose parents are divorced, and whose mother worked at the school. Maybe he was upset about the divorce, or maybe something else encouraged him to act.

It's likely that someone will pounce on the choice of weapon, and blame guns. It's less likely that we'll hear an 'expert' say that public schools cause mass murder.

It's possible that we won't learn the exact motives for this mass murder.

The root of this particular crime goes back to the start of humanity, and the original sin we inherited.

Coming from a Catholic, that doesn't mean that I think the human race is a botched job, an inherently evil race that God should destroy. We're wounded, but not basically bad:
"ORIGINAL SIN: The sin by which the first human beings disobeyed the commandment of God, choosing to follow their own will rather than God's will. As a consequence they lost the grace of original holiness, and became subject to the law of death; sin became universally present in the world. Besides the personal sin of Adam and Eve, original sin describes the fallen state of human nature which affects every person born into the world, and from which Christ, the 'new Adam,' came to redeem us (396-412)."
(Catechism, Glossary)
The good news is that Jesus opened Heaven, and that's another topic.

Getting a grip about:
1 Excerpts from the news:
"Children and adults gunned down in Connecticut school massacre"
CNN (December 14, 2012)
  • "There's been a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut
  • "We're told there are 18-20 children who have been killed, with a death toll close to 30
  • "Law enforcement tells CNN suspect is named Ryan Lanza
  • "Below are the latest updates as they come to us or you can read our story of the Connecticut school shooting...."
" 'Close to 20' dead in Connecticut school shooting, source says"
Susan Candiotti and Michael Pearson, CNN (December 14, 2012)

"Nearly 20 people died Friday in an elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN.

"At least 10 of the dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School were children, the source said....

"...'Why? Why?' one woman wailed as she walked up a wooded roadway leading from the school....

"...The shooter is dead, a source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN's Susan Candiotti. The suspect's body is in a classroom at the school, the source said....

"...Police and teachers rushed students from the building as police swarmed the area shortly after the first calls came in, around 9:40 a.m. ET. Officials moved students to a nearby firehouse, where parents frantically sought information about their children...."
"At least 26 dead in shooting at Connecticut elementary school"
FoxNews.com (December 14, 2012)

"DEVELOPING: Authorities say at least 26 people, including 18 children, were killed Friday when a gunman clad in black military gear opened fire inside a Connecticut elementary school.

"A law enforcement official said the shooter, who is dead, was from New Jersey and had ties to Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. Authorities recovered a Glock and Sig Sauer 9mm handgun, but it was unclear who killed the shooter, who wore black combat garb and a military vest.

"Local news outlets report that the shooting occurred inside a kindergarten classroom, and that all the pupils in that classroom are unaccounted for.

"An official with knowledge of the situation said the 20-year-old gunman, whose name has not been released, also had a .223-caliber rifle. The motive is not yet known....

"...Connecticut State Police Lt. Paul Vance said during an afternoon news conference that police arrived at the scene "within minutes" of a 911 call placed shortly after 9:30 a.m.

" 'Every door, every crack, every crevice of that school' was checked, Vance said. 'The entire school was searched.'

"Vance did not give details about the number of victims other than to say they included students and staff, pending notification of the families. He said more information would be released, possibly later Friday.

"The massacre began inside the school's main office as the principal was making morning announcements...."
2 About prayer::
  • Prayer
    • Isn't just an impulsive outburst
    • Is
      • A learned skill
      • Taught by the Holy Spirit
      (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2650-2651)
    • A communion with the Holy Trinity
      (Catechism, 2655)
    • Internalizes and assimilates the liturgy
      • During its celebration
      • After its celebration
    • And the sacramental liturgy of the Church
      • The mission of Christ and of the Holy Spirit
        • Proclaims the mystery of salvation
        • Makes present the mystery of salvation
        • Communicates the mystery of salvation
      (Catechism, 2655)
    • Continues the sacramental liturgy in the heart that prays
      (Catechism, 2655)
  • Should accompany reading of Holy Scripture
    (Catechism, 2653-2654)
  • Involves
  • When to pray
    • At certain times while hearing the Word of God
    • Any other time
    • (Catechism, 2659)
(July 21, 2012)
3 Update, 7:50 p.m. December 14, 2012. Excerpt from the news:
"...Twenty-seven people, including 20 children, were killed Friday when a gunman clad in black military gear opened fire inside his mother's kindergarten class at a Connecticut elementary school.

"The shooter, who sources identified as Adam Lanza, 20, shot his mother, Nancy Lanza, in the face at their home in Newtown, Conn., then went to nearby Sandy Hook Elementary School where she taught and gunned down her entire class, according to sources. Lanza was found dead inside the school, according to officials. Eighteen of the children and six more adults were dead at the school and two more children died later, according to Connecticut State Police Lt. Paul Vance.

"Vance would not confirm the shooter's name, and earlier in the day there were conflicting reports over the gunman's identity. Law enforcement sources told FoxNews.com the shooter was Adam Lanza. His brother, Ryan Lanza, 24, who was widely and erroneously reported to be the suspect, was questioned in Hoboken, N.J., but authorities said he was not involved.

" 'It is not a simplistic scene,' Vance told reporters...."
(FoxNews.com)
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Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Love, Hate, and Leaving an Impression

I remember when the slogan "victim of society" was taken more seriously than it is today.

At the time I thought that excusing destructive behavior and blaming the victim was a bad idea. I still do.

But I also remember the trailing edge of the 'good old days' that made slogans like "victim of society" look comparatively sensible. I really don't want to go back to the 'good old days.'


(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"

Rants, Hate, and Making an Impression

In my youth, I was impressed by folks who seemed to be fervent supporters of a 'First Church of Holy Hate.'

Ranting radio preachers and screeds against commies, rock music, and 'the Whore of Babylon,' impressed me: not favorably, but they did leave a lasting impression. Eventually I:
  • Decided that
    • Religion wasn't a psychiatric condition
    • Faith and reason were compatible
  • Learned about the Catholic Church
  • Became a Catholic

Sin, Personal Responsibility, and Getting a Grip

Thinking that sin and personal responsibility exist doesn't make me a heartless conservative. Believing that mercy is a good idea doesn't mean that I'm a bleeding heart liberal.

I'm a practicing Catholic, which may not mean what you've heard it does. (November 18, 2012, November 3, 2008)

I have to accept personal responsibility for my actions. (Luke 18:10-14) I also have to acknowledge forgiveness is possible: particularly when compared with the alternative. (Matthew 6:14-15)

Accepting personal responsibility involves feeling guilty when I've sinned. That's a good thing, provided that I've got the good sense to use the guilt as a sort of diagnostic tool. Wallowing in guilt isn't an option. More topics. (Catechism, 1455)

'Hate the Sin' and John 8:1-11

I don't know why, but quite a few folks apparently:
  • Heard
    • 'Hate the sin, love the sinner'
  • Remembered
    • 'Hate the sin, damn the sinner'
For example, a few days ago I shared a thread with a fellow-Catholic who passionately wanted a particular bishop to either:
  1. Change his mind
  2. Or be
    1. Killed
    2. Taken to Hell
Option "A" didn't bother me a bit. Repentance, from what I read, looked like a very good idea.

Option "B1" was understandable: and even theoretically acceptable, if I adopted an extremely hardball frame of mind.

My attitudes toward options "A" and "B1" don't make me a bloodthirsty lunatic, or a soft-headed pacifist: and that's another topic or two. (April 27, 2012)

Option "B2," expressing a desire for God to kill someone and arrange a 'soul-to-go' pickup by Satan, was what bothered me: a lot; and still does.

It's one thing to be upset about someone's behavior. Fervently wanting that person to burn in Hell is a very bad idea. (Matthew 6:15)
"...although we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1861)
Then there's my Lord's conditional approval of an execution. (John 8:1-11) The Catholic Church has quite a bit to say about mercy: Catechism, 1465 and 1846, for starters.

"Love One Another..."

The last two 'Bible and catechism' posts were 'out of order.' In one case, I even released it Monday: instead of the 'regularly scheduled' Wednesday.:
I'm back on track today, picking up my hike through the Catechism. This section is talking about my Lord, Jesus. Last time I wrote about Jesus and how we should live:
"The Word became flesh to be our model of holiness. ... Jesus is the model for the Beatitudes and the norm of the new law: 'Love one another as I have loved you.'76..."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 459)
That bit about love is from the Gospel of John:
"This is my commandment: love one another as I love you."
(John 15:12)
I went over Catechism, 459, before:
As I said in that post, it's not enough to 'really believe.' We're expected do actually do something about what we think is true: and not the way Robert Burns' Holy Willie did.

Pretty Good Advice

While writing this post, I found a pretty good resource. I think it has pretty good advice about applying "hate the sin and love the sinner:"
I think "Civil Dialog" makes sense, particularly since we're still expected to "make disciples." (Matthew 28:16-20)

On the other hand, I'm quite certain that having hissy fits, with or without a holier-than-thou attitude, is almost guaranteed to lose friends and alienate people. And that's yet another topic.

My take on getting a grip about:
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Sunday, November 18, 2012

Sin, Bingo, and Love

I'm a Christian, and I can walk on water.

Don't be too impressed. I live in central Minnesota, where folks drive trucks to their ice fishing houses during winter. Once in a while someone drops into the lake, but that doesn't happen as often as a person might expect.

Ice fishing houses on Sauk Lake, Sauk Centre
Ice fishing houses on Sauk Lake: Sauk Centre, Minnesota. December 2005.

I'm no more able to walk across open water, on my own, than Peter was. (Matthew 14:22-33)

"I am Doomed!" (But Keep Reading)

As for assuming that I'm so 'saved' that I don't need help getting into Heaven? I feel like Isaiah fairly often. Which doesn't mean that I think Seraphim make regular flights to Sauk Centre, Minnesota:
"4 Then I said, 'Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!' "
(Isaiah 6:5)
I do, however, recognize that nothing is impossible for God; that I am a created being, dependent on the Almighty; and, happily, that God is merciful. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 208, 268-278, 396, and Job, for starters)

Sin and the Tax Collector

Maybe you've run into someone who acted like the Pharisee in this story:
"He then addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.

" 'Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.

"The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, "O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity - greedy, dishonest, adulterous - or even like this tax collector.

"I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income."

"But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, "O God, be merciful to me a sinner."

" I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.' "
(Luke 18:10-14)
Or maybe you know someone who acts as if he or she is the worst sinner in the world: and that anyone who doesn't feel the same way is damned.

My guess is that some of the world's billion or so living Catholics sincerely believe that they're 'holier than the Pope,' or that wallowing in exaggerated guilt and self-hate is a virtue. Like I've said before: Sincerity does not guarantee accuracy.

Scaring Folks Silly

Jonathan Edwards' "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" made quite an impression back in 1741.

Edwards used colorful imagery and Biblical references to convince folks that Hell is real, and sin is a bad idea. So far, so good.

By the time my generation came along, it was fairly easy to assume that at least some varieties of Christianity involved scaring folks silly: then asking for money. Not, I think, what Edwards had in mind.

About a half-century back, quite a few folks in America got fed up with 'angry God' assumptions: understandably, I think.

In my youth, 'Christian' radio's steady drumbeat of guilt, anti-communist rants, and perennial end-time 'Biblical' prophecies, led me to appreciate rock music: and eventually to become a Catholic. And that's another topic. Topics.

Goofy About Guilt

I've run into folks who seemed to make assumptions close these extremes:
  1. Sin doesn't exist
    1. At all
    2. Except for
      1. Corporate greed
      2. Pollution
      3. Hurting animals
  2. Sin exists
    1. We're all saved
    2. I'm saved, you're damned
    3. We're all damned
Assumption 2A is, I think, particularly pernicious, and I've discussed Holy Willie before. (January 4, 2012) By the way, "sin" doesn't mean "stuff I don't enjoy or can't do." It shouldn't, anyway. Actually, I shouldn't enjoy sin - yet more topics.

After my exposures to 'kill a commie for Christ' zealots, I think I can understand folks who decided that guilt, and religion, are psychiatric diseases. But I that's not what I believe.

Reason, Truth, Right Conscience: And the Alternative

The Catholic Church's definition of sin includes things folks decide to do, and what we decide to not do.
"SIN: An offense against God as well as a fault against reason, truth, and right conscience. Sin is a deliberate thought, word, deed, or omission contrary to the eternal law of God. In judging the gravity of sin, it is customary to distinguish between mortal and venial sins (1849, 1853, 1854)."
(Catechism, Glossary)
Since I'm a Catholic, playing cards or Bingo is okay. But gambling so much that I can't meet my needs, and those of others, isn't. (Catechism, 2413)

A little closer to home for me, the Catholic Church doesn't have rules against 'demon rum:' but does say that drunkenness is wrong. (Catechism, 2290) My household is 'dry,' but that's because of my personal history. You guessed it: still more topics.

The "Vatican Secret Archives:" An Old Office Library

The Catholic Church has a reputation for being run by control freaks who think salvation depends on wearing a particular style of clothing, shunning 'evil' music: you get the idea.

I can see how that idea gets traction. The Vatican's office archive has about 85 kilometers of shelving, at last count. And it's "secret," which turns out to be much less exciting than it sounds.

The "Vatican Secret Archives" aren't filled with rules about where hemlines should be, or whether it's okay to use long-stemmed glasses. It's a collection of letters sent or received by Popes; diplomatic papers; internal documents; that sort of thing. (April 20, 2012)

One or Two Simple Rules

The rules are basically simple:
Those rules are simple.

Following them isn't necessarily easy, though: which may explain why the Church has spent so much time explaining why loving our neighbor doesn't include cheating our neighbor. And that's another set of topics. (September 26, 2011)

Love That Works

We're expected to actually do something about loving our neighbor. Again, that isn't necessarily easy. It's also another topic. (February 5, 2012, September 13, 2011)

Getting a grip about:
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Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Battling Sin, Living in Hope

"Original sin" means different things, depending on who you listen to. I'm a Catholic, so my take on it isn't what quite a few Americans believe. I'll get back to ideas like 'God doesn't make junk' after plugging another person's blog.

I ran into this today:
"Is Christianity an Oppressive Imposition of Rules?"
John Janaro, Never Give Up (July 23, 2012)

" Too many people (even Catholics) think that the essence of Christianity consists in a series of moral demands, most of which are impossible to keep, and which therefore result in making us feel guilty and making our lives gloomy. People even tend to think of doctrine not so much as the expression of God's revelation as the 'stuff that we are required to believe even though it doesn't make any sense.'

"An external, oppressive imposition of rules. No wonder so many people abandon Christianity.

"But this is not the Gospel...."
I recommend reading the rest of that post. Mr. Janaro 'gets it.' Christianity - Catholicism, anyway - is about hope. Also faith and charity.

'Oh Woe, All Ye Faithful?'

I've explained why I became a Catholic. When I got around to studying what the Church actually said, not the stuff I read in magazines, I discovered an outfit with a faith that makes sense. I had been taking a hard look at major religions, including Christianity, because much of what I'd been hearing was silly: at best.

The "Christianity" I heard on the radio was often a weird mixture of numerology, fortune-telling, and Bible trivia: mixed with hatred of commies, rock music, and anything learned since about 1800. Those folks seemed dedicated to "...making us feel guilty and making our lives gloomy...."

'Happy Time Gospel:' Not a New Notion

At another end of the emotional spectrum from those grim disciples of malignant virtue, there's the lot I'll call the 'happy time gospel glee club.' The 'prosperity gospel' is one iteration of this approach to faith: and a mistake. (January 27, 2009)

In a way, I sympathize with folks who want to believe that:
  • Nobody goes to Hell
  • Everybody has a future of eternal groovyness
  • God
    • Doles out happiness
    • Is a sort of benevolent and senile grandfather
That's not the way things are, but it feels a lot better than the 'you're damned if you disagree with me' theology I've heard elsewhere. I've written about Hell and hope before:

'Do-It-Yourself Virtue:' An Old Idea

The idea that people don't need the grace of God, that we can be 'really good people' and get into Heaven on our own, isn't new:
"Pelagianism:
"the theological doctrine put forward by Pelagius which denied original sin and affirmed the ability of humans to be righteous; condemned as heresy by the Council of Ephesus in 431"
(Princeton's WordNet)
The Church said Pleagius was wrong. But the Church didn't say that God had made a race of utterly vile creatures, either. 'God doesn't make junk,' and I've been over that before.

'God is Unnecessary;' 'Virtue is Impossible;' and Getting a Grip

If you think the following outline doesn't entirely capture the nuances of Pelagianism and the 'doom disciples:' I agree entirely. All I'm trying to do is sketch out the general outline of these beliefs:
  • Pelagius
    • People can lead a morally good life
      • By using our free will
      • Without God's help
    • Adam's sin was a 'bad example'
      • Nothing more
  • Early Protestant reformers
    • Said the sin inherited by each of us
      • Is the tendency to evil
        • (Concupiscentia)
      • Insurmountable
    (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 406)

Born With a Wounded Nature; Battling Sin: And Hope

What the Catholic Church teaches is 'none of the above.' (Catechism, 386-412) This outline doesn't capture every detail, either:

Each one of us:
  • Has a wounded nature
    (Catechism, 407)
  • Experiences the consequences of sin
    (Catechism, 408)
  • Battles evil
    (Catechism, 409)
  • Has not been abandoned by God
    (Catechism, 410)
About two thousand years back, Jesus won the war against sin. (Catechism, 411)

So, why didn't God override Adam's free will, or wave a magic wand and make everything better after that serpent incident? That's another topic, for another time.

Related posts:
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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Japan's Earthquake, Divine Retribution, and the Tower at Siloam

What interested me about this is who made the remark:
"Ishihara apologizes over 'divine punishment' remark"
Kyodo News (March 15, 2011)

"Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara apologized Tuesday for his remark that the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck eastern and northeastern Japan represented 'divine punishment' of the Japanese people who have been tainted with egoism.

" 'I will take back (the remark) and offer a deep apology,' Ishihara told a news conference, adding he should have thought about the feelings of victims....

"...On Monday, Ishihara told reporters, 'Japanese politics is tainted with egoism and populism. We need to use tsunami to wipe out egoism, which has rusted onto the mentality of Japanese over a long period of time.'

" 'I think (the disaster) is tembatsu (divine punishment), although I feel sorry for disaster victims,' he said."
Then there's what a basketball player said - and regretted:
"Pondexter sorry for Japan tweet"
SI (March 14, 2011)

"New York Liberty guard Cappie Pondexter apologized for Twitter postings over the weekend about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

"Pondexter tweeted on Saturday: 'What if God was tired of the way they treated their own people in there own country! Idk guys he makes no mistakes.'

"She later tweeted: 'u just never knw! They did pearl harbor so u can't expect anything less.'

"Pondexter posted an apology Monday:

" 'I wanna apologize to anyone I may hurt or offended during this tragic time,' the tweet said. 'I didn't realize that my words could be interpreted in the manner which they were. People that knw me would tell u 1st hand I'm a very spiritual person and believe that everything, even disasters happen 4 a reason and that God will shouldn't be questioned but this is a very sensitive subject at a very tragic time and I shouldn't even have given a reason for the choice of words I used...."
Oh, boy.

That, I think, is right up there with Pat Robertson's "voodoo" remarks about Haiti. (January 16, 2010)

In the Hands of an Angry - and Procrastinating - God?

I can see how a person steeped in American traditions might assume that an angry - if somewhat procrastinating - God1 would wreak terrible punishment upon the wicked. Or on the more-or-less-remote descendants of the wicked. Or at least somebody living near the place where wicked people were. Or something like that.

Maybe my being ADHD-inattentive is divine retribution for something a Viking ancestor of mine did to a Gaelic ancestor of mine, a thousand years ago. Maybe: but I seriously doubt it.

Divine Justice and Me

I do think that actions have consequences, and that somewhere in the next few decades, I'll get judged on what I've done with the life God gave me. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1022) Can't say that I'm looking forward to that, but there's no way around the particular judgment, either. And that's another topic.

Here's a footnote in Chapter 12 of Wisdom, about divine justice:
"The brunt of God's anger and vindictive justice is borne by those who know him and yet defy his authority and might. Cf ⇒ Wisdom 1:2; ⇒ 15:2 but also ⇒ 12:27; ⇒ 18:13."
(Footnote 2 Wisdom 12:17)
I could cherry pick a verse like 2 Maccabees 6:13, and claim that a malevolent God was waiting for Japan to get really, really guilty before zapping them. But I won't.

I've mentioned the Bible, Magisterium, and Tradition and the Catholic Church before. There are good reasons why the Church doesn't sanction folks setting themselves up as minipopes, with 'new-and-improved' interpretations of what the Bible 'really says.'

And I'm getting off-topic again.

God Upholds Creation

Before I converted, I'd liked the 'clockwork universe' idea: that God had made the universe, wound it up, and then let it run on its own. I was wrong:
"With creation, God does not abandon his creatures to themselves. He not only gives them being and existence, but also, and at every moment, upholds and sustains them in being, enables them to act and brings them to their final end. Recognizing this utter dependence with respect to the Creator is a source of wisdom and freedom, of joy and confidence:
For you love all things that exist, and detest none of the things that you have made; for you would not have made anything if you had hated it. How would anything have endured, if you had not willed it? Or how would anything not called forth by you have been preserved? You spare all things, for they are yours, O Lord, you who love the living.160"
(Catechism of the Catholic Church (301)
So God controls everything, even what I'm thinking right now?
"God is the sovereign master of his plan. But to carry it out he also makes use of his creatures' cooperation. This use is not a sign of weakness, but rather a token of almighty God's greatness and goodness. For God grants his creatures not only their existence, but also the dignity of acting on their own, of being causes and principles for each other, and thus of cooperating in the accomplishment of his plan."
(Catechism 306)
There's more - a great deal more - about how God relates to His creation. And I am not going to get started on free will.

Do I think I understand what God does? And why He acts as He does? No. I've read things like Job 38-40. I don't expect to understand. Which doesn't mean I won't try. More topics.

The Earthquake and Japan: It's Not My Call

Do I think God decided, last Friday, that he'd kill many thousands of Japanese citizens?

I think a better question is: Do I think it would do any good, if I said something like 'a vengeful God hath smitethed the unbeliever!' The answer to that is - no. I really do not think so.

I live near the center of the North American continent, on the other side of a huge ocean from Japan. I am not, I think, in a position to say 'Japan deserved this.' And, an important point: I don't think blaming Japan for this disaster would do any good. As far as the folks in Japan are concerned, I'm a foreigner with an at-best limited understanding of their culture.

Do I think the Governor of Tokyo had any business making that remark about egoism, populism and tembatsu?

Maybe.

The Governor of Tokyo is certainly in a better position than I am, to understand Japanese culture, and 'the mind of Japan.' Whether his statement is accurate or not? God knows, I don't.

Without, I hope, trivializing what's happening in Japan today: disasters can be opportunities for introspection and - if necessary - reevaluation of priorities and beliefs.

And that's as 'judgmental' as I'm going to get tonight.

The tower at Siloam, from this post's title? Here's that bit from Luke:
"1 2 At that time some people who were present there told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. He said to them in reply, 'Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them 3 --do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!' "
(Luke 13:1-5)
And one of the footnotes:
"[1-5] The death of the Galileans at the hands of Pilate (Luke 13:1) and the accidental death of those on whom the tower fell (Luke 13:4) are presented by the Lucan Jesus as timely reminders of the need for all to repent, for the victims of these tragedies should not be considered outstanding sinners who were singled out for punishment."
(Footnote 1 Luke 13:1-5)
Not-completely-unrelated posts:
In the news:
List of 'Japan earthquake disaster' posts in this and other blogs:
1 "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is the name of a sermon by Jonathan Edwards, back in 1741. It had quite an impact at the time, and is an important landmark in America's cultural history. That sermon warrants a more detailed discussion than what I've got time for: and isn't a Catholic document.
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Saturday, December 18, 2010

Catholicism: Obligations, Penance, Fasting; and Cartoons

It's the Advent season: the fourth Sunday of which is tomorrow. That's not what this post is about.

#1 daughter and her kitten; #2 daughter and her husband and dog; and one of my nieces and her husband, no livestock, are two rooms over at the moment. It's overflow, sort of, from a family get-together at my father-in-law's.

I'd have been there, but I'm running a fever - and it didn't seem like a good idea. I'm not all that sick - but I'm not well, either. Going to Mass tomorrow is something I'll think about - tomorrow morning.

Obligations, Gambling, Excess, and being Catholic

What?! Don't Catholics have to go to Mass every Sunday, come Hell or high water? Yes, and no. I've discussed this before. (October 9, 2010, January 3, 2010, August 16, 2009) Bottom line, as nearly as I can tell, is that we're supposed to go to Mass every Sunday. But we're also obligated to keep ourselves healthy. As I've said before, we're called to holiness, not stupidity. (May 19, 2010)

I had something I was going to write about. What was it?

Remember what I said, about wading through syrup?

In a way, I can sort of see why some folks in America think that Catholics aren't Christians - and that the Catholic Church is some kind of plot.

I mean, look at what we do!

Gambling!

Once a year, I'm calling numbers for folks playing Bingo, at the Stearns County Fair. It's a major fundraiser for the local Knights of Columbus council.

Bingo! That's gambling! I don't know how many folks today are convinced that gambling is the work of the Devil - but there were a noticeable number when I was growing up.

Gambling - Bingo included - can be part of a problem. What it says in the Catechism is that gambling is "morally unacceptable" when it starts cutting into our ability to care for our needs, and those of others. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2413)

Why can't they make it simple, and forbid everything and anything that anybody might have trouble handling? That's another topic.

Booze!

As if allowing Bingo wasn't bad enough, the Catholic Church doesn't even say that cough medicine is evil because it contains alcohol. Imagine!

That doesn't mean that we're allowed to get drunk any time we like.

Again: it isn't the booze, or the food, or tobacco, or the medicine that's the problem. It's what we do with it.
"The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine. Those incur grave guilt who, by drunkenness or a love of speed, endanger their own and others' safety on the road, at sea, or in the air."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2290)
Aha! Now I remember what I wanted to write about!

Cartoons? A Priest Drawing Cartoons?!

Maybe you've heard this quote:
"Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy."
H. L. Mencken, The Quotations Page
Catholics aren't Puritans.

The Catholic Church isn't one of those 'feel-good' religions, either. All that fasting, penitence, and the whole Lent thing? I could make being a Catholic look like a dreary succession of grim duties.

That's not gonna happen. Not in this post, anyway.

Some time I'm going to get back to the idea of fun, and why I think it's so hard to think of "fun" as being "spiritual" or "religious" for so many folks - at least in my experience.

Today, though, I'm going to take a look at a a priest who's also a cartoonist.
"Father Dominick Fullam was drawn to cartooning at an early age but a higher calling erased any aspirations he ever had of becoming a full-time cartoonist....

"...'I was at the airport in Atlanta drawing a cartoon character on an iPad, and a lady seated next to me asked if I drew cartoons for a living. I laughed and said I was just passing time, but that I used to do a not-so-great cartoon in my high school newspaper,' he said.

" 'She told me what I'd done looked really good to her. A seed was planted.'

"That seed has since developed into a new comic strip titled 'Off by a Mile.'..."
(CNA)
Off by a Mile is online, at offbyamile.com. The website is new - the domain was registered on November 27, 2010. The cartoons are one-panel, and may not be the next Family Circus. But, who knows? I've been wrong before.

Is the Catholic Church okay with cartoons? Good question: but my guess is, "yes." For one thing there's this excerpt from a section on popular piety, in the Catechism:
"...At its core the piety of the people is a storehouse of values that offers answers of Christian wisdom to the great questions of life. The Catholic wisdom of the people ... creatively combines the divine and the human, Christ and Mary, spirit and body, communion and institution, person and community, faith and homeland, intelligence and emotion. This wisdom is a Christian humanism that radically affirms the dignity of every person as a child of God, establishes a basic fraternity, teaches people to encounter nature and understand work, provides reasons for joy and humor even in the midst of a very hard life...."
(Catechism, 1676)
In context, it looks like humor, like joy, is being shown as a good thing. Remember, though: I speak with the full authority of some guy with a blog. If you're interested, I recommend reading that section of Catechism yourself.

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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.