printIn the Comments Section on “the Pope’s Noble-Savage Catechism,” Ms. Grant condemns the Catholic Church for lifting the pope above the flock. I’m not religious, and am certainly no authority on Catholicism, but, in my limited understanding, this is something of a misrepresentation. From the fact that the Church has a hierarchical structure it doesn’t follow that the Church believes the Pope is better than the flock in the eyes of the Almighty. Catholicism simply puts in place a much-needed hierarchy.
In my thinking, the breakdown of boundaries in society is one of the main sources of all the rot we see around us. The Church in its wisdom appeared to recognize that not all people are equal, and that populism is evil.
The rubble seeking to overturn the structure is mainly of the left, in my understanding. My impression is that the movement to change the structure of the Church gained momentum during the child sex abuse witch hunt, where very many innocent priests were targeted. It goes hand-in-hand with females demanding to be priests. This victim movement has done a great deal more than try and bankrupt the Church.
Speaking as a non-Catholic, it is my understanding that the hierarchy of the Catholic Church is based on Roman principles of governance.
Furthermore, not only is the hierarchy simply a good idea for the reasons that you cited; Christianity is based not on the Gospels; it is based on the ministry. I have been told this by a close friend of mine who is a traditional Catholic. Thus, the Protestant notion of being a “biblical Christian” would be silly given that it says right there in the New Testament that Jesus founded a ministry, and that it is through his ministry – the Catholic Church – that the teachings of Jesus should be handed down and interpreted. The Gospels are merely supplemental to the Church. Indeed, it is the Church that assembled the Gospels!
So again, if I were a Christian, I would be a traditional Catholic, as that is definitely the more logical position. The Protestant notion that the Church was corrupt might stand as an argument for reform, but reform could’ve and should’ve taken place from within the Church.
I’m agnostic, but I’m surprised at the rudeness of some commentators on here regarding the Catholic Church – namely among them Mr. Huggins.
All religions have some very bad things in their past. The key is which of them are based on inherently incorrect or immoral teachings. I do not follow ‘Biblical Truth’ arguements – there seems to be too many ways to read into the Bible. But some Christians and their like minded cohorts, such as Huggins, enjoy what seems to be a non-Christian visciousness towards Catholics. As someone who was has several Catholic friends, I was shocked at how immature the comments were here, and at their rudeness. Plus, they weren’t even funny (if you are going to make jokes about someone’s religion, you should at least make them somewhat funny.) I can assure you that my Catholic friend does not burn people at the stake and is considerably more polite than Mr. Huggins.
I have to confess though, he has tried to get money from me a few times. I guess this is his evil exploitation coming through. I guess I should just be extremely rude, and bash him a whole bunch. Seems like it’s the Jesus loving, Christian way.
I cannot speak to the specific theory behind the Pope. That is, I don’t know if Catholics believe him to be closer to God than the rest of the flock. My ignorance is embarrassing, as during my early childhood I was given some Catholic religious instruction. My parents’ hearts weren’t really in it, though, and I guess I never made it to the part where they explain the hierarchy of the church. That such a hierarchy is necessary is indisputable. If only the hierarchy could result in church services that are a little less boring. Sorry, but they bore me to tears.
Great article on the perils associated with the breaking down of boundaries. It’s true – allowing kids to “run the show” is a bad idea, even in the unlikely event that they’re capable of doing so.
I recently started taking a martial arts class (Hwa Rang Do). I’m in it for the practical goal of learning to defend myself. A pleasant surprise has been the physical conditioning and, even more so, the strict application of boundaries. Instructors are always addressed as “sir” or “ma’am”, the class always ends with the recitation of the Meng Sae (philosophy behind the martial art), and in general, the whole disciplined atmosphere flies in the face of our current culture. I love it!
Here’s where it’s OK for youngsters to take charge. I’m a 38 year old man, and a couple of weeks ago we were sparring with different partners. At one point I squared off against a 12 year old girl. I let my guard down for an instant and she popped me in the face. Immediately she apologized, but I said, “No, I had it coming.” Indeed I did. Here was a situation where it was perfectly acceptable for a youngster to kick some oldie butt: within the boundaries of the class. I suspect that there are posters to this blog who would also like to pop me one. Well, register for the class and you’ll have your chance!
Happy Easter to all.
Pil’s argument that christianity is not based on the gospels is one of the single most ignorant things I have ever heard somone claim about christianity. You are woefully uninformed my friend.
Protestants bash catholics, catholics bash protestants. So what. At the core, we share more commonalities than differences. Why do those who don’t share our faith care about the differences we may have in our respective doctrines?
I didn’t say that Christianity isn’t based on the Gospels. I said that the Gospels are secondary in authority to the Church. The only reason that the Gospels have any authority at all is that the Church imbued them with authority.
To my understanding, Protestants dislike Catholics because we venerate Mary. I have been accused of being a witch, or even satanist, by many “religious” fundamentalist types simply because I am Catholic.
Yes, we pray to Mary–we honor her as the true immaculate conception, a perfect person who embodies the divine feminine spirit. Mary is the Shekinah, the Queen of Heaven, Our Beloved Mother. We seek comfort and guidance in her as one seeks in their own Mother.
Protestants also dislike us because we have statues in our churches, accusing us of idol worshipping. We don’t actually worship the statues, for heaven’s sake, we are not praying to plaster of paris, or wood. They are images of our beloved saints–we knoew that. Besides, if we Catholics didn’t have statues in our churches then where else would we hid our Torahs?
Oops, I let that one slip out….