Posts Tagged ‘theology’

The American Papist is wrong and right at the same time

Posted: December 22, 2009 by datechguy in catholic, oddities, opinion/news
Tags: ,

…concerning this story:

Last July, as you may remember, Christians in the Indian state of Orissa were subjected to severe persecution. A 22 year old nun was burnt to death, an orphanage in Khuntpali village was burnt down by a mob, another nun was gang raped in Kandhamal, mobs attacked churches, torched vehicles, and destroyed the houses of Christians. Fr Thomas Chellen, director of the pastoral centre that was destroyed with a bomb, had a narrow escape after a Hindu mob nearly set him on fire. All together, more than 500 Christians were murdered, and thousands of others were injured.

In an extraordinary development, a herd of elephants has travelled some 300Km to attack villages that were the worst persecutors of the Christians, leaving Christian homes untouched. See: Elephants attack in Orissa exactly one year after persecutions

Details are here:

The American Papist asks some interesting questions:

1. Who authorized posting this story as “news”?
2. Is it really a Christian sentiment to hope that our persecutors are being savaged by wild animals?
3. Is there any corroborating evidence to confirm that, as claimed, Elephants are rampaging villages?

These are all legit questions both concerning the event itself and the point about not having schadenfreude over the troubles of our foes, but he also says something that I found odd.

This is a terribly strange story.

Let’s take the idea that this is happening as started as given, why is this a strange story?

Biblically, in both the old and new testament there are precedents for this type of thing.

In more recent times two particular stories come to mind the first involves the order founded by St. Katherine Drexel during the rise of the Klan in the 20’s:

(1922) The Klu Klux Klan in Beaumont, Texas threaten to tar and feather the white pastor at one of Drexel’s schools and bomb his church. The Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament began to pray, and days later a tornado destroyed the Klan’s headquarters, killing two members, including the “wizard.” They never bother the nuns or the pastor again.

If you want something with fewer casualties but the same “coincidental” effect we need go no further back then a few months ago…to August 21st. To Wit:

The inverted Cross atop Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis dangled from the steeple on Wednesday following a rare downtown twister as the ELCA Churchwide Assembly was in legislative session across the street at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

let me remind you of the details:

Consideration of the proposed Social Statement on Human Sexuality document was scheduled to begin on Wednesday, August 19, at 2:oo p.m.

According to the website of the Central Lutheran Church located across the street from the conference center, where the assembly was in session, the tornado passed through downtown Minneapolis near CLC at, you guessed it, approximately 2:00 p.m…

One blogger posted this quote:

“We trust that the weather is not a commentary on our work,” said the Rev. Steven Loy, who was helping oversee the convention.

That Blogger? The American Papist.

We are Christians, we believe in Miracles. As I’ve said before concerning Holy Communion:

as for transubstantiation the physics are identical to the physics of parting the Red Sea, Of Jonah and the Whale, the Feeding of the 5,000 and Peter’s healing of the cripple. Miracle of God. There is a long history of that kind of thing.

As a person who has been an eyewitness to at least one Miracle in person I’ve never understood why believing Christians have no problem believing all those other miracles but not Transubstantiation.

A Catholic should not find anything like this strange an an atheist really has to wonder about the odds. I think a firm belief in mathematical theory and probability really can really complement the Holy Spirit when it comes to convincing the doubtful.

As for what should happen assuming this report is correct? The Christians should take advantage of God’s grace offered and aid their now suffering persecutors, thus being living examples of God’s mercy and combined with the Chrism of the Holy Spirit produce conversions of both belief and action.

Something like this is also a source of temptation, first of “Spiritual Pride” and self righteousness, and secondary in terms of celebration. Both are deadly sins and are hard to resist, particularly if you have been the victim of the initial persecutions. Remember these words from Screwtape #6

The great thing is to direct the malice to his immediate neighbours whom he meets every day and to thrust his benevolence out to the remote circumference, to people he does not know. The malice thus becomes wholly real and the benevolence largely imaginary…

…All sorts of virtues painted in the fantasy or approved by the intellect or even, in some measure, loved and admired, will not keep a man from our Father’s house: indeed they may make him more amusing when he gets there

It’s important to remember this when tempted. The presence of an enemy will not make hell any more bearable.

Update: GirdyorLions links, thanks

A reference page for my friend

Posted: December 17, 2009 by datechguy in catholic, personal
Tags: , ,

At game night this week I was informed that a friend of mine who is not religious is considering becoming a Jehovah’s Witness.

I live across the street from 3 generations of Jehovah’s Witness, they are some of the nicest people in the neighborhood and their imminent departure in my opinion is a huge loss to the entire block.

That doesn’t mean to say that theologically they aren’t out there, they ARE, but having the theology right is small comfort if you don’t follow through.

I’m a little torn about it because I know enough about the theology to see the gaping holes, and they have the weakness of all protestant sects in terms of history, origins of the bible and the church fathers. But my friend is not very religious and in the 30 years I’ve known him never has been, maybe he needs to walk before he runs.

But when I asked him about it, and made my own objections to the theology known, he came back with the “Catholic use of Father” business. No offense to my pal but that old chestnut is pretty weak.

So for his benefit I include links here here here and here debunking it but I will only directly quote Fr. Ray Suriani who does the best job of the lot:

“But the real question is: In doing this, did Jesus intend for his words in verse 9 to be understood literally? Or was he speaking in a figurative way? If he did mean them literally, of course, then you’re absolutely correct in your assertion, and we Catholics should stop calling priests ‘Father’ immediately!

“However, it seems to me that if Jesus did intend a literal interpretation, then he certainly would have followed his own rule. That sounds reasonable, does it not? He wouldn’t have given his disciples (and all of us) a commandment—not to call anyone on earth ‘father’—that he didn’t intend to keep himself.

“But you see, when we examine the wider context of this verse (i.e., the rest of the New Testament), what we find is that Jesus did not observe this rule himself! For example, in this very same chapter of Matthew (in verses 30 and 32 to be exact), Jesus uses the word “father” to refer to men here on earth! Speaking to the scribes and Pharisees in verse 30, our Lord says, ‘And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ Then, in verse 32, he says, ‘Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.’

He then points to a few other points in the new testament where this takes place:

“Jesus did the same thing at other times in his ministry: he referred to people on this earth as ‘fathers’. Just read your King James Version and see!

“And so did the writers of the New Testament! St. John, for example, addresses ‘fathers’ more than once in the second chapter of his first letter.

“St. Paul calls Abraham ‘the father of us all’ in chapter 4 of his letter to the Romans. And then, in 1 Corinthians 4, he goes so far as to speak of himself as a father—a spiritual father—to the Corinthian people. Can you imagine? Of course, that makes perfect sense to every Catholic, because St. Paul was a priest! As a priest, he was a spiritual father to all the people in the various churches he founded.

“The bottom line is this: If Jesus intended a literal interpretation to his words, ‘Call no one on earth your father’, and if violating the words of Jesus is a sin, then you’re forced into a position where you have to say that Jesus himself sinned! You also have to say that St. John and St. Paul sinned when they wrote the words of Sacred Scripture.

Bottom line: This is a bogus argument!

My friend is a great guy. I’ve known him since we were about 15. He is a fine fellow and he will be no less fine if he decided to become a Jehovah’s witness. I’m proud to call him my friend today and I’ll be no less proud to so till the day we die!

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