thoughts in and out of season
An Italian court has banned crucifixes in schools. As the judge points out, the crucifixes show an intent to portray Catholicism as the center of everything, even though the Vatican has accepted since 1984 that Catholicism is no longer the religion of the state. Since that’s so, the decision makes sense. The Church has … More ...
Here are some extremely interesting observations by a Lutheran observer at Vatican II. From what the man says it appears that the bishops got to Rome without any particularly pressing concerns of their own to deal with, they were asked to pass on grand issues for which they weren’t prepared, the experts argued rings around … More ...
It’s interesting that it’s moral conduct—in particular, active homosexuality—and not moral or theological teaching that puts the kibosh on communion and ecumenism: UPI Analysis: A rift worse than schism? The Anglicans have been consecrating bishops for years who think homosexuality is just great and who reject almost any Christian doctrine you care to mention. But … More ...
A new religion needs a new holy book, so the German Evangelical Church is rewriting the bible in feminist language, getting rid of discriminatory expressions like “Lord” and “Our Father.” The effect is startling, but the effort is just an example of a general trend. Mainstream translations today always fudge things in a PC … More ...
If Commonweal, The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property, and a consultant on sex abuse all agree on something, there must be something to it: Taking the Schiltz Challenge. Church officials who claim the recent pederasty scandals were a creation of the anti-Catholic media are wrong, since the outrageous … More ...
Why so much bad religious art, architecture, music, ceremony and whatnot? Iconoclasm has always rested on theological error, and a Florentine scholar tells us that the same is true today: The New Iconoclasts Have Theology Degrees. The problem the article points to, in its Italian philosophical way, is the modern view that reduces the … More ...
Thoughts on reading Veritatis Splendor:
The attitude that puts social justice at the center of moral life is anti-Catholic.
One of the special strengths of Catholic Christianity is that it deals unflinchingly with the problem of evil. The visible focus of every Catholic church is the Crucifixion—God abandoned and tortured to death. The point of the image would be lost … More ...
“Mainstream” has become the term for things that don’t seriously oppose contemporary advanced liberalism. The current situation regarding “gay rights” shows that there’s some point to the expression: advanced liberalism dominates public discussion so thoroughly today that you really do have to go out on a limb to oppose its most radical demands.
That situation … More ...
The freerepublic “latest threads” on religion are worth a visit now and then. One amusing bit I just picked up there is a collection of short pieces from http://www.theoniondome.com/, the EO answer to The Onion. I thought they were hilarious but it could just be me. (It helps to know just a little … More ...