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... to restore theology to the mainstream of science
The Roman Catholic Church
The Roman Catholic Church (RCC) is the worlds largest and oldest embodiment of Christianity. This site owes its existence to the Roman Catholic Church (RCC). I was born within it, became dissatisfied with it, and am now intent in reforming it. Without the education, pain and inspiration it gave me, these pages would not exist.
The distinction between the RCC and Christianity in general developed slowly, becoming entrenched in the period of the Reformation and Counter Reformation (1517-1563). In 1517 Martin Luther published 95 theses, concerning errors and abuses in the Roman Church. Luther
The Catholic Church responded to Luther and the other Protestants through the Council of Trent (1545-1563). Trent produced a systematic statement of Catholic belief and eliminated much corruption within the church. The work of the Council was summarized for the faithful in the Catechism of Trent. Trent.
The Council of Trent tended to harden Catholic belief and take a very negative attitude to some of the reformers' positions. The rift between the Catholic and Protestant Christian churches still exists.
The Reformers were not the only people to question the power of the RCC to impose belief. The embryonic scientific approach to knowledge emerged in the person of Galileo (1564-1642), whose relationship with the Church remains controversial. The growth of science and human independence continue to be a problem for the Church.
The Philosopher Emmanuel Kant (1724-1804) called the tendency to independent thought and action Enlightenment:
Enlightenment is man's release from his self-incurred tutelage. Tutelage is man's inability to make use of his understanding without direction from another. Self-incurred is this tutelage when its cause lies not in lack of reason but in lack of resolution and courage to use it without direction from another. Sapere aude! [Dare to think!] "Have courage to use your own reason!"- that is the motto of enlightenment. (from "Was ist Äufklarung?") Brainard.
In all but his scientific experience, Galileo was a faithful Catholic, and the questions he raised about the solar system are of very minor theological importance. The theory of evolution developed by Darwin and Wallace cut much deeper into the foundation of Catholic (and Christian) belief: the divine creation of humanity and the world. Darwin, Jones.
The first Vatican Council (1869-70) confronted the growing tendencies to intellectual and political independence. It is perhaps best remembered for its definition of Papal Infallibility:
We teach and define that it is a dogma divinely revealed: that the Roman Pontiff, when he speaks ex cathedra, that is, when in discharge of the office of Pastor and Doctor of all Christians, by virtue of his supreme Apostolic authority he defines a doctrine regarding faith or morals to be held by the Universal Church, by the divine assistance promised to him in blessed Peter, is possessed of the infallibility with which the divine Redeemer willed that His Church should be endowed for defining doctrine regarding faith or morals: and that therefore such definitions of the Roman Pontiff are irreformable of themselves, and not from the consent of the Church.
But if any one - which may God avert - presume to contradict this our definition: let him be anathema. Manning at 240
The Church continued to oppose the scientific and political development of humanity for the first half of the twentieth century, but manifested a certain softening through the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) called by Pope John XXIII. Since that Council, and despite increasing pressure form the faithful, the RCC has remained resolutely conservative.
The chief conflicts between the Catholic Church and its human environment seem to lie in the following areas:
The distinction between matter and spirit: The RCC depends for its livelihood on a claimed monopoly on communication with a god. Part of the cosmology that goes with this claim is that human spirits are specially created by God and placed in each child during gestation. Neither we nor the church are of this world, but in some way alien to it.
Absolutism: From a scientific point of view, the Catholic model of the world is an hypothesis, to be accepted or rejected on the evidence. From the Church's point of view, the fundamentals of its model are not negotiable, and anybody who chooses to disagree with them is ultimately a heretic and to be excluded from the Church.
Sexism: Within the Roman Catholic Church, the glass ceiling for women is practically at ground level; women are excluded from all positions of significant power and expected to play traditional subordinate roles.
Violence: In the Christian model God the Father oversees the death of His own Son, in order to placate himself for the 'original sin' committed by the first people. He created. This story, which has origins shrouded in ancient mythology, places violence at the heart of human salvation. Frazer. Since the Christian God is omnipotent, he could have dealt with original sin without the murder of his own son. We might divide Churches generally into those that will go as far as murder to get their own way, and those that hold life sacred. The Catholic Church, unfortunately, has a long history of killing unbelievers.
Monarchy: We now hold that all people are born free and equal. Social structures which give some people arbitrary control over others are deprecated. In their place we would like to see free and open associations of people whose resources, including power, are shared by all. The Catholic Church with its celibate, male, priestly hierarchy culminating in an absolute monarch is very far from this ideal. Vatican I , Pastor Aeternus Chap. IV.
Marketing and Quality. The Catholic Church believes it has a duty to induce everyone to hear and accept its version of the Gospel. Vatican II, Ad Gentes . This is a natural foreign policy for an imperialist organism whose size and power increases in proportion to its membership. But the modern world expects any corporation promoting itself in the marketplace to deliver value for value. People contributing to the sustenance of the Church and following its beliefs and practices need to be assured that they will indeed receive the eternal life promised to them. Vatican II, Lumen Gentium para 2.
Having mulled over these difficulties for may years, it is time to do something about them. Starting again from the Christian message, how would one structure a modern church? How do we unite ourselves into an organism that effectively implements the injunction love god, love your neighbour.
The answer to this question is still remote, but it is time to become a player. I have entered the religion industry through The Theology Company Pty Ltd and hope between now and 2010 to see the Company grow to the point where it can become a force in the public debate on theology and religion.
(revised 18 June 2007)
Further reading
Books
| Ad Gentes, in Walter M Abbott and Joseph Gallagher (translation editor): The Documents of Vatican II: Decree on the Church's Missionary Activity, Geoffrey Chapman 1972 'The pilgrim Church is missionary by her very nature. For it is from the mission of the Son and the mission of the Holy Spirit that she takes her origin, in accordance with the decree of God the Father. (para 2) ... The specific purpose of this missionary activity is evangelisation and the planting of the Church among those people and groups where she has not yet taken root.' (para 6) Amazon back |
| Darwin, Charles, and Greg Suriano (editor), The Origin of Species, Gramercy 1998 Introduction: 'In considering the Origin of Species, it is quite conceivable that a naturalist, reflecting on the mutual affinities of organic beings, on their embryological relations, their geographical distribution, geological succession, and other such facts, might come to the conclusion that each species has not been independently created, but has descended, like varieties, from other species.' (66) Amazon back |
| Denzinger, Henricus, and Adolphus Schoenmetzer, Enchiridion Symbolorum, Definitionum et Declarationum de Rebus Fidei et Morum, Herder 1963 Introduction: 'Dubium non est quin praeter s. Scripturam cuique theologo summe desiderandus sit etiam liber manualis quo contineantur edicta Magisterii ecclesiastici eaque saltem maioris momenti, et quo ope variorim indicum quaerenti aperiantur eorum materiae.' (3) 'There is no doubt that in addition to holy Scripture, every theologian also needs a handbook which contains at least the more important edicts of the Magisterium of the Church, indexed in a way which makes them easy to find.'back |
| Frazer, James, The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion, Penguin Books 1996 Preface: "The primary aim of this book is to explain the remarkable rule which regulated the succession of the priesthood of Diana at Aricia. ...' 'Such was the tule of the sanctuary. A candidate for the priesthood could only succeed to office by slaying the priest, and having slain him, he retained office till he himself was slain by a stronger or a craftier.' [p 1] http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0140189319/tnrp">Amazon back |
| Holy See, Canon Law Society of America, Code of Canon Law: Latin-English Edition, Canon Law Society of America 1984 Pope John Paul XXXIII announced his decision to reform the existing corpus of canonical legislation on 25 January 1959. Pope John Paul II ordered the promulgation of the revised Code of Canon law on the same day in 1983. The latin text is definitive. This English translation has been approved by the Canonical Affairs Committee of the [US] National Conference of Catholic Bishops in October 1983. Amazon back |
| Jones, Steve, Almost like a Whale: The Origin of Species Updated, Doubleday 1999 An Historical Sketch: 'The Origin of Species is, without doubt, the book of the millennium. ... [This book] is, as far as is possible, an attempt to rewrite the Origin of Species. I use its plan, developing as it does from farms to fossils, from beehives to islands, as a framework, but my own Grand Facts ... are set firmly in the late twentieth century. Almost Like a Whale tries to read Charles Darwin's mind with the benefit of scientific hindsight and to show how the theory of evolution unites biology as his millenium draws to an end.' (xix) Amazon back |
| Lumen Gentium, in Walter M Abbott and Joseph Gallagher (translation editor) The Documents of Vatican II: Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Geoffrey Chapman 1972 'This sacred Synod turns its attention first to the Catholic faithful. Basing itself upon sacred Scripture and tradition, it teaches that the Church, now sojourning on earth as an exile, is necessary for salvation.' (para 14) Amazon back |
| Manning, Henry Edward, The Vatican Council and its Definitions: A Pastoral Letter to the Clergy, Excelsior Catholic Publishing House 1905 Latin original of quoted passage: '... docemus et divinitus revelatum dogma esse definimus; Romanum Pontificem, cum ex Cathedra loquitur, id est, cum omnium Christianorum Pastoris et Doctoris munere fungens, pro suprema sua Apostolica auctoritate, doctrinam de fide vel moribus ab universa Ecclesia tenendam definit, per assistentiam divinam, ipsi in beato Petro promissam, ea infallibilitate pollere, qua divinus Redemptor Ecclesiam suam in definienda docrtina de fide vel moribus instructam esse voluit; ideoque eiusmodi Romani Pontificis definitiones ex sese, non autum ex consensu Ecclesia irreformabiles esse. Si quis autem huic Nostrae definitioni contradicere, quod Deus avertat, praesumpserit; anathema sit.'back |
Papers
| McGillion, Chris, "Blast at gays a move to tighten loose canons", Sydney Morning Herald, , 50 696, 26 February 2000, page 4. back |
| Steinfels, Margaret O'Brien, "Winners don't take all", Eureka Street, 2, 6, July 1992, page 21-25. 'The Catholic Church has lived with factions and disputes before. But, MO'BS argues, it is time to dismantle some of the battle lines that have divided Catholics since Vatican II. back |
Links
| The Holy See The see of Rome; the office or jurisdiction of the pope; the papal court. back |
| National Catholic Reporter back |
| Osservatore Romano Vatican newspaper back |
| New Advent Catholic Site Database of Catholic resources back |
| Christus Rex Catholic Site Database of Catholic resources back |
| Resources for Study in Catholic Theology back |
| Documentary Sources on Catholic Teaching back |
| Documents of the Roman Catholic Church back |
| Brainard History Wiz: Kant back |
| Luther 95 Theses of Martin Luther back |
| Trent The Catechism of the Council of Trent back |
| Vatican I Pastor Aeternus Chapter IV: On the infallibility of the Roman Pontiff back |
| Zenit Newsagency Crisis of Europe is Crisis of Spirit Opening of Synod for Europe Second European Continental Episcopal Summit in History back |
Click on an "Amazon" link in the booklist at the foot of the page to buy the book, see more details or search for similar items
Related sites:
Concordat Watch
Revealing Vatican attempts to propagate its religion by international treaty
