This Makes About As Much Sense As Putting A Pedophile In Charge Of A Bunch Of Kids
...and we know that's never happened, has it?
Here's some of the article from The California Catholic Daily;
“Humble dialogue with other subsystems”
Theologian under investigation by Holy See speaks in Berkeley
Father Peter Phan, a theologian under investigation by the Holy See, was the keynote speaker at an Oct. 6-7 conference sponsored by the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley. The conference was about globalization and the Church.
Phan is a professor at Georgetown University and a former president of the Catholic Theological Society of America. His book, Being Religious Interreligiously: Asian Perspectives on Interreligious Dialogue, is the focus of an investigation by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Among the book’s “problematic points,” according to the doctrinal congregation, is that it can be read to say that non-Christian religions in themselves “have a positive role in salvation history” and do not merely prepare for the Christian Gospel; that “it makes little sense to try to convert non-Christians to Christianity;” and that “the Catholic Church cannot be identified with the church of Christ.”
The Church needs to respond to globalization by building a pluralistic social compact based on a century of Church teaching on such things as human dignity, preference for the poor, human rights, international relations and the environment, said Phan.
Phan spoke of the necessity of entering “into humble dialogue with other subsystems, particularly religious subsystems, to learn from them new truths and new ways of living -- not seeming to tell them we are the best, we are superior to them and they are deficient."
It's been widely reported that Peter Phan was last seen headed to the second star to the right and straight on 'til morning.
I hate "pluralism." This is the most poisonous crap floating in the theological bloodstream today. It is treason to the Great Commission, pure and simple.
ReplyDeleteDitto Dale:
ReplyDeleteThere is one god, One Church. One Way.
And, thinking of peter Phan, I can only say *SMACK*, "shut the hell up!"
Everyone's is so eager to just get along... too eager. Saying that everyone is just fine and there's no need for them to receive the Gospel is just as dangerous to them as it is for the person spreading their pluralist message.
ReplyDeleteWhy even be Catholic or any religion for that reason? I don't understand this type of reasoning. Yes, due to the natural laws, man has invented religions with some beauty and some truth but you only get the whole truth from Catholicism.
ReplyDeleteOf all the propositions you listed, the most troublesome of these is the last one: "The Catholic Church cannot be identified with the Church of Christ." This comment ranks with those spewed by anti-Catholics and deserves no dignifying with a rebuttal. So, what on earth was he thinking? I have heard Father Jerome Murphy-O'Connor - a Dominican priest who is Professor of New Testament at École Biblique et Archeologique Francaise of Jerusalem - that the Church had changed significantly since the time of Jesus' ministry. He added that if Jesus were to come back today to see the condition of the Church, he would be disappointed over the centralized power structure, the necessitous financial support, and the extravagant Churches around the world. Is this what Phan was trying to say? That the current Church had deviated from its sacramental mission by emphasizing politics and material possessions and could no longer be identifiable with what Christ Himself instituted? He does have some explaining to do.
ReplyDeleteAs far as salvation and non-Catholic religions are concerned, Pope John Paul II once stated that he recognized salvific elements in non-Catholic faiths. I believe that this view stems from the Second Vatican Council’s pronouncement that each individual human being be allowed to follow the precepts of his or her conscience.
Tom
You know, Vir, I forgot to mention, I'm all for ecumenical interactions with non-Catholic religions. They have their own wisdom to impart. Thomas Merton engaged the Buddhists in a very constructive dialogue and Bede Griffiths wrote books expressing the commonalities between Christianity and Hinduism. But NEVER did these men water-down their Catholicism nor did they make it indistinguishable from other faiths. If Phan feels our Church is not the Church instituted by Jesus Christ, then why stay? Why not take yourself someplace else as something else, i.e. forfeit your priestly duties, and live according to the precepts of your own conscience?
ReplyDeleteTom
Gadzooks!
ReplyDeleteAs a priest from my diocese reportedly used to say, "They need to bring back the Inquisition. Just for a week."
Do we still do heresy trials?
Tom,
ReplyDeleteI agree with much you say, but I do have do disagree with your statement; "I'm all for ecumenical interactions with non-Catholic religions. They have their own wisdom to impart".
If Catholicism REALLY has "The fullness of The Truth", then why look elsewhere? Is The Church deficient somewhere?
Also, as you summed up the personal opinion of Pope JP2 concerning salvific "elements" found elsewhere, allow me to site a certain passage from the 2d Vatican Council;
This Sacred Council wishes to turn its attention firstly 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. Christ, present to us in His Body, which is the Church, is the one Mediator and the unique way of salvation. In explicit terms He Himself affirmed the necessity of faith and baptism and thereby affirmed also the necessity of the Church, for through baptism as through a door men enter the Church. Whosoever, therefore, knowing that the Catholic Church was made necessary by Christ, would refuse to enter or to remain in it, could not be saved.
That can be found under The Second Vatican Council ~ DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH ~ Chapter II ~ Paragraph 14.
By the way, I'm not particularly big on citing JUST Vatican II documents, but this particular passage re-enforces 2,000 years of Catholic teaching.... and to be honest, it catches many by suprize.
Keep the great comments coming, Tom!
Tom,
ReplyDeleteI agree with much you say, but I do have do disagree with your statement; "I'm all for ecumenical interactions with non-Catholic religions. They have their own wisdom to impart".
If Catholicism REALLY has "The fullness of The Truth", then why look elsewhere? Is The Church deficient somewhere?
Also, as you summed up the personal opinion of Pope JP2 concerning salvific "elements" found elsewhere, allow me to site a certain passage from the 2d Vatican Council;
This Sacred Council wishes to turn its attention firstly 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. Christ, present to us in His Body, which is the Church, is the one Mediator and the unique way of salvation. In explicit terms He Himself affirmed the necessity of faith and baptism and thereby affirmed also the necessity of the Church, for through baptism as through a door men enter the Church. Whosoever, therefore, knowing that the Catholic Church was made necessary by Christ, would refuse to enter or to remain in it, could not be saved.
That can be found under The Second Vatican Council ~ DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH ~ Chapter II ~ Paragraph 14.
By the way, I'm not particularly big on citing JUST Vatican II documents, but this particular passage re-enforces 2,000 years of Catholic teaching.... and to be honest, it catches many by suprize.
Keep the great comments coming, Tom!
Tom,
ReplyDeleteI agree with much you say, but I do have do disagree with your statement; "I'm all for ecumenical interactions with non-Catholic religions. They have their own wisdom to impart".
If Catholicism REALLY has "The fullness of The Truth", then why look elsewhere? Is The Church deficient somewhere?
Also, as you summed up the personal opinion of Pope JP2 concerning salvific "elements" found elsewhere, allow me to site a certain passage from the 2d Vatican Council;
This Sacred Council wishes to turn its attention firstly 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. Christ, present to us in His Body, which is the Church, is the one Mediator and the unique way of salvation. In explicit terms He Himself affirmed the necessity of faith and baptism and thereby affirmed also the necessity of the Church, for through baptism as through a door men enter the Church. Whosoever, therefore, knowing that the Catholic Church was made necessary by Christ, would refuse to enter or to remain in it, could not be saved.
That can be found under The Second Vatican Council ~ DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH ~ Chapter II ~ Paragraph 14.
By the way, I'm not particularly big on citing JUST Vatican II documents, but this particular passage re-enforces 2,000 years of Catholic teaching.... and to be honest, it catches many by suprize.
Keep the great comments coming, Tom!
"Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley"
ReplyDeleteTHAT says it all! Is it possible to have theology in Berkeley?!
These seducees of Satan don't realize they've been seduced! Pray! Pray for the children!
ReplyDelete