Culture in Crisis: Cardinal Ratzinger has diagnosed relativism’s evils, and offers an alternative.

National Journal ^ | April 19, 2005 | Michael Novak

[quidnunc]

Cardinal Ratzinger’s sermon on relativism at the Mass for the Election of a Supreme Pontiff hit the note most important both in his own life and in the coming life of the Church, in an age calling itself “post-modern” but perhaps more accurately described as the Age of Meaninglessness.

In his most formative years, Ratzinger heard Nazi propaganda shouting that there is no truth, no justice, there is only the will of the people (enunciated by its leader). As its necessary precondition, Nazism depended on the debunking of objective truth and objective morality. Truth had to be derided as irrelevant, and naked will had to be exalted.

To anybody who said: “But that’s false!” the Nazi shouted, “That’s just your opinion, and who are you, compared to Der Fuehrer?”

To anybody who said, “But what you are doing is unjust!” the Nazi shouted louder, “Says you, swine.”

Relativism means this: Power trumps.

Ratzinger experienced another set of loud shouters in the 1968 student revolution at Tubingen University, this time in the name of Marxist rather than Nazi will. Marxism as much as Nazism (though in a different way) depended on the relativization of all previous notions of ethics and morality and truth — “bourgeois” ideas, these were called. People who were called upon by the party to kill in the party’s name had to develop a relativist’s conscience.

In today’s liberal democracies, Ratzinger has observed, the move to atheism is not, as it was in the 19th century, a move toward the objective world of the scientific rationalist. That was the “modern” way, and it is now being rejected, in favor of a new “post-modern” way. The new way is not toward objectivity, but toward subjectivism; not toward truth as its criterion, but toward power. This, Ratzinger fears, is a move back toward the justification of murder in the name of “tolerance” and subjective choice.

-snip-

[mbraynard]

Sounds like just the right pope for the times.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

Another wonderful example of the profundity of thought and analysis that underlies so many people of faith.

It makes my head spin to hear the anti-religious bigots writing the religious off as having "blind faith" or likening them to sheep.

We understand the forces of good and evil far better than most blind-faith Marxists.

[JoeFromSidney]

For what it's worth, here's my take on the election of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI.

He's not going to be an imitator of John Paul II. He's going to be his own man. Orthodox, yes, but not an imitator.

Just as only a man like Richard Nixon, whose anti-communist credentials were impeccable, could have made the opening to China, only a man like Benedict XVI, whose orthodox credentials are impeccable, will be able to make changes in Church discipline (but not in doctrine).

I have no more idea than anyone else what he will do. Quite possibly he doesn't yet know himself. What I do expect is that he'll surprise a lot of people. Probably including me.

[little jeremiah]

Ping to self - read and ping.

[starfish923]

Pope Benefict is a towering intellect, humble, compassionate and a great listener. He used the Italian word for insufficient in describing himself.
At 78 years of age it's my guess he will continue to implement the works and policies of John Paul II.

He will, without doubt, take a stand against Marxism, liberalism, athiesm, agnosticism and relativism. He will be the rock battered by the storms of all those pernicious "isms." He's got my prayers already.

I think the Holy Spirit aced this one....yet again.