Posted on 07/29/2005 9:54:14 AM PDT by NYer
ROME, Italy, July 28, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) In the conclusion of Cardinal Ratzingers lecture, now Pope Benedict XVI, delivered on April 1st, the eve of John Paul IIs death, the then Cardinal strongly denounced the European Enlightenment culture and its increasing dogmatism against religion, Christianity and freedom.
The Cardinal expressed his belief that the reasons given by the architects of the EU Constitution for excluding God from the documentthat the mention of God or recognition of the Christian roots of the continent might offend those of other religionsdoesnt hold up under scrutiny.
The affirmation that the mention of the Christian roots of Europe injures the sentiments of many non-Christians who are in Europe, is not very convincing, given that it relates, first of all, to an historical fact that no one can seriously deny It is not the mention of God that offends those who belong to other religions, but rather the attempt to build the human community absolutely without God, said the Cardinal.
Instead, Ratzinger continued, it is obvious that the exclusion of religion from the public sphere is rather the result of the imposition of Enlightenment dogma, which dogma falsely professes the ideals of freedom and tolerance. Indeed, one of the inevitable consequences of what Ratzinger called the Culture of Rights, as divorced from its Judeo-Christian roots, is that the concept of discrimination is ever more extended, and so the prohibition of discrimination can be increasingly transformed into a limitation of the freedom of opinion.
Very soon, said the Cardinal in a chilling prophesy that is already coming to fulfillment in many Western nations, including Canada, it will not be possible to state that homosexuality, as the Catholic Church teaches, is an objective disorder in the structuring of human existence.
According to Ratzinger it is obvious that the ill-defined or undefined concept of freedom, which is at the base of this culture, inevitably entails contradictions A confused ideology of freedom leads to dogmatism, which is showing itself increasingly hostile to freedom.
Ratzinger concluded by expressing his strong doubt that the Enlightenment culture will ever provide a common cause for men. We have to ask ourselves, says the Cardinal, if it is really complete in itself, to the degree that it has no need of a root outside itself. The implied answer, of course, is no, the Enlightenment culture without the firm foundation of Europes roots in Christianity can only devolve into a pseudo and dogmatic religion, ultimately restrictive of freedom.
Stop playing games...
Of course they do.
As Aquinas pointed out, our natural capacity for truth is conditioned by our nature - God is infinite and we are finite.
We can only grasp so much.
The Church, unlike scholars, is not a purely human institution and has access to reliable truths.
It's not a game. I don't agree that all choices involve moral decision making. To claim that freedom is doing what one ought to do is ridiculous.
Welcome back!! Here's a JPII quote for your collection ...
The Son of God became man in order to restore all creation, in one supreme act of praise, to the One who made it from nothing. John Paul II
I suggest you if Catholic may require further education? Authentic freedom is only attained by adhering to truth -that which the Church teaches...What one ought to do is the path to freedom... capiche -nothing ridulous about it... The examples you argue that have no moral basis and as such irrelevant to anything save but moral relative gaming... I would suggest you also seek to understand the differrence between absolute truth and moral relative 'truth'...
It was de listed when homosexuals won a majority of the APA board. It of course played into the democratic political camp as the democrats needed to squeeze a few more votes into their multicultural tent.
Whether or not it is a disorder, it is certainly not wished for on the part of new parents. If a genetic or in womb cause is ever found one can be sure that homosexuality will be eradicated from the population as quickly as was polio. (When such an event occurs, watch how quickly homosexuality goes beyond normalcy and becomes something society cannot live without. But of course we can, it is normal society that homosexuality cannot live without.)
I'm glad to see this Pope speak out on these subjects. This frank discussion is long overdue in Europe as well as America.
China is too, outcome to follow.
Your reply:
I'm not sure about that last part. Don't religious scholars disagree on what God's law is?
Yes they do. But we're talking about the Pope, the Vicar of Christ.. Not just some religious scholar. On Faith and Morals he's speaking with the guidance of the Holy Ghost. And it's infallible.
Religious scholars may have any number of opinions. And they are just that, opinions. When the Pope speaks excathedra on these issues it's no longer an opinion. It's truth.
I'm a psychology major, but--alas--at a very politically correct time, so I doubt I'll hear about this in any classes and would probably get lynched if I asked. May I ask what the evidence is that supports homosexuality being related to OCD?
I agree with the Pope wholeheartedly.
It is interesting to see a Pope express such a defense of free speech.
Perhaps. However, in a political context, the government is a poor agent for determining what is "right" outside of a very narrow band (such as outlawing nonconsensual harm to person or property).
What dictionary is that from?
Well, isn't that the whole debate? As a Catholic, that is your position. However, no other religion accepts that claim (AFAIK).
The Catholic claim that the Pope speaks with the guidance of the Holy Ghost is only persuasive to Catholics.
When the Pope speaks excathedra on these issues it's no longer an opinion. It's truth.
For Catholics, sure.
This is just what I predicted.
Notice how they are trying to undermine the Pope by refusing to recognize him as the Pope? Instead, they refer to him as Pope in the opening sentence and then revert back to his Cardinal name for the rest of the article.
When has the media EVER done that before?
-PJ
The morning of the Conclave, Cardinal Ratzinger said the Mass and delivered a amazing homily, in which he commented:
"How many winds of doctrine have we known in recent decades, how many ideological currents, how many ways of thinking. The small boat of the thought of many Christians has often been tossed about by these waves - flung from one extreme to another: from Marxism to liberalism, even to libertinism; from collectivism to radical individualism; from atheism to a vague religious mysticism; from agnosticism to syncretism and so forth. Every day new sects spring up, and what St Paul says about human deception and the trickery that strives to entice people into error (cf. Eph 4: 14) comes true.
Today, having a clear faith based on the Creed of the Church is often labeled as fundamentalism. Whereas relativism, that is, letting oneself be "tossed here and there, carried about by every wind of doctrine", seems the only attitude that can cope with modern times. We are building a dictatorship of relativism that does not recognize anything as definitive and whose ultimate goal consists solely of one's own ego and desires."
May God answer you prayer ;-D
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.