To be fair, i think some on our side give as good as they get.
But more basically, their side does not believe, seriously, in 'basic human decency."
The very phrase smacks of Justin, of Catholic humanism.
Look at this: Their side reads "vain repetition" and thinks that ALL repetition is vain (despite the repetition of psalm 136). They read "vain philosophy" and think all philosophy is vain, rather than the bizarre pseudo philosophies of the Gnostics.
As it happens, I turn out to have read a little more Plotinus than have most people, and I can tell you he also thinks little of the Gnostics. Neoplatonist though he was, he thought what we call "creation" was good (as Scripture says).
They think that everything touched by the Fall and its curse is so irredeemably evil that we can trust nothing but Scripture. So the idea of a general revelation or "natural law" concept of "basic human decency is unacceptable to them.
We Catholics wrestle with the idea of "sacred slaughter" as it is presented in the OT. Many of our non-Catholic brethren understand "herem" all too well, and only grudgingly acquiesce to Paul's teaching in Romans that there is a 'natural' revelation, albeit incomplete, to all.
We view the ability to get along in a diverse society as a triumph of charity in Christ. They view it as an unpleasant compromise. Some of us, at any rate, look to build on the things we share. Most of them (it seems) cannot rest but MUST point out and make the most of the points in which we differ. They think God demands that they rip up every pregnant theory and every innocent suckling proposition and leave no one alive.
This attitude tends to make conversation awkward.
Well put.
And I think the dualism qua Gnosticism explains in part the attitude towards beauty particularly in places of worship. Also, the concept of God also revealing through our senses, smells and bell, totally taboo in a physical (bad) spiritual (good) dualistic view.
“To be fair, i think some on our side give as good as they get.”
Oh, baloney. All that I see is that there are some Catholics here who will no longer put up with the verminous non-Catholic dreck who pollute this forum with noxious spiritual sewage, and have decided that turnabout is fair play.
I've been here a little while and have seen it all develop over time.
“But more basically, their side does not believe, seriously, in 'basic human decency.'"
I think you're on to something here.
And thus, they have none.
“They think that everything touched by the Fall and its curse is so irredeemably evil that we can trust nothing but Scripture. So the idea of a general revelation or ‘natural law’ concept of ‘basic human decency is unacceptable to them.’”
Yes. As Fr. Balducelli put it in Religion 101 some 30 years ago, Catholics are deprived, Protestants are depraved. The deep truth of this never hit home to me until I started reading the open sewage threads on the Religion Forum of Free Republic. LOL.
I guess what you're really saying is that non-apostolic Christianity really is as deficient as the Church teaches.
I agree.
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