1 members
 
Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 86 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing Summarizing
OpEdNews Op Eds   

Reflections on the Vatican's Condemnation of Farley's Book JUST LOVE

By       (Page 3 of 4 pages) Become a premium member to see this article and all articles as one long page.   2 comments

Thomas Farrell
Message Thomas Farrell
Become a Fan
  (22 fans)

In light of the thought-world in which Pope Benedict and the Catholic bishops live, it is not surprising that they would single out secularism to inveigh against, because secularism is a handy catch-all term for the tendencies in the modern world that run counter to their way of thinking (e.g., the supposed "natural law") and their thought-world (e.g., their supposed special gift of judgment as successors of the apostles of Jesus).

 

Now, would it be a catastrophe if the Roman Catholic Church were to change its teachings regarding not only masturbation but also artificial contraception, legalized abortion in the first trimester, marriage after divorce without the formal church annulment, same-sex relationships, and same-sex marriage? In the thought-world of Pope Benedict and the Catholic bishops, these changes would indeed truly be a catastrophe of the first order, because these changes would collapse so many of the teachings that the bishops hold dear. In addition, they fear that the church would lose face by allowing such significant changes after advancing them so strongly in recent years.

 

In addition, Pope Benedict has clearly indicated that he favors a hermeneutic (interpretation) of continuity, not a hermeneutic of rupture. In plain English, he is not inviting moral theologians to figure out any new positions regarding sexual morality that would be a rupture with the church's current teachings.

 

I rehearse these points here so that I can say that I do not expect to see Pope Benedict and the Catholic bishops allow any significant changes in the church's teachings regarding sexual morality -- or anything else (such as the ordination of women to be priests or the elimination of the celibacy requirement for diocesan priests or the ordination of married men or married women to be priests, all of which are examples of church law, not examples of moral doctrines taught by the church).

 

As a result, we Americans should expect to hear the Catholic bishops in the United States exercise their freedom of religion as American citizens to broadcast publicly the church's teachings regarding sexual morality whenever they can find a pretext for doing so.

 

At the same time, we Americans should expect to hear new volleys from Pope Benedict and the Vatican periodically about the church's teachings regarding sexual morality.

 

The current crop of Catholic bishops hold all the positions of authority and power in the Roman Catholic Church, and they select the Catholic priests who will be elevated to the position of bishop. In short, the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church is a self-perpetuating oligarchy.

 

However, individual Catholics may choose in good conscience not to follow one or more of the church's teachings regarding sexual morality, because in Catholic moral theory, one's conscience is the final arbiter of one's personal moral choices.

 

Next Page  1  |  2  |  3  |  4

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Rate It | View Ratings

Thomas Farrell Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Thomas James Farrell is professor emeritus of writing studies at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD). He started teaching at UMD in Fall 1987, and he retired from UMD at the end of May 2009. He was born in 1944. He holds three degrees from Saint Louis University (SLU): B.A. in English, 1966; M.A.(T) in English 1968; Ph.D.in higher education, 1974. On May 16, 1969, the editors of the SLU student newspaper named him Man of the Year, an honor customarily conferred on an administrator or a faculty member, not on a graduate student -- nor on a woman up to that time. He is the proud author of the book (more...)
 

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter

Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Was the Indian Jesuit Anthony de Mello Murdered in the U.S. 25 Years Ago? (BOOK REVIEW)

Who Was Walter Ong, and Why Is His Thought Important Today?

Celebrating Walter J. Ong's Thought (REVIEW ESSAY)

More Americans Should Live Heroic Lives of Virtue (Review Essay)

Hillary Clinton Urges Us to Stand Up to Extremists in the U.S.

Martha Nussbaum on Why Democracy Needs the Humanities (Book Review)

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend