Books Messageboard: Potato-potahto. You're still the type who'd be set on fire in a more civilized time and place. by Cannoli

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Potato-potahto. You're still the type who'd be set on fire in a more civilized time and place. Cannoli Send a noteboard - 17/02/2012 11:51:50 PM

I rejected Catholicism for Orthodoxy, which is hardly a "lapse" and more of a "fine tuning". Later events saw my opinions change further, but I would say I was a very typical American Catholic.

Ah. I am both of those last two words myself, and proud of each, but put together, especially with the immediately preceding one, I find such a description to be anathema. A "typical American Catholic" seldom has much connection with traditional Catholic doctrines, teachings and interpretation of the scriptures.

I think getting into a larger discussion over "render unto Caesar" and its larger context would be futile, but Ratzinger specifically mentions, in a different part of the book reviewed here, that part of the mission of Christ was to deny dominion over the earth, and that any power that has sought to impose good by compulsion has ended creating evil because of the flawed nature of man. I would say that, compared with all the other statements, there is a very strong rejection of the notion of temporal power by the Church (which makes the Roman Empire's adoption of Christianity all the more unusual) and this rejection has had an impact on the development of the Western world from its very inception as a concept.

Indeed. Hell, most of the criticisms leveled against the Church, now and throughout history are for perceived failings or flaws that people would not even think of as bad or worth mentioning if the Church had not spent 2,000 years beating it into people's heads that they are.

On the other hand, given the Church's teachings on human nature, their assumption of temporal power was pretty much inevitable, especially in the historical context.

Cannoli
“Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.” GK Chesteron
Inde muagdhe Aes Sedai misain ye!
Deus Vult!
*MySmiley*

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Jesus von Nazareth (Book I), by Joseph Ratzinger Tom - 12/02/2012 12:52:30 AM 8029 Views

Do you know of any works by Ratzinger that directly address Ontological and Cosmological issues? *NM* Dan - 12/02/2012 01:54:08 PM 824 Views

Not that I am aware of. Tom - 12/02/2012 02:18:47 PM 1464 Views

Ah, that's a pity. Dan - 12/02/2012 09:11:18 PM 1593 Views

Re: Jesus von Nazareth (Book I), by Joseph Ratzinger Cannoli - 12/02/2012 11:11:45 PM 1661 Views

For the record, I was Catholic for the first 19 years of my life. Tom - 12/02/2012 11:35:16 PM 1486 Views

That hardly counts: I'm talking about the degree to which one accepts the doctrines & perspective Cannoli - 14/02/2012 12:59:08 PM 1525 Views

I meant that Paul refuted reincarnation. Tom - 14/02/2012 01:59:06 PM 1412 Views

Potato-potahto. You're still the type who'd be set on fire in a more civilized time and place. Cannoli - 17/02/2012 11:51:50 PM 1437 Views

You mean when the Church ignored Christ's teachings and burned people? Probably. Tom - 18/02/2012 02:17:12 AM 1437 Views

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<quote id="245029">
<quote>I rejected Catholicism for Orthodoxy, which is hardly a "lapse" and more of a "fine tuning".  Later events saw my opinions change further, but I would say I was a very typical American Catholic.</quote> Ah.  I am both of those last two words myself, and proud of each, but put together, especially with the immediately preceding one, I find such a description to be anathema.  A "typical American Catholic" seldom has much connection with traditional Catholic doctrines, teachings and interpretation of the scriptures.

<quote>I think getting into a larger discussion over "render unto Caesar" and its larger context would be futile, but Ratzinger specifically mentions, in a different part of the book reviewed here, that part of the mission of Christ was to deny dominion over the earth, and that any power that has sought to impose good by compulsion has ended creating evil because of the flawed nature of man.  I would say that, compared with all the other statements, there is a very strong rejection of the notion of temporal power by the Church (which makes the Roman Empire's adoption of Christianity all the more unusual) and this rejection has had an impact on the development of the Western world from its very inception as a concept.</quote> Indeed.  Hell, most of the criticisms leveled against the Church, now and throughout history are for perceived failings or flaws that people would not even think of as bad or worth mentioning if the Church had not spent 2,000 years beating it into people's heads that they are.

On the other hand, given the Church's teachings on human nature, their assumption of temporal power was pretty much inevitable, especially in the historical context.
</quote>

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