tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post2417432896594507484..comments2024-03-25T11:09:41.538-04:00Comments on a minor friar blog: Post-Christianity?Brother Charleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07780326836452864455noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-50392394835639666942010-09-05T17:23:45.707-04:002010-09-05T17:23:45.707-04:00Sara: I resonate.Sara: I resonate.Brother Charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07780326836452864455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-67620064789642647282010-09-05T16:54:54.051-04:002010-09-05T16:54:54.051-04:00I am a new convert from a non Christian family and...I am a new convert from a non Christian family and I have observed that some Catholics (and particularly some clergy) get more generic in their religious language upon learning that lots of the people I love are not part of the Church. I suppose I appreciate their good intentions but it seems misguided to me-- in a way that is pretty ignorant about the reality of what it means to leave my family's faith behind. Just my opinion.Saranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-84409937045222290352010-09-05T01:25:46.045-04:002010-09-05T01:25:46.045-04:00A very thoughtful and thought provoking post. A su...A very thoughtful and thought provoking post. A subject deserving a dissertation.<br /><br />My view may vary slightly as to the cause of post modernism in the Catholic faith...<br /><br />I do not think it comes from a respect for other faiths ... I believe we step on dangerous ground when we judge the manner in which God reveals himself. Vatican II's Nostro Aetate spoke to this quite magnificently.<br /><br />The actual post modern stealth influence has gone unnoticed — it is the intrusion of the discipline of psychology into the seminaries and the Church. <br /><br />Psychology is based, almost exclusively on the atheist and materialistic assumption that man is solely a biological entity. No soul. No spirit.<br /><br />And yet there are many who adopt the non-faith-based assertions of psychology in which it is claimed that psychology can be spiritual but not religious. <br /><br />At a conference on faith and psychology a psychologist make that assertion. I responded, "How can you be spiritual if you do not believe in the existence of spirit?" The entire table inhaled a collective gasp — and understood the dilemma. <br /><br />I believe the Church has to ask that question: How can we eagerly embrace into our midst a discipline that does not hold true basic premises upon which the faith stands? <br /><br />I believe this is the portal through which post modern Christianity enters.Greghttp://tamingthewolf.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-1985271407670011512010-09-04T15:12:30.542-04:002010-09-04T15:12:30.542-04:00The best antidote for post-Christian thought is......The best antidote for post-Christian thought is...The Little Flowers of St. Francis!Mark D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05000893614655251587noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-65061833561048963162010-09-04T10:56:39.694-04:002010-09-04T10:56:39.694-04:00Father, I do agree with you and I think your obser...Father, I do agree with you and I think your observations here are spot-on. You've definitely taken a more philosophical approach to this, and in so doing, I think you've managed to bring in a pretty big picture. <br /><br />Language has meaning; the words we use, the words we choose, have meaning. <br /><br />In observing parishes in my local area, those that use the term "Catholic Community" tend to first look to "social justice" and rarely, if ever on their websites, refer to Jesus. "Eucharist" in those places is like "dinner and a show". I am not saying that is the attitude of ALL parishoners there, or even the Pastor, but those who form the leadership of the parish and put the title on the monolith out front, etc., have formed their community into their particular image.<br /><br />Too often, I find people from such communities who are very uncomfortable with doctrine, who see Mass as primarily a social gathering having little to do with the worship owed to God. <br /><br />These same attitudes are certainly found in parishes that use the word "Church", but, again, in observing the terms, those that still call themselves a "Church" seem a lot more likely to offer Confessions regularly, and more than 30 minutes on a Saturday! They tend to focus more on the worship aspect of Mass, the Sacrifice of Calvary, trying to ensure their service outside the walls flows from the love owed to God, therefore to become an overflow to others. <br /><br />(I'm trying to say a lot here and probably fouling it up as what I'm trying to get at covers a LOT of ground!) <br /><br />So...in short, I don't mean to generalize by any means. The prevailing attitudes are represented in language, and as we know, language is very powerful in forming those attitudes.Adorohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02853244433854822731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-61316193389074914502010-09-04T09:48:16.636-04:002010-09-04T09:48:16.636-04:00I'm not one to stray too far out on a limb and...I'm not one to stray too far out on a limb and disagree with you, as I have nothing but the utmost respect for you, but I do think that, perhaps, it is a little simplistic to say that those who use these "new" terms, labels, and descriptors that you referred to as "post-Christian." Time and time again over the millenia the Church has re-defined sometimes, and re-visited often, its curb appeal and the emphasis of its mission. I don't necessarily believe that simply reverting to "traditional" vocabulary will help the Church's witness one iota in this post-modern, western world in which we operate.<br /><br />(FWIW, I think that that misguided idea is what is driving sooooo many of the "reformed" religious communities that seem to be springing up everyday, which in some cases bastardize the charism which has been the foundation of the tradition since its inception.)<br />Pax.Tchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13388784325608457371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-23536716809943367692010-09-04T09:46:59.360-04:002010-09-04T09:46:59.360-04:00This country was founded by believers in God. Our ...This country was founded by believers in God. Our Fathers were Christian, therefore we must not be afraid to express ourselves.Pablohttp://www.justpab.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.com