Punditry

Lots of stories recently about a a new poll that “finds atheist and agnostics know more about religion than believers do.” Some blogs have been decrying the state of Catholic eduction since what they identified as Catholics did the worst on the 32 question quiz.

Jimmy Akin wrote an excellent response to this poll basically saying that like most polls it does not necessarily prove anything and the majority of questions on the quiz do not relate to the faith of the person taking the quiz. It was more comparative religion trivia than what the person who took the quiz knows about their faith.

I took the quiz and got a perfect score and I can certainly say that if I had taken the same quiz when I was an atheist I would have been lucky to get any right except the questions on public schools. Though I was a rather arrogant atheist so firm in my disbelief that I never investigated religions at all. There were more questions about Mormons than Catholics. So I can easily see why many people would not do very well on this test. I knew the answers by reading apologetics and listening to Catholic Answers since they day they started their radio show.

As to 55% of Catholics getting Catholic teaching on the Eucharist correct it is hard to say what that means. Someone identifying themselves as Catholic does not really say much since many who have stopped practicing their faith still identify themselves as such. While I have no problems decrying the state of Catholic education, I would seriously doubt that only 55% of weekly Mass going Catholics did know this teaching. It is another story how much they believe in the Eucharist. In fact we should be amazed that after decades of felt banner apologetics and weak catechetical tools that so many believe and that Eucharistic Adoration is on the upswing.

“A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” Winston Churchill

In this case a lie will be shown in art house theaters throughout the world and will seep into the culture as another piece of what Mark Shea calls psuedo-knowledge.  The movie Agora by Alejandro Amenába takes a Dan Brown “historical” approach to the story of Hypatia and makes it into a bit of Anti-Catholic agitprop of the Church’s hatred of science.  A fun house mirror approach to history.

Even though this movie will not be widely watched or have the influence of the Da Vinci Code, it could garner awards and the ideas behind it will probably become more well known than the movie itself.

Sandra Miesel the master of the historical debunk writes an excellent article on the actual history of Hypatia and the destruction of the Library at Alexandra before her birth.  Her article is well worth reading and bookmarking for future reference.

Sometimes you just have to laugh at media coverage on the Church. Case in point this New York Times headline.

Woman in Priestly Garb Sounds ‘a Great Echo’

(Look at my Pac-Man imitation – wonka wonka wonka)

MILAN — While other little girls in her hometown of Nissoria, Sicily, were dressing up and playing house, Maria Vittoria Longhitano would pretend to say Mass, dispensing cookies and chips to her toys for communion. Sometimes, she would even baptize her dolls.

As a child, she prayed to St. Rita — much venerated in Sicily — asking for her intervention to become a priest.

Well St. Rita is the Saint of the Impossible and certainly women being priest is impossible since it is Christ’s will that only men can be ordained just as it was the will of God that only women can become mothers. But usually people pray to St. Rita for not something technically impossible, just something difficult or improbable.

The article than goes on with the nonsense about the Vatican equating women’s ordination with sexual abuse. “We will not veer or stray from this meme and will make no effort to put things into the proper context.”

Ms. Longhitano’s spiritual journey eventually led her to the Old Catholic Church, a denomination that split from the Roman Catholic Church in the 19th century, mostly over the issue of papal infallibility. She studied theology at the University of Catania.

Well at least she is not pretending to be a Catholic priest. Though I would think she is still excommunicated since she was a Catholic.

It reverberated especially loudly against a backdrop of mounting dissatisfaction — even in this traditionally Roman Catholic country — with what many perceive as the Vatican’s inadequate response to the global pedophilia scandal sweeping the clergy. Widely covered by the Italian news media, her ordination seemed to present another instance of a changing society at odds with the Vatican and its worldview.

“It was a strong signal, a way of opening the way,” said Mother Vittoria. “Rome is the center of Christianity; I think I gave a sense of hope to sister Catholics.”

So the media widely covering something is proof any anything, especially in regards to Italy and the Vatican?

Perhaps, but her Roman Catholic sisters will have to bide their time.

Nice bit of editorializing, but these Catholics sister better not hold their breaths waiting for what will never happen.

Mother Vittoria said that she was actually optimistic about the effects of the recent Vatican pronouncement, and that she believed that the ban on priests could ultimately open the road to having female deacons, who are also not currently allowed in the Roman Catholic Church. “The world is changing, and I see that there’s growing support for women,” she said.

Vatican observers were more doubtful. In fact, the closing of Vatican ranks to women may be leading more people to the open doors of the Old Catholic Church, Bishop Müller said.

Previously in this article they mention there are about 300 members of the Old Catholic Church in Italy. Gee any day now because of this issue their ranks could swell to 302! Plus look at the wonders women “priests” have done to swell the ranks of Anglicans and Episcopalians. Oh wait these denominations are further shrinking.

“We were excommunicated in 2008, but we rejected it,” said Bridget Mary Meehan, a spokeswoman for the Roman Catholic Womenpriests organization, who was ordained a priest in 2006 without Vatican consent. “What matters is that we follow our conscience.”

You can do that? Wow how come somebody didn’t tell me before. When I got that speeding ticket years ago I would have rejected it. You can’t ticket me, I reject it.

Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman is surely praying for all those who talk about following their conscience yet seem to have no idea about the duty they have to their conscience to inform it. In some ways the conscience is like a map. If you just use any map it might not be accurate. You could easily get lost using a map designed by bad mapmaker. You have a duty to make sure the map you use is correct and to keep it updated – or in the case of your conscience informed. If your conscience is telling you to reject the magisterium and the constant teaching of the Church, you just might need to download an update to that conscience of yours.

Since Bishop Vasa was first installed as a Bishop I have been following him with interest via his Diocesan articles and other speeches. He is certainly a bishop I greatly admire for both what he says and what he does.

Recently Bishop Vasa delivered a speech at the 2010 InsideCatholic Partnership Award Dinner on September 16 titled “Sacred Duties, Episcopal Ministry.” In it he discuses the role of the bishop’s conference and the role of the bishop. I could hardly agree more with what he has to say.

There is a joke that you never see any statues commemorating committees and really and the same problems plaque the USSCB. Committees hate strong statements and USCCB documents often fail to do the same. I loved the balance of the Bishop’s article in how he praised the good of what a bishop’s conference can do, but that it is no replacement for the bishop’s unique role towards his flock. I certainly believe Bishop’s conferences have a role to play, but too often they become an excuse for a bishop not to act. The documents coming out of the USCCB in recent years have certainly improved and become more doctrinally sound, but really what percentage of the laity actually read them besides bloggers and other interested parties? Plus the fact that the documents carry no actual weight in them besides the magisterial weight of any doctrines discussed.

Some bishops perhaps lean more strongly by temperament to reproving and correcting, while others favor the kinder, gentler approach of appealing. In my view, appealing has its place, but when constant appeal produces absolutely no movement toward self-correction, reform or conversion, then reproving and correcting, become necessary. At some point, there needs to be a bold resistance to the powers of the world in defense of the flock. The fear of offending one contemptuously dissident member of the flock often redounds to a failure to defend the flock. It can redound to a failure to teach the truth. In Saint Gregory’s words: “They hesitate to say openly what is right because they fear losing the favor of men but the men and women whose favor may be in jeopardy are often not nearly as favorable as they imagine.”

Unfortunately, the desire to rely almost exclusively on appeal may be indicative of a fear of reproach. This is not new. I mentioned above Saint Gregory’s acknowledgment of this reality. He chastised those who were afraid to reproach men for their faults, and thereby lulled the evildoer with an empty promise of safety. Not only the evildoer but all the members of the flock who see the evildoers carry on with impunity begin to doubt and question their own moral assessments. I hear from many laity that their perception of a lack of courage on the part of episcopal leaders redounds to a discouragement of the faithful.

Fortunately, courage is contagious. Those of you congregated here have undoubtedly been encouraged, literally made more courageous, as a result of Archbishop Raymond Burke’s courage. You have undoubtedly admired Bishop Joseph Martino and Bishop Thomas Tobin for their courage in confronting dissident groups in their dioceses. You are allowed to stand a bit taller as you see Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix boldly confront medical moral evils. You know well, appreciate, and are emboldened by the courage of a Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz, who unflinchingly speaks an often unpopular truth. These men all encourage you, and they encourage me as well. I am humbled to think that some of you might even be encouraged by me.

What he says is exactly right. It seems to me that there are many bishops who are quite orthodox in their faith and yet when it comes to providing leadership on a issue seem to shy away, especially if it might be interpreted in a political partisan light. You have gone off the track when the care of souls can be trumped about worries about how your act is interpreted. Though of course our bishops need to be held up in our prayers as Moses’ hands were held up.

Bishop Vasa also goes on to write about the difficulties involved in speaking out both perceived and actual and speaking out certainly requires prudence to bring about a desired outcome. I am quite glad I am not a bishop and can certainly understand those priests who did not want to get elevated to the episcopacy since they understood the heavy weight of the bishopric concerning the spiritual welfare of their flock.

In positive USCCB news:

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine issued a censure of a book co-authored by two Creighton University theologians, calling it “a radical departure from the Catholic theological tradition”, “harmful to one’s moral and spiritual life” and asserting that it “proposes ways of living a Christian life that do not accord with the teaching of the Church and Christian tradition.”

Ha! At Acts of the Apostasy. Though I need to talk to LarryD for stealing my ideas before I have thought of them.

The Democratic Party has come out with a new logo and I have to admit the design is pretty good.  Nice and simple with a good color theme.  Follows the ubiquitous Obama logo and repeats the change meme.  Hey it worked in the last election and no doubt change is coming on November 2nd.

Though while the logo is quite good I think it needs some improvement.  When I first saw it I saw the circled D as OD and overdose is a good definition of the modern Democratic which has OD’ed on spending.  But no that is only one aspect.  Here is a much more accurate logo.

Now that is much closer to the modern Democrat party which will do anything to advance abortion, Embryonic Stem-Cell Research, Euthanasia and pretty much all aspects of life and death.  They don’t really need a new logo, but to follow the Logos.

I admit to being partisan in that I believe in most of the principles of conservatism (now if only the Republican politicians also did so). Yet I would be much happier if the only things Democrats and Republicans disagreed on were prudential approaches to solving problems instead of selecting lesser evils.  As it  stands though now the Democrats support multiple intrinsic evils and the Republicans dismiss the intrinsic evil of torture.

While the Democratic Party remains the Party of Death, for me this will be a more apt logo for them.

As 18 doves flew into the skies over the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament Saturday night, more than 100 diverse Sacramentans blessed copies of the Quran with roses of love.

Again and again they uttered the refrain, “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me” at the entrance to the downtown church framed by white statues of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. A musician with a white guitar accompanied them.

Representatives of Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, B’hai, Mormon, Sikh, Vedic Druid and Muslim beliefs read scriptures from the great religious texts – including six verses from the Quran calling for all faiths to live in harmony.

Irfan Haq, speaking on behalf of Sacramento’s Muslims, told the rose bearing crowd outside the cathedral, “On this day September 11 – this day of infamy and darkness – what we are witnessing is a new beginning for Sacramento, for America – this is the America the world needs to see.” [Source]

This is just as dumb if not dumber than burning Korans. You show religious tolerance by respecting those with other beliefs and supporting religious freedom. You show religious Indifferentism by blessing or holding sacred what you don’t believe to be either. You respect the beliefs of others because of their human dignity not necessarily because of the beliefs themselves. I am not any way offended if a non-Christian does not consider the scripture to be sacred or holy. In fact I would be more offended if they do so against their own belief.

It is especially dumb that Catholics were involved in this travesty. The Koran is the invention of either a liar, mad man, or someone demonically deceived. Islam is simply a Christian heresy that arose from the heresies of the time of Mohammad in his region and cobbled together other ideas You don’t bless heresies. You can call what is good and true in the Koran to be good and true and being a Christian heresy there are certainly those aspects in the Koran. But as a whole this book teaches error that leads people astray. Blessing a book that says that Mohammed is the last prophet and that he received his message from Archangel Gabriel is to bless lies. Catholics blessing a book that says Jesus is not divine and denies the Trinity is a rather odd target for a blessing.

I can only hope the Archdiocese did not give permission for this.

I remember Mark Shea once writing that the culture which now, and properly, attacks priests for having sex with  children will one day attack the Church for not condoning sex with children.  This is not an exact quote, but since he is a fellow Chestertonian I doubt if he will mind.

I am reminded of this because of a new column by Peter Hitchens about Peter Tatchell who is prominent in the ‘Protest the Pope’ campaign.  He reminds us of Peter Tatchell previous support of allowing sex with children.

For on June 26, 1997, Mr Tatchell wrote a start ling letter to the Guardian newspaper.

In it, he defended an academic book about ‘Boy-Love’ against what he saw as calls for it to be censored.

When I contacted him on Friday, he emphasised that he is ‘against sex between adults and children’ and that his main purpose in writing the letter had been to defend free speech.

He told me: ‘I was opposing calls for censorship generated by this book. I was not in any way condoning paedophilia.’

Personally, I think he went a bit further than that. He wrote that the book’s arguments were not shocking, but ‘courageous’.

He said the book documented ‘examples of societies where consenting inter-generational sex is considered normal’.

He gave an example of a New Guinea tribe where ‘all young boys have sex with older warriors as part of their initiation into manhood’ and allegedly grow up to be ‘happy, well-adjusted husbands and fathers’.

And he concluded: ‘The positive nature of some child-adult sexual relationships is not confined to non-Western cultures.

‘Several of my friends – gay and straight, male and female – had sex with adults from the ages of nine to 13.

‘None feel they were abused. All say it was their conscious choice and gave them great joy.

‘While it may be impossible to condone paedophilia, it is time society acknowledged the truth that not all sex involving children is unwanted, abusive and harmful.’

Tip of the Jester’s hat to the reader who sent this in.