What about the rest of the world?
The Catholic Church is always being accused of thinking they are the one and only church. Many comedians throughout the years often refer to it as “The Church.” However, it is mere ignorance that derives the thought that Catholics believe they are better than everyone else. Often enough the debate turns into one about who will be saved and who will not. Each church has its own views, and each church wants to believe that they are following the true way of Jesus, so why does it always seem that the Catholic Church is the only one?
The Catholic Church believes that other Christian churches are its brothers and sisters. The Church also believes that every Christian is in communion with each other. The Church does not preach that they are the only church. In fact growing up in the Catholic faith, we learn the about the different variations of Christianity. Weigel points out in this chapter that “Catholics have hundreds of millions of brothers and sisters in Christ who live their Christian outside of the formal structures of the Catholic Church” (Weigel 135).
Often it just seems to be easier for others to say that the Catholic Church is better than everyone. However, no one seems to realize how this actually comes about. The media often portrays the Catholic Church in a way that leads people to believe that The Church thinks that it’s the one and only Church of Jesus. In fact, the Catholic Faith is probably more tolerant to other religions. The media is well aware that causing controversy makes for better news, yet many people don’t realize that it’s the twisting of the Catholic words that people are angry with rather than the Church itself.
There isn’t a wrong or right way of having faith. As long as you believe in God you will be saved. No where in the Bible does it say that God will only save people who followed a certain church. For the most part we all believe in the same God no matter what we call him. However, like the many other controversies of the Catholic Church, this is just another that won’t be going away anytime soon. Ignorance plagues us all, and it will continue to for time to come.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Is Catholicism Safe for Democracy?
Is Catholicism Safe for Democracy?
The question that Weigel addresses in the ninth chapter is one that our country seems to always question. It was stated by historian, Arthur M. Schlesinger that “the deepest bias in the history of the American people is the suspicion that the Catholic Church is not quite safe for democracy” (Weigel 150). It is a well known, that many American people do not trust the Catholic Church. It also known that many people feel that if a Catholic becomes president that there will no longer be a separation of church and state. Our society has a definite problem with Catholicism, or is it that we are not educated with the truth?
Many people in American society have been born to believe that the Catholic Church wants to be the almighty. One of the biggest suspicions of the Catholic Church is that if a Catholic becomes president that the Pope will be the true controller. It is also thought that the Catholic Church is an “undemocratic system of alien control in which lay people were chained by the absolute of the clergy” (Weigel 150). Maybe this is the reason only one president has ever been Catholic, and ironically he was assassinated. Perhaps the reason had something to do with the suspicions, but yet it is one thing we will probably never know.
The abortion issue is probably the most debated in regards to the Catholic Church’s democratic politics. The Church is often accused of trying to push on its moral judgments on the democratic state. However, correct me if I’m wrong but don’t many other Christian Churches also believe that abortion should be outlawed? Actually, isn’t it many other Christians who also believe in the same moral issues, and in some cases advocate them more than the Catholic Church? Honestly, it doesn’t seem to matter whether or not Catholics are alone or not in their moral defenses because America will still fear the Church just because it’s such a large form of Christianity.
I feel that America is being ignorant to Catholicism. Catholics may have strong beliefs, but so do many other Christians. Actually I believe that there are far more other religions that should be viewed as a threat if they are going to target Catholics. As far as I can remember we don’t look for the Pope to rule us, we look to him to guide us in the deepening of our faith. However, most Catholics have grown accustomed to the debate and although it seems to portray Catholics in an untrue form I don’t see it changing anytime soon.
The question that Weigel addresses in the ninth chapter is one that our country seems to always question. It was stated by historian, Arthur M. Schlesinger that “the deepest bias in the history of the American people is the suspicion that the Catholic Church is not quite safe for democracy” (Weigel 150). It is a well known, that many American people do not trust the Catholic Church. It also known that many people feel that if a Catholic becomes president that there will no longer be a separation of church and state. Our society has a definite problem with Catholicism, or is it that we are not educated with the truth?
Many people in American society have been born to believe that the Catholic Church wants to be the almighty. One of the biggest suspicions of the Catholic Church is that if a Catholic becomes president that the Pope will be the true controller. It is also thought that the Catholic Church is an “undemocratic system of alien control in which lay people were chained by the absolute of the clergy” (Weigel 150). Maybe this is the reason only one president has ever been Catholic, and ironically he was assassinated. Perhaps the reason had something to do with the suspicions, but yet it is one thing we will probably never know.
The abortion issue is probably the most debated in regards to the Catholic Church’s democratic politics. The Church is often accused of trying to push on its moral judgments on the democratic state. However, correct me if I’m wrong but don’t many other Christian Churches also believe that abortion should be outlawed? Actually, isn’t it many other Christians who also believe in the same moral issues, and in some cases advocate them more than the Catholic Church? Honestly, it doesn’t seem to matter whether or not Catholics are alone or not in their moral defenses because America will still fear the Church just because it’s such a large form of Christianity.
I feel that America is being ignorant to Catholicism. Catholics may have strong beliefs, but so do many other Christians. Actually I believe that there are far more other religions that should be viewed as a threat if they are going to target Catholics. As far as I can remember we don’t look for the Pope to rule us, we look to him to guide us in the deepening of our faith. However, most Catholics have grown accustomed to the debate and although it seems to portray Catholics in an untrue form I don’t see it changing anytime soon.
How Should We Love?
How should we love?
In the sixth chapter of The Truth of Catholicism, George Weigel discusses the widely talked about topic: how should we love? The chapter discusses the church’s feelings toward matrimony and sex. According to the text, The Church taught a theory about the purposes of marriage “that too often turned into a denigration of sexual love.” “According to this theory, the ‘primary end’ of marriage, and of sex, was the procreation and education of children” (Weigel 93). Even though The Church continues to say that they are unfairly criticized for their theories, I often wonder if they have done anything to help defend them.
Weigel states right away in the chapter that, “the judgment that the Catholic Church is both prudish and sex-obsessed is deeply entrenched in the Western world today” (Weigel 92). He continues to say that even Catholics believe the judgment. In my opinion, if the Catholic followers also believe it then The Church isn’t doing much to show that it is untrue. Of course the media has much to do with the criticism that the Church receives, but I also feel that it could be unavoidable.
If The Church teaches that the ‘primary end’ of marriage is to have children, then it makes me wonder if it believes that men and women need to be in-love to have a marriage. It often seems that the Catholic Church views that sex should only be present for procreation. However, in my mind and in the minds of many others sex is also an intimate act between two people who love one another. Therefore, it seems to me and many others that for the Catholic Church, sexuality is far more “a matter of legal prohibitions than of love” (Weigel 93). Does this have anything to do with the many loveless marriages that exist in our society?
In conclusion, the idea of how we should love doesn’t really seem to be answered by The Church. It often seems that they do not want to touch on the subject of sexuality, and that it is much easier saying that the only use for sex is having children. It often seems that the Catholic Church doesn’t care if two people are in love or not. It only seems to matter that they bring children into the world and educate them with the Catholic traditions. Maybe its time to rethink the teachings on sex and marriage because Jesus asked us to love one another not to feel obligated to marry and have children because it’s the ‘right thing to do.’ I believe we have lost sight of that so it is time to bring it back into our lives.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Why do we suffer?
Why do we suffer?
One of the main questions everyone asks when it comes to religion is why do good people suffer. No one ever wants to believe that people suffer for the good of others, but in my opinion that’s exactly how it should be looked at. George Weigal states that, “many find it easier to reconcile the unavoidable realities of suffering with an accidental and purposeless universe than to accept the traditional biblical answer to the problem” (Weigal 112). Why is it that people would rather believe that bad things happen by coincidence instead of accepting the reasons that we have been taught for centuries?
When God created Adam and Eve he gave them freedom to exist without suffering; however, when they decided to betray him he punished them by allowing them to suffer instead of protecting them from it. We suffer because of the decisions that Adam and Eve made and the Bible makes it’s quite clear that we do, yet for whatever reason people still seem to overlook that. I often wonder why people ignore the Bible and still think that there are no reasons for why people suffer. We are baptized to wash away original sin and we live in a “world in which things can, and do go wrong” (Weigal 113), so then why don’t we accept that we suffer because we were born with the original sin?
As Christians we believe that Jesus died to save us. We believe that after he died the gates of heaven reopened. We believe he suffered for us, so doesn’t it make sense that we suffer for the good of others? I believe it does. We suffer for each other just as Jesus suffered for us all. I know no one wants to believe that someone dies or suffers for us, but how else would we learn of new diseases or illnesses and learn ways to prevent it from being an epidemic? We are here to save each other just as Jesus saved all of us.
Why do good people suffer? Why do people suffer at all? No one really has the answers to those questions. There are things in life that can’t be explained. All that can really be explained is that things happen whether it is good or bad. Jesus saved us by suffering, so even though we don’t have the answers to why we suffer, I choose to believe that we suffer to save each other which is exactly what Jesus would do.
One of the main questions everyone asks when it comes to religion is why do good people suffer. No one ever wants to believe that people suffer for the good of others, but in my opinion that’s exactly how it should be looked at. George Weigal states that, “many find it easier to reconcile the unavoidable realities of suffering with an accidental and purposeless universe than to accept the traditional biblical answer to the problem” (Weigal 112). Why is it that people would rather believe that bad things happen by coincidence instead of accepting the reasons that we have been taught for centuries?
When God created Adam and Eve he gave them freedom to exist without suffering; however, when they decided to betray him he punished them by allowing them to suffer instead of protecting them from it. We suffer because of the decisions that Adam and Eve made and the Bible makes it’s quite clear that we do, yet for whatever reason people still seem to overlook that. I often wonder why people ignore the Bible and still think that there are no reasons for why people suffer. We are baptized to wash away original sin and we live in a “world in which things can, and do go wrong” (Weigal 113), so then why don’t we accept that we suffer because we were born with the original sin?
As Christians we believe that Jesus died to save us. We believe that after he died the gates of heaven reopened. We believe he suffered for us, so doesn’t it make sense that we suffer for the good of others? I believe it does. We suffer for each other just as Jesus suffered for us all. I know no one wants to believe that someone dies or suffers for us, but how else would we learn of new diseases or illnesses and learn ways to prevent it from being an epidemic? We are here to save each other just as Jesus saved all of us.
Why do good people suffer? Why do people suffer at all? No one really has the answers to those questions. There are things in life that can’t be explained. All that can really be explained is that things happen whether it is good or bad. Jesus saved us by suffering, so even though we don’t have the answers to why we suffer, I choose to believe that we suffer to save each other which is exactly what Jesus would do.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Bruce Almighty
The film Bruce Almighty depicts both Grace and Salvation in a way that everyone can enjoy without even noticing they are receiving a religion lesson. It is evident from the beginning of the movie that the main character, Bruce Nolan, lacks both Grace and Salivation. Bruce found himself to be a martyr and believed that it was God’s fault for why his life was the way it was. However, throughout the movie Bruce began to gain a new light on life. In the following paragraphs Grace and Salvation in the film will be discussed.
Grace was defined for us as “another word for God’s life and holiness, which he shares with us. Grace is free, unconditional, and undeserved help that God gives us.” There are two types of Grace: actual and sanctifying. Actual Grace is a gift from God that helps us to do what is right, and Sanctifying Grace is a gift from God that reinforces our ability to live and do God’s Will. In Bruce Almighty, Bruce’s girlfriend Grace seems to represent the Grace in the movie. She was a gift from God and tried to influence Bruce to do good representing Actual Grace. She also began to represent Sanctifying Grace as the movie went on and Bruce realized that she made him want to be good and do God’s Will. The end of the movie showed Bruce realizing that it was Grace he needed to live on.
Salvation was defined for us as “being made whole by God; made right with God; saved from the power of sin and everlasting death.” Salvation is very clear in the film. Bruce gains Salvation by the end of the movie after he is given the opportunity to ‘be’ God. In the beginning of the film Bruce continuously blames God for everything that goes wrong in his life. He believed that the most important thing going for him was be to become an anchor on channel seven news, and he also believed that until then everything was mediocre. This upset Grace because she felt that their love for each other and their life was more than that and would tell Bruce to pray to God. It wasn't until Bruce was given the opportunity to grant his wishes that he started to realize that maybe that’s not what he needed after all. Even though he seemed to have been given everything he had wanted he start letting go of his Grace, and with God’s help he realized that she was everything to him and he was nothing without her. After being hit by the truck and he went to God and he told him to pray God seemed satisfied that Bruce learned to appreciate what he had and the importance of faith in him, so he saved Bruce from death and sent him back to live his life as a new person.
In conclusion, Bruce Nolan learned that love and helping others was more of a reward than being a television anchor. It may have taken him awhile, but his experience made him realize that he needed Grace and Salvation to fulfill life. It was clearly evident in the last scene where he not only professed his love for Grace but was about to help many others through the blood drive that was taking place that Bruce became a different person. Bruce was given a new light on life, just like many others that find God. Bruce Almighty was a clever way to make even the most nonreligious person realize that Grace and Salvation need to be present in order to fully live.
Grace was defined for us as “another word for God’s life and holiness, which he shares with us. Grace is free, unconditional, and undeserved help that God gives us.” There are two types of Grace: actual and sanctifying. Actual Grace is a gift from God that helps us to do what is right, and Sanctifying Grace is a gift from God that reinforces our ability to live and do God’s Will. In Bruce Almighty, Bruce’s girlfriend Grace seems to represent the Grace in the movie. She was a gift from God and tried to influence Bruce to do good representing Actual Grace. She also began to represent Sanctifying Grace as the movie went on and Bruce realized that she made him want to be good and do God’s Will. The end of the movie showed Bruce realizing that it was Grace he needed to live on.
Salvation was defined for us as “being made whole by God; made right with God; saved from the power of sin and everlasting death.” Salvation is very clear in the film. Bruce gains Salvation by the end of the movie after he is given the opportunity to ‘be’ God. In the beginning of the film Bruce continuously blames God for everything that goes wrong in his life. He believed that the most important thing going for him was be to become an anchor on channel seven news, and he also believed that until then everything was mediocre. This upset Grace because she felt that their love for each other and their life was more than that and would tell Bruce to pray to God. It wasn't until Bruce was given the opportunity to grant his wishes that he started to realize that maybe that’s not what he needed after all. Even though he seemed to have been given everything he had wanted he start letting go of his Grace, and with God’s help he realized that she was everything to him and he was nothing without her. After being hit by the truck and he went to God and he told him to pray God seemed satisfied that Bruce learned to appreciate what he had and the importance of faith in him, so he saved Bruce from death and sent him back to live his life as a new person.
In conclusion, Bruce Nolan learned that love and helping others was more of a reward than being a television anchor. It may have taken him awhile, but his experience made him realize that he needed Grace and Salvation to fulfill life. It was clearly evident in the last scene where he not only professed his love for Grace but was about to help many others through the blood drive that was taking place that Bruce became a different person. Bruce was given a new light on life, just like many others that find God. Bruce Almighty was a clever way to make even the most nonreligious person realize that Grace and Salvation need to be present in order to fully live.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Chapter Two Blog
Does Belief in God Demean Us?
I don’t personally believe belief in god shames us today; however I do believe that faith today is very different than faith in past years. I do identify with George Weigel when he states “Sunday looks very different today than it did even sixty or seventy years ago” (page 19). People are always on the go and it has been that way since before I was even born. Fifty years ago stores were closed on Sundays, families worshiped together, and families spent time together. In the twenty years that I have been on this earth stores have been opened and it’s almost rare that families worship together or even spend time with each other. I often wonder if maybe life was better when times were simpler and less hectic than they are today.
George Weigel also states that “Others are genuinely skeptical that human beings can know the truth of anything, much less the truth of ultimate things” (page 19). The previous statement I tend to agree with. Even though I practice the Catholic faith and I do believe in God for the most part, I also have a problem with trust like many people. I think that part of the reason that many people have trouble fully believing is because we have been taught that there is a scientific explanation to everything. Many people also have trouble believing because they think if there’s a God than why do bad things happen, and many times people don’t want to hear that everything happens for reason or that there is always a cause and effect. There have also been so many different theories that have been proven or disproved that people probably don’t know what to believe anymore.
From a Catholic stand point, I notice that many people have lack in trust because they think that the church is a whole set of made up laws. In my own perspective I sometimes agree. Many times I wonder why we practice certain things or believe in certain things. However, it always seems that the answers we receive always an answer of because we do or that’s just how it is. I personally believe that if we were actually explained what we believe and why there would be more of a response rate. People don’t respond to be told what to do, so maybe that does support Weigel’s thought that people view God as an enemy of freedom (page 19). However, I don’t think its God that they view to be the enemy more than they do the church.
All in all I don’t think that we think believing in God demeans us. I feel that the way the world has changed so much that the way be show our faith has as well. I’m not saying that people believe less in organized religion, but I am saying that many don’t realize that people have their own ways of showing their faith. It’s not that people today believe less in God, and it is certainly not the case that they feel shamed to believe. Everyone has their own belief, but not everyone has the same, and just because certain people have the same doesn’t mean they show it the same way.
I don’t personally believe belief in god shames us today; however I do believe that faith today is very different than faith in past years. I do identify with George Weigel when he states “Sunday looks very different today than it did even sixty or seventy years ago” (page 19). People are always on the go and it has been that way since before I was even born. Fifty years ago stores were closed on Sundays, families worshiped together, and families spent time together. In the twenty years that I have been on this earth stores have been opened and it’s almost rare that families worship together or even spend time with each other. I often wonder if maybe life was better when times were simpler and less hectic than they are today.
George Weigel also states that “Others are genuinely skeptical that human beings can know the truth of anything, much less the truth of ultimate things” (page 19). The previous statement I tend to agree with. Even though I practice the Catholic faith and I do believe in God for the most part, I also have a problem with trust like many people. I think that part of the reason that many people have trouble fully believing is because we have been taught that there is a scientific explanation to everything. Many people also have trouble believing because they think if there’s a God than why do bad things happen, and many times people don’t want to hear that everything happens for reason or that there is always a cause and effect. There have also been so many different theories that have been proven or disproved that people probably don’t know what to believe anymore.
From a Catholic stand point, I notice that many people have lack in trust because they think that the church is a whole set of made up laws. In my own perspective I sometimes agree. Many times I wonder why we practice certain things or believe in certain things. However, it always seems that the answers we receive always an answer of because we do or that’s just how it is. I personally believe that if we were actually explained what we believe and why there would be more of a response rate. People don’t respond to be told what to do, so maybe that does support Weigel’s thought that people view God as an enemy of freedom (page 19). However, I don’t think its God that they view to be the enemy more than they do the church.
All in all I don’t think that we think believing in God demeans us. I feel that the way the world has changed so much that the way be show our faith has as well. I’m not saying that people believe less in organized religion, but I am saying that many don’t realize that people have their own ways of showing their faith. It’s not that people today believe less in God, and it is certainly not the case that they feel shamed to believe. Everyone has their own belief, but not everyone has the same, and just because certain people have the same doesn’t mean they show it the same way.
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