The Dislike of Catholicism: Understanding the Holy in the Catholic Tradition, 5 – Psychological reasons

Debate between Catholics and Oriental Christians in the 13th century, Acre 1290. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1 – Introduction
2 – Theory and method
3 – Theological reasons
4 – Social and political reasons
5 – Psychological reasons
6 – Philosophical and historical reasons and conclusion

Projection onto the Big Bad Institution

Now we turn to those who dislike Catholicism mostly because of their psychological baggage.

Some non-Catholic Christians routinely advocate angry, hateful behavior. And if they see any vice among individual Catholics they arguably project their own anger – and other shortcomings – onto Catholicism as a whole. This type of Christian is self-perceived as genuine while Catholics are seen as invalid.

The self-righteous Christian is often eager to get embroiled in long, heated messaging wars over specific points of doctrine. All too often the ideal of loving in Christ seems more like negative attention seeking—or shall we say, spoiling for a fight.

Non-Catholic Christians are not the only people who project their personal shortcomings onto “Big Religion.” All sorts of people are prone to projection. Projection is a convenient way to ignore personal issues by blaming something outside the self.

Individuals and groups from non-US nations, for instance, often single out the US as the Big Bad Wolf, as if other nations aren’t acting in their own self interest, and perhaps less humanely than the US.

Religion and Spirituality mutually exclusive?

Some New Agers and alleged psychics believe they have paranormal powers or, perhaps, special knowledge of unusual phenomena like ETs and UFOs. These folks typically see religion and spirituality as categorically different. For them, there’s no overlap.

If the psi perceptions of alleged psychics critical of Catholicism were from God, these impressions, insights and intuitions would be accurate and used for the common good. But sometimes we find in people with alleged psi abilities a haughty kind of arrogance. Little or no attempt is made to verify their truth claims, which are sometimes boldly proclaimed through the media. And the possibility of “analytic overlay” remains unchecked. Analytic overlay is a concept used in Remote Viewing but it could apply to psi in general.

Remote viewing also involves the awareness that we can incorrectly interpret incoming data. A misperception can occur when our conscious minds get in the way and our imagination or existing mindset fills in the blanks or jumps to a conclusion about a remote viewing impression. Remote viewers call this “analytic overlay” and good remote viewers take steps to minimize it.¹

In fact, some psychics seem so entrenched in their paranormal, imaginative, deluded or perhaps pretend world that they have no appreciation for Catholic mysticism. The self-important psychic knows best. And that is all. Most mature Catholics, however, don’t flaunt or advertise their spiritual gifts for profit or self-aggrandizement. Along these lines, St. Paul says that any such gifts are utterly meaningless without true, unselfish love.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.  (1 Corinthians 13:1-4).

Fallen Away Catholics

Another consideration is the so-called ‘fallen away’ Catholic who dislikes Catholicism. Assuming fallen away Catholics did not suffer sexual or other kinds of abuse in their past experience with the Church, it seems probable that some – certainly not all – began as cradle Catholics who routinely went to church, possibly coerced by their families.

Due to their personality and early conditioning these people might never have become firmly established in the Holy Spirit. Catholicism just didn’t work for them. And later in life they embrace something else that provides tangible numinous experience and communal support—for example, a non-Catholic religion or a cult.

These individuals might be quite happy with their new path for their entire lives. Memories of Catholicism could conjure up combined feelings of familial coercion, boredom, etc. No wonder they would dislike Catholicism as adults. Quite possibly they’ve never been consciously aware of the Holy within the Church. And if they once did experience the Holy within Catholicism, bad memories and new interests could combine to replace their memory of their positive Catholic experiences.

The parable in Mark 4:2-9 of seeds variously planted on a path, rocks, thorns and good soil comes to mind:

In his teaching he said, “Listen! A farmer went out to plant his seed. He scattered the seed on the ground. Some fell on a path. Birds came and ate it up. Some seed fell on rocky places, where there wasn’t much soil. The plants came up quickly, because the soil wasn’t deep. When the sun came up, it burned the plants. They dried up because they had no roots. Other seed fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and crowded out the plants. So the plants did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It grew up and produced a crop 30, 60, or even 100 times more than the farmer planted.” Then Jesus said, “Those who have ears should listen.”

But let’s not jump to conclusions or unfairly generalize. No doubt many who leave Catholicism continue to experience God in their lives. And many may be on an extremely healthy path, according to God’s plan. Some Catholics might stop going to church simply because the Mass no longer speaks to them or because the demands of work conflict with their desire to attend. In their heart, mind and soul, however, these individuals might still see themselves as true Catholics or, at least, as God-fearing persons.²

—

¹ Steve Hammons, ‘Remote Viewing’ has Basis in Science, Military Intelligence.

² This article isn’t too concerned with non-Catholic spirituality. Obviously, many non-Catholics, religious or not, enjoy extremely healthy relationships with God. And from a Catholic perspective even those who don’t necessarily believe in God or belong to a particular religion, to include agnostics and atheists, are integral to God’s plan.

Copyright © Michael W. Clark, 2012.

6 – Philosophical and Historical reasons (coming soon)

The Dislike of Catholicism: Understanding the Holy in the Catholic Tradition, 3 – Theological reasons

Soufrière Catholic Church (Photo credit: waywuwei)

1 – Introduction
2 – Theory and method
3 – Theological reasons
4 – Social and political reasons
5 – Psychological reasons
6 – Philosophical and historical reasons and conclusion

Sociologists and philosophers, alike, say the Catholic religion generates ‘truth claims.’ The idea of a truth claim gives us a convenient way to talk about a given set of beliefs without necessarily advocating or dismissing them. Non-Catholics often say that Catholic truth claims are not eternally given but, rather, culturally and politically motivated truths—that is, relative truths.

Infallibility

The notion of Papal infallibility is probably one of the biggest reasons why people dislike Catholicism. But educated Catholics realize that only two Catholic truth claims are deemed infallible while most others are less authoritative, and merely disseminated as general guidelines for good moral behavior. Many lay-critics of Catholicism don’t realize that not every Catholic teaching is forwarded as an eternal, unchangeable truth. Instead, Catholic theologians say the Church’s teachings have various levels of certainty. And Papal infallibility only applies to these two dogmas:

1. The Blessed Virgin Mary’s sinless birth (Dogma of the Immaculate Conception)
2. Her bodily assumption into heaven (Dogma of The Assumption)

All other Catholic teachings are not infallible.¹ So it’s just wrong to say that all Catholic teachings are infallible when they’re not. True, some Catholics say that infallibility includes all of the Church’s teachings. But these fanatics – and that’s what they are – are a vocal minority that the majority of sober scholars, Catholic or not, would readily dismiss.

Papal Authority

Some non-Catholics say that even two (allegedly) infallible declarations are good reason to dislike Catholicism, a religion that endorses Popes who, from the critics’ perspective,  are mere pretenders to the throne of truth. This is variation on the above reason why people dislike Catholicism. Some just don’t believe in any kind of Papal infallibility whatsoever. And the fact that only two dogmas are deemed infallible makes no difference. These people want none of it.

Christianity as a Stereotype

A third theological reason why people dislike Catholicism is based on a misunderstanding and, arguably, unclear thinking.

Many use ‘Christianity’ as  a blanket term for all different types of Churches, organizations and individuals calling themselves as Christians. If I say “I’m a Catholic,” sometimes it’s like waving a red flag in front of people who dislike Evangelicals, Fundamentalists and Televangelists, and who really don’t know the difference between these forms of Christianity and Catholicism. It’s just one big amorphous dislike for all things Christian.

However, differences among Christian denominations (and even among individual believers within each denomination) are tremendous. In Ireland, for instance, Protestant and Catholic youth gangs engage in violent clashes. And as CNN’s Anderson Cooper once pointed out, some Christians align themselves with the Green movement while others are out to make greenbacks.

Falling Short of the Ideal

People also dislike Catholicism because of churchgoers who inevitably fall short of the Christian ideal. Some Catholics sharply criticize and even denounce one another. Mean-minded gossip and talking behind another person’s back is not unheard of in Catholicism, even though Jesus tells us to love one another. As in most spheres of humanity, pettiness and hypocrisy are alive and unwell in Catholicism, which is a turn-off for many.

Private and Public

With a little probing it sometimes becomes clear that a given Catholic’s private beliefs are quite different from his or her apparent beliefs as publicly expressed at the Mass. After all, human beings are social animals and usually don’t want to rock the boat. But arguably just as important, most Catholics believe in the necessity of liturgical structure. Structure affords unity and continuity amidst inevitable points of disagreement.

So Catholics with their own private beliefs are not necessarily just toeing the line at the Mass. They could very well be respecting the need for structure while perhaps secretly believing in (and doing) their own thing—e.g. using birth control, engaging in homosexual relations, having affairs or premarital sex.

On the need for structure, learned Catholics point out that even the very first Christian disciples disagreed on certain issues (Acts 15: 1-21; Galatians 2: 11-14; 1 Corinthians 3: 1-23). So there’s a need, they believe, to outline a clear set of teachings to carry the Catholic ship of salvation through all storms of disagreement.

Judging a Book by its Cover

Another reason people dislike Catholicism has to do with their perception of what it means to be ‘alive in the spirit.’ Some non-Catholics say the Catholic Mass looks or feels quite dead. Catholic parishioners apparently behave like robotic victims of a Roman cult, just going through the motions, not really thinking nor believing in what they profess during the Mass.

With few outward signs of ecstatic joviality or other emotional displays, critics wrongly assume that apparently wooden Catholics are spiritually dry and unhappy. These critics really have no appreciation for the possibility that Catholics may experience a very high and delicate kind of interior sweetness, healing and joy.

By way of contrast, Catholics, especially contemplative ones, may see non-Catholic forms of easily recognizable joy as commendable and perhaps even of Christ. But these manifestations of the spirit are usually subjected to the analysis of discernment, which tries to determine if they’re possibly of a different interior quality than the sacramental graces afforded through the Catholic Church.

Catholics are instructed to respect other religions. And the late Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said that she “loved” all religions while being “in love” with her own. Along these lines, the existence of worldwide Catholic Missions speaks volumes. Why would Catholic missions exist if the majority of Catholics did not believe that their religion was best? And would not many of these Catholics base that belief on how their religion made them feel?

Jesus as another teacher

Another theological reason many non-Catholics dislike Catholicism is that Christ is taken as just another teacher, not unlike the Buddha or the Hindu god Krishna. This critique often comes from contemporary Gnostics. For them it’s a mistake to insist on Jesus’ uniqueness. And the highly structured Catholic liturgy just gets in the way of their supposedly genuine, gnostic spiritual experiences.

In response, the Vatican recognizes any partial truths in non-Christian religious figures and their associated teachings but firmly disagrees with the belief that Buddha or Krishna, for example, are equal to Christ. It’s as simple as that and no politically correct or sugar-coated interfaith dialogue will change this fundamental point of disagreement. From a Catholic standpoint, it’s possible that some non-Catholic critics have yet to reach a point in their spiritual formation to appreciate the fullness of Christ as experienced through the sacraments.

Mary and the Saints

Another theological reason why people dislike Catholicism relates to Saint Mary and the rest of the Catholic saints. Misinformed Christians often dispute the supposed Catholic ‘paganism’ of praying for the saints’ intercession.

As outlined at earthpages.ca:

Some Protestants and Fundamentalists complain that Catholics have got it all wrong because, so they say, Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and Man. But these very same people freely ask their friends and associates to “pray for them” which to any thinking person is clearly a request for intercession.

The Catholic reply to this contradictory Protestant and Fundamentalist charge is that if you can ask souls on Earth to pray for you, why not souls in heaven?²

Catholicism clearly outlines its stand on intercession. Asking the saints to pray for us does not elevate them to the status of gods and goddesses, as so many non-Catholic detractors will say. This is just theologically wrong and represents another groundless reason for disliking Catholicism.

—

¹ Dr. Ludwig Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, Rockford, Illinois: 1974 [1960], Tan Books, pp. 8-10 » See online discussion at socrates58.blogspot.com

² See in context.

Copyright © Michael W. Clark, 2012.

4 – Social and political reasons

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Our Meeting With Blessed Pope John Paul II

First appearance of Pope John Paul II in 1978 via Wikipedia

by: Bob and Penny Lord

In the Spring of 1994, the four of us from Holy Family Mission had just arrived in Rome for an audience with Blessed Pope John Paul II.

We had previously been traveling throughout Poland gathering information and taping the lives of the Polish Saints and Martyrs. Saints like Faustina Kowalska and Martyrs like Blessed Jerzy Popieluszko and the Nuns of Nowogrodek were part of the schedule. In addition we had traveled throughout Poland and Lithuania gathering information on Shrines like Our Lady of Czestochowa and Saint Maximilian Kolbe.

We even had the fortunate experience to go to Mass with President Lech Walesa in his private chapel during the trip.

While we were there we had an audience with Cardinal Glemp, the Primate of Poland and he told us a lot about the Polish people and his friend Pope John Paul II. We went to Wadowice the hometown of Pope John Paul II and gathered information and tape on his early years and childhood in Wadowice. Subsequently, we made a documentary on his life.

Cardinal Glemp explained how Blessed Pope John Paul understood the soul of the Polish people and also understood the workings and minds of the Soviet enforcers.

One particular account comes to mind to clearly point out the situation at that time. John Paul as the Cardinal of Kradow was kept up to date about the plans of the authorities in regards to his flock. On one occasion, he was informed that the authorities wanted to reduce the number of Catholic Churches in Poland by 50%. So John Paul devised a plan. He immediately asked for a meeting with the top level authorities to talk about the Catholic Churches in Poland. The authorities were jubilant – those in charge believed this would be their chance to accomplish the goal. At the start of the meeting John Paul immediately asked for an additional 1000 Catholic Churches to be built right away. The authorities were upset and proceeded to do what they always did compromise – compromise! They negotiated John Paul down to 500 additional Catholic Churches to be built! Blessed John Paul was a genius and the authorities thought they won that battle!

Let us now share one more account before returning to the account of the audience: This account will give you great incites into the Polish mindset. The Catholics in Czestochowa wanted to have a procession with the image of Our Lady of Czestochowa. The authorities did not want to permit the procession, but also knew they had to obey the laws. Next the Catholics petitioned the authorities for a permit to process the Image in the back of a truck. The authorities were jubilant again, and this time they issued the permit, then refused to permit a driver for the truck. The Catholics simply placed two large wooden poles under the truck and carried the truck with the Image of Our Lady of Czestochowa processing through the streets as planned.

Now back to the audience. We had arranged to be in the Polish group for the audience and were very excited with the Archbishop asked us to step out of the crowd and go to a special place where Pope John Paul II would greet each one of us individually.

Our most memorable moment is when he spoke to each one of us individually. He told the four of us to continue to make television programs for Mother Angelica and EWTN Eternal Word Global Television Network. He stated that television and media was very important.

He stated over and over how important television and media was and we responded that we would heed his advice. Since then we have produced over 200 television ready programs and to this day we continue with that commitment.

The meeting was literally out of this world! Wow!!

We have never lost the determination to produce more media for evangelization.

Copyright (c) 2011 Bob and Penny Lord’s Site

About The Author

Bob and Penny Lord are renowned Catholic authors and television hosts on EWTN, Global Catholic television. They are prolific writers about the Catholic faith, especially the Saints for which they have been dubbed “experts on the Saints.” For more information about Saints in the Catholic Church like Blessed John Paul II go here http://www.bobandpennylord.com

The author invites you to visit: http://www.bobandpennylord.com

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Medjugore, Signs and Wonders

Virgin Mary © Raimond Spekking / CC-BY-SA-3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

by: Anthony Keith Whitehead

An article by Francis Frangipane has recently gone into circulation. It is a very balanced and well constructed article. The main purpose was to argue the need to put the word of the Bible before signs and wonders and to see the latter in the context of the former. He made a number of useful points and used some interesting concepts. It was of a quality one would expect from him no more than one would expect from him and it is not my purpose here to criticise this work.

However, there are some points which arise from what he said which do need attention. In pursuing his objective he, inevitably, made comments which were subservient to it and, not being of main concern, were not developed. But some of these do require further consideration.

Extra-biblical Phenomona

FP defines manifestations ‘which have no pattern in the Bible’ as extra-biblical. In these he includes the quaking of Quakers and the rolling of Holy Rollers. He then includes the claimed visitations of the mother of Jesus at Medjugore (in the former Yugoslavia) as belonging to the same category. This is surely a slip of thought.

Medjugore Patterns in the Bible?

A pattern consists of elements which can be regarded as representative of something and which are repeated in recognisable ways.

In fact, there are several well known instances in the Bible which constitute a pattern into which Medjugore fits very well. Visitations of angels abound, but there are other instances: Samuel appeared to Saul, albeit illegally (1 Samuel 28:8 – 20); Jacob had an encounter with a heavenly being (some would say divine) (Genesis 32. 23 – 33); there was a (probably divine) appearance to Joshua (Joshua 5. 13 – 15). Of course, we know of the appearance to Jesus himself of Moses and Elijah (Matthew 17. 1 – 8f) and there are many other examples one could quote.

Do these constitute a pattern into which the (claimed) appearances at Medjugore fit? Surely they do. The visions at Medjugore are different in only two respects: they concern a female rather than a male figure; and they have been repeated every night without fail over twenty-two years. Otherwise, and these are surely not grounds for exclusion, the Medjugore events fit into the biblical pattern extremely well.

True, as patterns go, are identical, but many have repetitions which include nonidentical elements. This is evident when we compare such biblical events as mentioned above. All have similarities of one kind or another but none can be said to be identical.

Medjugore, Quakers and Rollers.

The events at Medjugore cannot, therefore, properly be compared with extra-biblical charismatic-type events relating to such as Quakers and Rollers. Of course, Francis Frangipane was simply looking for some examples, and unfortunately picked on Medjugore. But, since the latter can be seen quite clearly to fit within the biblical category, it does demand further attention. Clearly, this kind of categorisation is permissive rather than conclusive of its genuineness: everything that looks like something biblical is not necessarily genuine.

At least because of its influence on very large numbers of people, not to say that God may be ‘reaching to these people through this manifestation,’ the Medjugore phenomenon warrants some further consideration.

Divine Or Demonic Origin?

FP says ‘I personally do not believe that this was (is?) Mary’. He does not say why but, as we have noted, thinks that God may be using it. But that is not really enough. It is either of satanic or of divine origin. One or the other. Ought we not to make an assessment of which?

Is there a possibility of satanic origin? That is doubtful when one considers the messages, and I have read many of them, which have been coming out of Medjugore since 1981. Jesus once asked “How can Satan drive out Satan?” because a kingdom or house cannot stand if divided against itself. Moreover, he added, very significantly, that, if Satan were to oppose himself, his end would have come (Mark 3. 23 – 26f).

Now, it may well be that Satan’s end is near, but it has clearly not arrived at the moment. Moreover, the essence of the conflict between God and Satan is, to coin a phrase, a struggle for the hearts and minds of God’s people. In that conflict the major weapon is a composite of words, concepts and ideas – a major weapon on both sides.

So what are the words (and fruits) coming out of Medjugore? Principally, and repeatedly over the past twenty-two years: love, peace and prayer – and not just any prayer, but sustain, repeated, serious, two, three hours of prayer every day; the establishments of prayer groups and a renewal by thousands of their life in Christ. Now, does that sound like a message from Satan? Hardly. For as yet, his kingdom has not fallen. Certainly he is a crafty strategist, but he would hardly take the risk of repeating these messages every day for so long! And to what end?

So phenomena at Medjugore is unlikely to be satanic in origin. That leaves a divine source. FP doubts it is Mary. But who else, then? Has God sent some angelic spirit to give such words of truth, over so long a period, by deceiving his people with a spirit instructed to claim to be the mother of Jesus but which it is not? That seems implausible, to put it at its lowest.

Hence, whether we like it or not, (but why do we not?) Mary seems the likeliest probability.

Now, although a lifelong Catholic, (albeit with strong Pentecostal symptoms) I am not what Catholics would call a ‘Marianist’ i.e. someone with a special devotion to Mary. And I have always been somewhat shy of the idea of ‘to Jesus through Mary’ – not because it cannot happen, because it can and has for many people, but there is always the risk getting ‘stuck’ on or at Mary. But maybe that implies that I think God cannot look after those who sincerely seek him.

However, we also have to take a wider view than Medjugore itself. It has been argued here that the (claimed) appearances there are not extra-biblical and that is not surrendered. But suppose they were, for arguments sake. While the Bible contains only truth, not all truth is contained within the Bible.How could it be when John’s gospels says that the world could not contain even everything which the disciples knew of Jesus alone (John 21. 25)? Being extra-biblical, as WP acknowledges, is not in itself a cause for condemnation. So…?

In order to accept that the appearances at Medjugore are genuine, one has to consider them within the wider framework of Marian appearances. Medjugore is only the latest in a long cycle of (claimed) appearences of Mary. Most non-Catholics will not be aware of even those in the modern era, which amount to at least eight major visitations, from Guadalope in Mexico in 1531, through Bernadette Soubirous in1858 at Lourdes in France, andKnock in Ireland in 1879, to Fatima in Spain, in 1917 (which led Catholics world-wide to pray over decades for the downfall of communism and the USSR). Not one is identical to another but there is a very strong pattern of similarities (which space here does not permit of description).

In every instance there have been signs and wonders over succeeding decades or centuries of continuing evangelistic and healing associations. Far too many to delineate here, but far too many to pass-off as ‘bunkum’ and, for reasons similar to those given above, too marked by the work of the Spirit to judge satanic in origin.

I have never been to Medjugore. Perhaps I should have. But, in FP’s t erms, I could have been found ‘running after signs’ when the ‘Toronto Blessing’ hit the north east of England at Sunderland some years ago. I hope I did not do it at the expense of the God’s word. But I could not accept the condemnations which some other Christians were making of it of it without investigation. I did get the ‘shakes’ as a result, although I could never see any real spiritual growth as a consequence.

There is, perhaps, too much suspicion among Christians of Christians in sectors other than one’s own (not that Francis Frangipane is guilty of this). God is too big even for the Bible, and certainly for our limited minds to comprehend. And it is surely an irresponsible Christian who thinks he knows the limits to the ways in which God acts among his people, or who thinks he can impose such limits.

About The Author

Anthony Keith Whitehead
Web Site: http://www.christianword.co.uk
Experience: Over twenty years in Christian healing, teaching and writing.
Qualifications: B.A., M.Phil., Cambridge University Certificate in Religious Studies.

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Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition Bible

St. Nicholas Catholic Church, Amsterdam: Kevin Dooley

By: Ian Rutherford

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition Bible – Also known as the RSV Catholic Bible or the Ignatius Catholic Bible.

What is the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition Bible?

The Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition is typically referred to as the RSV Bible or the RSV Catholic Bible or RSV-CE (Catholic Edition). RSV-CE Is the most correct title, as there is a non-Catholic RSV Bible. It is also referred to as the Ignatius Catholic Bible, because the RSV-CE had been unavailable for a short time in the early 1990s until Ignatius Press revived the printing of this translation. It is now also printed by other publishers, in addition to Ignatius.

The RSV-CE is the Catholic edition of the Revised Standard Version. The RSV translation was a joint project between Catholics and non-Catholics beginning in the 1940s. The Catholic edition was formally published in 1965, and an updated version was published in 2006. (The NRSV was published in 1989, which will be discussed below.) The textual basis for this translation is as follows:New Testament: Correspondence to older editions of Novum Testamentum Graece (this is the Latin name for the Greek New Testament).Old Testament: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (Masoretic Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible), Targum, (Aramaic translation of the Hebrew Bible), Vulgate, with influence from the Septuagint (Koine Greek version of the Hebrew Bible).Deuterocanonical: Septuagint with Vulgate (5th Century Latin Bible) influence.

The RSV Bible is what is referred to as a formal equivalent translation. This may also be called a literal translation or a”word-for-word” translation. This means that the original Hebrew and Greek scriptures have been translated into the most literal English word or phrasing possible. This allows for a clear, transparent reading of the original text. (This translation method is as opposed to “thought for thought” translation, which emphasizes priority of the meaning over the original vocabulary. “Thought for Thought” is a popular method for English Bibles intended to be easier to understand, particularly for people for whom English is a second language. Examples include the Good News Translation). The benefit of literal or formal equivalent translation is that it renders the English version of the original words the ancient scriptures used, and so it doesn’t carry the possibility of translators, consciously or not, molding their interpretations and thoughts into the translations.  What is the Difference Between the RSV and the NRSV?

There are currently two approved Catholic versions of the RSV Bible available, the RSV-Catholic Edition (the 1965 edition) and the RSV Second Catholic Edition (2006). Though briefly unavailable in the 1990s, both of these editions are in print. The RSV Second Catholic Edition made some changes and added footnotes according to Liturgiam Authenticam, and features new typesetting and maps. The main difference between the RSV-CE and the Second Catholic Edition is the updating of some of the more archaic language.

Neither the RSV-CE nor the RSV- Second Catholic Edition should be confused with the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). The NRSV Catholic Edition, which was published in 1989, initially received an imprimatur from the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in the United States and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1991. Other than the inclusion of the deuterocanonical books, there is no difference in the NRSV and the NRSV-Catholic Edition.

However, it was rejected by the Vatican, as published by the Catholic News Service, who reported that the Vatican “has rejected the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible for use in liturgical and catechetical texts, after doctrinal officials found fault with its use of inclusive language.”

The inclusive language included such changes as in 1 Cor 13:11 where the phrase where Paul says of himself “when I became a man, I put an end to childish ways,” has been changed to “when I became an adult…” or the point in Daniel 7:13 where the NRSV reads “As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven,” rather than the original “there came one like a son of man …”

This “gender-neutralizing” of scripture moves beyond simply adding “and sisters” to an address that uses the word “brothers.” The translation changes the actual words, and therefore meaning, of the original texts, and in doing so alters and mistranslates aspects of the Catholic faith and heritage.

About the Author

Ian Rutherford is the owner and operator of http://www.AquinasAndMore.com and is an expert in Catholic products. Learn more about Aquinas and More’s selection of Catholic Bibles.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition Bible

Hindus disappointed at Pope for not reaching out to minorities during Malta visit

Escorting the package: Christian De'Bono

Special to Earthpages.org

Hindus find it a disappointment that there was reportedly no mention of any interfaith dialogue with non-Catholic religious leaders during Pope Benedict’s two-day “Apostolic Journey to Malta” which ended April 18.

Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that it appeared that Catholic Church in Malta was not serious to share minority viewpoint and discuss issues of religious equality with minority religions/denominations, which was very sad. He had earlier urged Malta Archbishop to organize the meeting of leaders of various religions and denominations with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI during this visit.

Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, stressed that as a dominating majority in Malta, Catholics and Pope had a moral responsibility to take care of minority brothers/sisters from different faith/denomination backgrounds. Besides Catholic majority, Malta has minority communities of Protestants, Orthodox, other Christian denominations, Muslims, Hindus, Baha’is, Jews, Wiccans/Neo-Pagans, people with “no religion”, etc.

Rajan Zed urged Malta to treat all religions and denominations equally in front of the law. Malta Criminal Code reportedly makes one liable to imprisonment up to six months for publicly vilifying “Roman Catholic Apostolic Religion”, while committing such act against “any cult tolerated by law” makes one liable to imprisonment only up to three months.

Zed further said that under the subject of “religion”, Malta should come up with a “comparative religion” class teaching basics of all major world religions, including the viewpoint of non-believers, in its public primary and secondary schools. According to Constitution of Malta (Chapter I, Article 2, Item 3): “Religious teaching of the Roman Catholic Apostolic Faith shall be provided in all State schools as part of compulsory education.”

Rajan Zed argued that Pope’s reported staying away from religious minorities during Malta trip was kind of “un-Christian” and added quoting from The Bible: “The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel (Psalm 147:2)” and  “…Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another (Gospel According to John 13: 34).” Pope needed to grow-up, he added.

“Apostolic Journey to Malta on the occasion of the 1950^th Anniversary of St. Paul’s Shipwreck on the Island” (on his way to stand trial in Rome, which is said to have brought Christianity to the island) was the third visit of a Pope to the island, who was reportedly invited by Malta’s President George Abela and Archbishop Monsignor Paul Cremona.

Maltese islands were first settled reportedly in 5,200 BCE. Few European countries have such concentrated architecture, history, and beaches in so small an area as Malta. Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion in the world, has about one billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal.

Christian nuns invite Hindu leader Zed to pray together

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed with nuns in the chapel of the Carmelite monastery

Special to Earthpages.org

In a remarkable interfaith gesture, Carmelite nuns in Reno (USA) invited acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed for dialogue and praying together yesterday.

Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, prayed from Rig-Veda, the oldest scripture of the world still in common use, dated from around 1,500 BCE, with lines from Upanishads and Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord), both ancient Hindu scriptures. The nuns prayed from Psalms and Hymnal, and read from Romans in New Testament.

According to Sr. Susan Weber, Prioress of Carmel of Our Lady of the Mountains Monastery, it was a joy to meet and share conversation and prayer together. They have decided to make this interfaith dialogue and prayer an annual feature. Zed presented nuns with copies of Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord).

Rajan Zed started and ended his prayer with “OM”, the mystical syllable containing the universe, which in Hinduism is used to introduce and conclude religious work. After Sanskrit delivery, he then read the English translation of the prayers. Sanskrit is considered a sacred language in Hinduism and root language of Indo-European languages.

Reciting from Brahadaranyakopanishad, Rajan Zed said, “Asato ma sad gamaya, Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, Mrtyor mamrtam gamaya”, which he then translated as “Lead us from the unreal to the Real, from darkness to Light, and from death to Immortality.” Nuns repeated after Zed– “Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti” (Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all).

Rajan Zed points out that in our shared pursuit for the truth, we can learn from one another and thus can arrive nearer to the truth. As dialogue brings us reciprocal enrichment, we shall be spiritually richer than before the contact.

Carmelites, a Roman Catholic religious order now spread worldwide, was founded as a community of hermits in 12^th century in what is now northern Israel, and was joined by nuns in 1432. The life of a Carmelite nun is completely contemplative, consisting of prayer, meditation, manual labor, and silence/solitude. Carmel of Our Lady of the Mountains Monastery, spread over 19 acres on a hill overlooking city of Reno in Nevada, was founded in 1954. Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian denomination. Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion followers and moksha (liberation) is its ultimate goal.

Lauding Catholic-Jewish dialogue at Budapest, Hindus urge all religions to work together

Budapest – 07-01-2007 – 14h33

Originally uploaded by Panoramas

Special to Earthpages.org

Hindus have welcomed the three-day dialogue between Jews and Catholics, which concluded yesterday at Budapest (Hungary), focusing on the role of religion in civil society.

Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that it was wonderful to see the worldʼs two major religions coming together and stressing building trust and confidence, growing friendship, defending human dignity and rights, promoting respect and mutual understanding, responsibility for society, guaranteeing freedom of religion, educating future generation about religious values, commitment to economic justice and human solidarity, concern for vulnerable members of society in view of present economic crisis, etc.

Zed pointed out that serious and honest interfaith dialogue was the need of the hour. Religion was the most powerful, complex and far-reaching force in our society, so we must take it seriously. And we all knew that religion comprised much more than our own particular tradition/experience.

Rajan Zed further says that all religions should work together for a just and peaceful world. In our shared pursuit for the truth, we can learn from one another and thus can arrive nearer to the truth. This dialogue may help us vanquish the stereotypes, prejudices, caricatures, etc., passed on to us from previous generations. As dialogue brings us reciprocal enrichment, we shall be spiritually richer than before the contact.

Roman Catholic Church is the largest of the Christian denominations. Judaism is a monotheistic religion of worldʼs about 14 million Jews whose most sacred text is Torah. Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion followers. Moksha (liberation) is the ultimate goal of Hinduism.

Mysticism and the Idea of Sainthood, Part 3 – Different Interpretations

Urban Saint

Originally uploaded by cobalt123

Copyright © Michael W. Clark 2008.
All rights reserved.

This is Part 3 in a series.

Part 1 » One or Many?

Part 2 » Mysticism, Science and Politics

Different Interpretations

Apart from the idea that the Catholic saints are not just spiritual but political writers, it’s also conceivable that

(a) Saints receive visions that match their innate predispositions and developmental conditioning. That is, God reveals images understandable to a saint according to his or her beliefs and cultural environment.

Another interpretation says

(b) A given saint actually creates a unique interior perception and corresponding spiritual reality.

According to this somewhat popular New Age view, we all create our own reality and truth is whatever we happen to believe in. Notions about this life and the afterlife are fully contingent upon one’s belief system and, as some would have it, desires.

While this may sound quite ridiculous to some, it is a philosophical position similar to solipsism in that it perhaps cannot be disproved by reason.

Solipsism essentially says I alone am, while the self-determination paradigm says I create my outlook and future possibilities among other individuals who also create theirs. And can we really prove either position to be false?

An additional view combines (a) and (b). This is the notion that

(c) God reveals material appropriate to a saint’s beliefs and social milieu, and sometime afterward the saint engages in a secondary, creative process of interpretation.

Those favoring possibility (b) usually maintain that it would be too disruptive for a saint locked into categories (a) or (c) to discover that other people’s truths are just as real as his or her own.

A further possibility is

(d) God reveals an absolute, immutable truth to a saint (e.g. the Holy Trinity).

According to this perspective, absolute truth exists independent of any philosophical or linguistic juggling which human beings may engage in.

The Discernment of Spirits

To complicate matters, Catholic theology stresses the importance of discerning interior perceptions which are from God from those derived from demonic powers or the imagination.

Catholic teaching says we – that is, everyone and not just saints – are continually under attack by evil and knowingly or not are in a constant state of spiritual warfare.

This notion of ‘attack’ refers not just to our own inherited and developmental weaknesses and proclivities but also to external agents of spiritual evil.

The devil, as it were, knows our weak spots and continually tries, like a hacker searching for vulnerabilities in a computer operating system, to enter and control or strongly influence the psyche so as to bring about negative effects.

The Catholic Church also recognizes the possibilities of hallucination and delusion. To what degree these mental activities are created by the person or brought about by external influences is a matter of ongoing debate.

While some of the arguably less elegant Catholic thinkers make a firm distinction between psychological and spiritual disorders, arguing that mental illness is a purely medical issue whereas possession is a spiritual one, the subtler intellects in the Catholic fold consider some combination of physiological, psychological, social and spiritual factors in trying to understand the overall human experience.

Proceed to Part 4: Saints and Medical Science

Mysticism and the Idea of Sainthood, Part 2: Mysticism, Science and Politics

Rosicrucians – The Science of Mysticism

Originally uploaded by dogwelder

Copyright © Michael W. Clark 2008.
All rights reserved.

This is Part 2 in a series.

Part 1 » One or Many?

◊ ◊ ◊

To follow from Part 1,  it seems simplistic to assume that all forms of mysticism are identical.

As Rev. Sidney Spencer says,

before we can fruitfully generalize, we must know something of the different forms which mysticism has assumed through the ages.¹

Keeping this in mind, the present segment is not a comparative study. The reader is referred to Spencer’s Mysticism in World Religion (1963) for a good interdenominational survey.

The following is limited to some Catholic saints and persons recognized as having lead holy lives.

Science and Mysticism

Contemporary researchers often try to test the claims of alleged mystics with a scientific methodology. But choosing a scientific methodology appropriate to mysticism isn’t easy. Science, itself, takes several forms and is variously defined.

Many theologians, for instance, believe that theology is the ‘master science’ because its truth claims originate from God.

Clinical psychologists, on the other hand, tend to stress controlled experimental models involving hypothesized cause and effect, correlation and statistically based predictions.

And some philosophers and postmodern theorists spend untold hours questioning just what science is, if it’s anything more than just another kind of modern myth.

These questions aside, it seems the best approach for testing interior perception would combine psychological, medical, sociological, philosophical and theological models.²

The Saints Speak

My article Krishna, Buddha and Christ: The Same or Different? touches on the theological idea of ‘universal salvation.’

Universal salvation involves the belief that hell isn’t eternal or, in some instances, that hell doesn’t exist.

Proponents of universal salvation generally believe that even cruel, perverse tyrants either immediately or eventually enter into heaven along with those who’ve lead good lives.

This is an intellectually attractive idea. Most people don’t like the thought of souls entering into eternal hellfire.

But after reading the diaries of Catholic saints and holy persons such as St. Faustina Kowalska, St. Teresa of Avila, Sister Josefa Menéndez and the Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, among others, one might become skeptical of the idea of universal salvation.

These mystics speak of interior visions which apparently reveal the condition of living souls and of those in the afterlife.

While some living souls are perceived as holy and deserving of heaven, others are allegedly trapped within the bonds of evil and doomed to hell unless they repent and change for the better.

The saints also speak of souls existing somewhere in-between these two extremes. So-called ‘lukewarm’ souls commit various venial sins, such as gossiping or indulging in dishonorable desires, and likely require purgatorial purification.

But these saintly perceptions are not always oriented towards others. St. Teresa of Avila, for instance, had a vision of the nasty spot in hell where she, herself, would apparently end up in if she didn’t change her ways.

Teresa was very frank about her personal battle with evil. In her autobiography she recounts an incident where “my good angel prevailed over my evil one.”³

And Josepha Menéndez had regular visions of the horrors of hell, visions which could only be described as disturbing.⁴

Meanwhile, Anne Catherine Emmerich had interior perceptions of seemingly ordinary people who apparently were saints, strategically placed by God near centers of great sin and corruption.

According to Emmerich these unrecognized saints suffered dearly for many others around them, calling to mind the two related ideas of intercession and the taking of sin.

The Polish St. Kowalska, currently favored in Catholic circles, claimed to inwardly perceive and intercede for others in spiritual distress. Oftentimes she suffered, so she writes, for other people at a considerable physical distance.

Critics of such diaries contend that Catholic copyists or editors most likely added and removed passages to conform to Church teachings about hell being eternal.

The apparently grand ideological scheme of the Church, critics say, encouraged clerics to meddle with said texts as an apparently justified means to an end.

This hypothesis is, of course, possible but seems doubtful, especially in connection with the more recent saints such as St. Kowalska.

The original pages of St. Kowalska’s handwritten diary are available for public scrutiny and not all that she writes about clerics and her religious sisters in the published Divine Mercy Diary is complimentary by any stretch of the imagination.

If covert editing was condoned to try to make the Church look good and bolster its often challenged teachings, why wouldn’t the alleged backroom editors remove the unflattering material found in St. Kowalska’s Diary?

Other critiques have rightly noted that the religious diaries of saints would have been read carefully by a Superior and ultimately by the Catholic hierarchy.

The saints, so this argument goes, wished to appease the known and imagined biases of their religious superiors and wrote accordingly.

One common example given here is the medieval saints’ intense disdain for women:

If God loves women and men equally, critics contend, why would a leading mystic like St. Teresa of Avila – who apparently saw through the veil separating heaven from mere appearances and social conventions – write about her supposed female inferiority?

It is enough that I am a woman to make my sails droop: how much more, then, when I am a woman, and a wicked one?⁵

Did Teresa really believe in gender inequality or was she just toeing the line of chauvinism?

The notion that saints tailored their writings to please Catholic authorities could also apply to those aspects describing the nature of heaven and hell.

Proponents of this view maintain that the saints knew full well they would be risking a fiery death at the stake if they contradicted the Church’s teachings, enforced by the Holy Inquisition.

In a nutshell, these critiques suggest that saintly discourse was not just spiritually but also politically motivated.

—

¹ Sidney Spencer, Mysticism in World Religion (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1963: Preface)

² Intuition and Insight: Toward a Practical Theory of Knowledge was my preliminary attempt to develop a working method for assessing truth claims derived from interior perception and to understand some of the many possible factors contributing to intuitive errors. Because this was such an ambitious and daunting task, however, the piece is currently in revision.

³ Follow this link » The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus and search (Ctrl+F) for the relevant quotation.

⁴ Some of the more hideous visions of Sister Menéndez are reproduced here » http://www.geocities.com/vicarium/hellfire.htm

⁵ Follow this link » The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus and search (Ctrl+F) for the relevant quotation.

Proceed to Part 3: Different Interpretations