Amazon Synod idols cast in River Tiber today

[Aquinas11]

I have always had the opinion that you should treat others like you would want to be treated

I absolutely would want a fellow Catholic to destroy a pagan idol on display in my home.

a statue of Christ or Mary

just compared a pagan idol with the statue of Christ or Mary

 

[aroosi]

We don’t think we know better than the Pope. He thinks he knows better than us. You know, the people he’s supposed to be leading!

Do you know that pride is a very serious sin?

 

[CapitalistCatholic]

Don’t tell me. Send a letter to the Vatican You might be lucky enough to get a response.

 

[stpurl]

Depends on what you mean by ‘tolerance’.
Tolerance does not mean ‘acceptance as perfectly OK’.
Tolerance means that you allow something wrong to exist because, for the moment, the eradication of the wrong itself would be too difficult. For example, Protestants, though they are our brothers and sisters, are in the wrong for not following Catholicism. We don’t go around killing them (or they us) because BOTH groups (not just Catholics) found there were ‘too many’ and that killing didn’t stop others from going as wrong. So we ‘tolerate’ Protestants (and they us) not because we suddenly think, “Hey, it’s all good” but because it has become impossible for one group to completely absorb the other (so far), and so we have to let the error go on until it either accepts the truth (what we hope) or becomes too dangerous and then it’s fight or flight (what we hope doesn’t happen).

But tolerance as in, "Oh hai, these idols and pagans are all just as acceptable to God as Christianity? We’ll use them just like we would use Christian symbols because they’re the equivalent for the worship of some ‘other god’? Nope, not happening.

 

[MagdalenaRita]

South America is still very primitive. If you want dialog you need to be sensitive to that fact

It is one thing to be sensitive to who they are, it is something else, not good, to bring their idols into a Catholic sanctuary.

 

[Aquinas11]

I’m only noting that synod fans will no doubt characterize this action poorly and blame traditionalists for creating division, regardless of the truth.

Good!

Luke 12:51: “Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division”

 

[1Lord1Faith]

It’s really surprising to see all of these reactions to the synod’s opening ceremony. Lots of people seem to be very superstitious about certain elements of the ceremony. It’s almost unbelievable how many people think that an idol worshipping ceremony took place.

It’s the same sort of superstition and ignorance that marks the accusation against Catholics that we worship statues, and that we shouldn’t have icons in our churches. The really ironic part is that many of the loudest voices in this accusation against the opening ceremony are Protestant converts.

I think this is a good teaching opportunity for some Catholics, especially Protestant converts who seem to have a particular misplaced zeal for defending Catholicism from an enemy that isn’t really there. Or, they’ve been deceived by the real enemy. More likely, they bring projections from their past into Catholicism. I see it constantly on the internet.

 

[Anrakyr]

I don’t own a bible nor do I have the energy to look it up.

Congratulations you posted about what happens to the church. This isn’t relevant to the discussion at all.

 

[Genesis315]

I know–someone needs to remind him it’s a warning, not a blueprint…

 

[Anrakyr]

I know–someone needs to remind him it’s a warning, not a blueprint…

For everyone toting the old way of fire and brimstone, smashing idols ect some people are awfully quick to forget there was a time if you said that in public you’d have a really bad time.

Ironically it was at the same time of all the above.
So if you are going uphold one you’d best watch how you address the Holy Father.
No?

 

[HomeschoolDad]

Once I had a small seated Buddha that I picked up second-hand (may have been free) as a kind of funky, “hip” room decoration — it was in high school and I was trying to be “cool”, with incense, black lights, strobe lights, and the like. High school kids do stupid stuff like that. No idol worship (or drug use, I was never into that) was implied. I would have probably hung beaded curtains if I’d had them. It was the 70s, what can I say?

Years later, in a fit of piety, I took the Buddha in the back yard and smashed it, reasoning that I was destroying a pagan idol. This wasn’t necessary. Buddhists don’t “worship” Buddha and (as far as I am aware) they do not attach spiritual powers to statues. It wasn’t an idol. I needn’t have bothered.

 

[Aquinas11]

same sort of superstition and ignorance that marks the accusation against Catholics that we worship statues, and that we shouldn’t have icons in our churches.

comparing pagan idols to statutes in a Catholic church

Lots of people seem to be very superstitious about certain elements of the ceremony

Pope had a blank ring but on his finger. People gathered in circle and bowed to the idol. Synod documents stated the people in the region have already experienced divine revelation and we can learn from them. If it wasn’t superstitious and the idols aren’t idols but just objects, what were they doing? Exercising? Why did they orient themselves towards the idol? All rhetorical, obviously.

this is a good teaching opportunity for some Catholics,

Indeed, for Catholics who will defend pagan worship over Catholic tradition and Biblical scripture.

especially Protestant converts who seem to have a particular misplaced zeal for defending Catholicism from an enemy that isn’t really there

so now we’re going to attack converts? That’s a great message to send to future converts. I thought we wanted to send a positive message to encourage future converts to join? and we’re attacking them for defending Catholicism? If we want them to defend non-Catholic ideas, why are we asking them to convert?

More likely, they bring projections from their past into Catholicism.

more attack on converts, again this does not help us convert people to the faith.

 

[dbranch]

Cast that thing into the lake of fire.

 

[Jen7]

“Te Deum laudamus Te…”

 

[Beryllos]

Getting back to the topic… How do you feel about theft?

Not very highly, save it’s for an important cause like feeding someone’s family or removal of idols from a church.

Ah, I see. If I understand the logic here, an evil action may be justified by a good intention. The end does justify the means. Have I got that right?

 

[CapitalistCatholic]

Not necessarily. The second isn’t an evil action any more than destroying a public idol is. It’s improper and against civil law, maybe, but not a moral evil.

 

[Beryllos]

But they took another’s property without permission, they assumed it was an idol, as you did, and perhaps it is not, and they disregarded the authority of the Church, making themselves the authority. How is that not a moral evil?

 

[melonhead]

Alternatively they could have quietly disposed of them instead of pissing off the people who put them there and burning all the bridges built.

But hey, who need inroads?

Alternatively to the alternative, they could’ve been placed in a museum, convention center, other non-denominational type public building instead of pissing off the people who may worship as Catholics in that church.

But hey who needs to show reverence in a church?

 

[Aquinas11]

If I understand the logic here, an evil action may be justified by a good intention. The end does justify the means. Have I got that right?

Scripture says idols must be destroyed. The evil action would be not destroying them. So the evil action would be to not destroy them. And you are correct - the end (not destroying idol) would not be justified by a means (giving an excuse like not wanting to be arrested).

 

[Anrakyr]

Back then, not now.

Rude, I’m not catholic.

If you did you’d be aware of it and I didn’t say for his zeal. You like to twist words, yes?